Unions!  They were a necessary at a point in US history.  Not exactly a good necessity, but a necessity in cleaning up work place conditions, laws, and abuse.  Now however Unions have become a big political and economic machine continually demanding more dues from their members and using Congress to keep them protected by passing laws blocking Right to work provisions.   

  We now have Longshoremen making 6 figures and other unions not far behind. GM Before declaring bankruptcy was paying the lowest position on their assembly lines $65,000,   with jobs paying more as their skill level rose such as engine installers making up to $150K+ a year..  The persons making that $65,0000 are those that put on and tighten lug nuts.  An 8th grader could do that.   The same position at Japanese Car factories here in the US make $40,000 a year.  This drove GM and Chrysler to Bankruptcy and Ford close but not over the cliff. 

     The unions help negotiate high contracts so that they can turn around and demand higher and higher dues from their members to not only pay for high Union salaries with often range between $300K- 1 Million a year, but also to pay for helping getting liberal politicians, who are loyal to the union cause elected into office and thus, making sure those politicians keep them protected by passing Union Protection laws and standing firm against any form of right to work and other reform laws. 

    The big question is if Unions are only in it to protect their union members then why are they so afraid of competition? 

    The answer to that question is the members themselves pay their dues for protection not from evil employers but from themselves and their own lazy work ethic.

  Modern Unions have become the hiding place of the lazy.  Back in the 1990's I worked for Hilton as a Food and Beverage Manager.  One summer I went to San Francisco working for Hilton to help out while they were busy.  Here in AZ, a right to work state, the manager makes up the schedule for breakfast, lunch and choosing the workers they want to work the shifts.  Usually the manger chooses those that work the best and act and dress the most professionally. 

   In San Francisco however the manager work create a schedule saying he needed say 20 servers for Breakfast on Monday morning.  On Friday mornings all of the Servers would gather and starting with those with the most senority they would choose the shifts they wanted.  Often times those in San Francisco with the most senority were also the worst workers, being very lazy, rude and even sloppy.  They did not care.  They were protected by their Union.

   The Restaurant Industry has always been well known for rewarding those that work hard and earn the respect of the restaurants patrons.  It is one of the few industries in which a person can start as a dish washer and end up at the top running the entire company still, today even while that has ended in most other industries.

  Unions however change that.   Again  to protect the lazy.  It has little to do with Protecting ones self from evil corporations and their owners now.

  Back while I was going to college, I worked for a Big Grocery chain as a Night Stocker.  I worked from 10pm-6 AM stocking shelves.  The store was 24 hours and we had customers shopping 24 hours a day.  One night just before Thanksgiving a lady came up to me at 5:30 AM looking for one of the frozen turkeys that  the store had on sale in the paper for .19 cents a lb I got a stock cart went into the Butcher shop walk in freezer got one turkey for her and several other turkeys to load the empty bin.  The bin was normally loaded by the Butchers.  Who had their own Union.   The customer was very happy, and on her way out told the manager, who was just coming in just before 6 AM.  As I was punching out, the store manager came up to me very happy with the customer service I had performed.  I went home happy with the job I had done.

   I came to work the next night to a note from a Union Shop Steward, telling me to wait till she came in.  I waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for her finally decide to come in.  And when she came in she had a write up for me, punishing me for getting the customer that turkey.  She said I was wrong in doing what I did and was taking a job away from a Butcher.  I refused to sign it.  She immediately ran to the Store manager trying to get me fired.  He refused to do so.  So she got, fellow employees, people who I thought were friends to intimate me, they busted my locker and stole my personal property and keyed and defaced my car. 

  I finally quit, in part because of the intimidation, but mainly because I got another job.  The store, Smitty's Grocery declared bankruptcy about a year later and closed its doors shortly there after.  I have told this story to many Union and non union workers since then.  The Union workers usually agree with the Shop Steward and the treatment I got from fellow employees.  Non Union workers usually agree with the store manager and think I did a great act of customer service.

   The reality is that Unions are afraid of hard work and hard workers, they hate advancement and progress.  They like the status quo and laziness.

  If you disagree with me that is fine.  I welcome disagreement, please let me know how you disagree.  But please do not be rude.  Give your examples of why you disagree. Yes I know this nation grew stronger while unions existed.  Our nation got through WWII with Unions.  But I would suggest that shows how hard the US worker can work and wants to work and not because of Unions.