Do you think labor unions are a good or bad thing and why?
102752
Although labor unions are flawed, they are the employees only defense against cooperate America.  With out labor unions all employees would be without health coverage and decent wages.  Check out Wal-Mart and this site. http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/qpqhf4s1qcIn/.
631253
In many cases unions have outlived their usefulness.\nI have seen unions pressure corporations into bankruptcy.  One of the reasons so much manufacturing has left this country is that unions forced such high labor rates that they "protected" their members right out of their jobs.  Job security should be based only on performance and the laws of economics not artificial controls.\n\nP.S. Do you know how many thousands of dollars of the price of a new automobile is the direct result of the cost of health insurance and retirement for workers?
1121563
National Labor Union and Knights of Labor  I think.
322535
I had bosses from hell. Our union was in before the hourly employees; does that tell you anything? They would hurt employees to get them to quit. The good workers were the ones that they did this to. One would tell you to do things one way, another would come up and tell you another and another would do the same. They would not let some of us have fans when it was one hundred degree's; I will not go on.
408645
My friends, it is solidarity of labor we want. We do not want to find fault with each other, but to solidify our forces and say to each other: "We must be together; our masters are joined together and we must do the same thing."\n\nMother Jones
305172
For the employer, there aren't any pros.  Employers are much better off bargaining with individual employees.  For the employees, collective bargaining gives the employees power to bargain for wages, benefits, and working conditions.  The pros are better wages, benefits, and working conditions than they would have otherwise.  For the employees, the con is having to pay union dues.
825842
Everyone wants fair wages, but when you get the unions getting people to strike, the companies get fed up and go elsewhere.  It will happen to any major industry that has a union.  Eventually, everyone is going to get fed up and go overseas to produce their goods.
1036651
Non-union. I was part of a union once. All they did was take union dues out of my paycheck and promote a 12th (count 'em - 12!) vice president. What the hell? Why do I need to put my hard-earned cash to some schmuck's 6-figure salary who's not doing crap for me? Why do you think more and more unions are going the way of the dinosaur? My dad was a union man for decades, too, until one of the execs at his union stole all the pension money. Unions suck! (Literally and figuratively.)
1048772
Actually, billions of dollars a year in profits.  Wal-Mart (WMT) posted $11.39 Billion in net income (revenue - expenditure).  And yes, there have been studies shown that if Wal-Mart brought it's wages back up to industry standard, they would still be a very profitable company.\n\nHowever, unions are complicated and serve to differentiate workers from the general population, not serve the best interests of everyone.  And, unions are not the right answer for low-skilled/low-wage earners.  For instance, the reason why autoworkers have a powerful union is because Ford or Chevy can't just hire anyone off the street to build a car or operate machinery.  Nor can Delta grab one if it's passengers out of first class and have them fly a 747.  The more skilled and irreplaceable a worker, the more power unions have.  Wal-Mart and McDonalds pay their workers hardly anything because they have developed a system to where just about anyone can be thrown into a Wal-Mart or McDonalds and have all the training they would need to be an effective employee in a day or so.  Furthermore, there's less and less demand for low-skilled workers in today's global economy.  Typical low-skilled jobs in manufacturing have headed overseas, and if you don't posses the skills in today's world to succeed, you're out of luck.  Still, too many unskilled service jobs in the US remain underpaid.  But is that fair to low-skilled American labor?\n\nUnfortunately, I don't think it is.  It was recently reported that the drop-out rate in Los Angeles area high schools was as high as 25%.  While it's important to provide education for our nation's youngsters and propel them into workforce, children coming from well established backgrounds have a much, much better chance at succeeding.  Conversely, kids that come from 'the other side of the tracks' have a much much lower chance at succeeding and do not proceed into adulthood with the skills they need to earn a respectable living.  And to clarify respectable, I mean above the poverty line.\n\nGetting back to your question, the primary fault for low wages at McDonalds and Wal-Mart are not those companies’ policies.  They make the best possible financial decisions given the circumstances in which their business operates.  And, if it was in Wal-Mart's best interests to pay workers more, they would.  Management at Wal-Mart is paid very handsomely.  In order to make a difference and pull our nation's poor out of poverty, the government needs to intervene by increasing the minimum wage and punish companies that employ illegal hiring practices.  As it stands, the President and Congress would rather fill the coffers of American corporations with excess profits than provide help to those that need it the most: the working poor.  Just recently, Congress struck down legislation that would raise the minimum wage providing no help to many Americans that are struggling to make ends meet.  \n\nHow can we justify the minimum wage at $5.15 an hour?\n\nLet's take for example a couple with no children -- the most financially stable and well off household classification -- working full time at minimum wage levels.  Husband and wife combined would earn roughly $1600/mo..  For the sake of this example I am omitting any payroll taxes or other paycheck deductions.  Our couple lives in a 1-bedroom apartment that rents with utilities for $600/mo..  That leaves the couple 1,000 to spend on food, clothing, medicine, and transportation - necessities in life.  2 people eat roughly 180 meals a month, and at $3.00 a meal it is $540.  A montly bus pass in Los Angeles, and most major cities, is about $50/mo. per person, or $100/mo. for both.  So far, our theoretical couple has spent $1,240 of their $1600 budget.  That leaves $360 for health care, entertainment, clothing, household goods (toilet paper, soap, towels, TV), and retirement savings (even minimum wage earners aren't exempt from s
490984
From the consumers point of view; it is a good thing because you can find many different items under one roof at great prices. Saves time and gas...and we all need to save both of those these days.\n\nFrom the employees point of view; no, not a good thing.  Walmart has been in the news for violations regarding worker overtime pay and discrimination against women. They need to clean up that act, and fast, because some communities don't want them around with that record, no matter how great they may be for the consumer.
221687
Unions are so strong that they will stop at nothing to defeat a non union shop.  All the people that are saying bad things about Wal Mart don't work there.  Every time I go in there, the people are VERY pleasant (not like someone who hates their job).  It's too bad, but people don't take the time to find out for themselves, so they just believe what they hear and call it fact.
875872
coming from someone who is in a labor union i would say that if minimum wage goes up than our wages would go up as well because they use minimum wage as kind of a baseline to gauge all other wages. but im not really sure just a guess.
825925
There are good points and bad points. The only good thing here in McDonalds employees here have the opportunity to join a union and McDonalds hate it!!!
1081764
do you know what a "union" is for? That would be self explanatory.
256633
When anyone has too much power it is a bad thing.  Unions were formed in America before there was a lot of government regulation in the work force.  Companies had ALL the power, and treated their workers horribly.  People decided that the best way to counter that was to form unions.  Today, I believe some unions have too much power, and should be disbanded because of that.\n\nBTW - We see the same problem in health care right now.  The people have no power.  Somehow intervention needs to take place to balance that.
526528
This should not be an unfair affair in the working place and rules should basically be the same for all paid employees.  I see this happening today more and more.  Corporations are in for the maximum profit and take advantage of the workers anyway they can.  Unions were supposed to be the buffers between abusive corporations and helpless workers.  If you have a union then tell your union representative otherwise I don't think you have a chance.  You can easily be replaced, if many complain, then they take the jobs abroad where they can buy the government and we can intimidate them with our power, remember, we pay taxes to do that.
192253
there are jobs that dont make it worthwhile for some americans to take.  People on welfare make more in welfare than they would it they work, the system here needs to be changed.  Unions make it hard to hire employees who might do these jobs; prisoners, kids, etc.  companies that have to pay health care, insurance, etc for legal workers.  I think what bush means is that its bad for the companies profits not to be able to hire illegals, pay them low wages, give them no benefits, and tell them to get lost when the work is done.