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Originally posted by Superbelt
Sunday OR Saturday was the "weekend" for most people before the unionization of labor.
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Do you honestly believe that without labor unions we wouldn't have trwo-day weekends? Unions came up with the idea of Labor Day, and Grover Cleveland made it happen. The notion of the weekend, however, has its roots in Judeo-Christian beliefs, declaring a "day of rest." As world economies grew more productive, largely through technological advances realized during the industrial revolution, the quality of life improved for just about everyone, and less hours were required to produce more goods. As a result, people were able to reduce the time they spent working. The two-day weekend was born!
So, thank productivity for your weekends. It could well be that in a few years, through further gains in productivity, the concept of a weekend evolves into a three-day time-frame. That is, unless unions continue to actively reduce productivity...
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A real weekend, Vacations and medical leave and Retirement as well as the 40 hour work week, overtime rules and OSHA are a product of the lobbying of labor unions.
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40-hr weeks and o/t are pointless. If anything, they hurt us. Take a look at France and its 30-hour work week - what a mess they've got. Employers packing it up and leaving every day, unemployment soaring, tax receipts way down, and 12,000 dead during a heat wave because nurses weren't allowed to work.
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Do you know what the actual minimum wage is, and then how it compares to the average union wage, minus dues? I doubt you do or you wouldn't have made such a foolish statement.
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Irrelevant.
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Stupid, propagandish statement. I don't think you know clue one about what a union is or does. You seem to have been fed your talking points. Have you any real world experience with a union? Or perhaps, were you burnt by one?
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Settle down, Superbelt. Seriously, catch your breath, read the forum rules, and think beofre you post. OK? Keep it civil or I WILL be forced to ignore you.
[Regarding my statements about unions creating anti-competitive labor markets]
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That's bluster as you have established no such thing.
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Yes I have. Re-read my posts.
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The company always has the right to fire their workers and hire new ones.
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Not without threat of a lawsuit or another strike.
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All the workers are doing is massing together to maximize their barganing power.
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Yeah, they're forming a mob. They try to create monopolies on labor, and use their monopolistic power to exploit businesses. Aptly labeled parasites, extortion is the name of the game for unions.
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That is well within any mans rights.
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Extortion is no man's "right."
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Why give one side of a company all the power to do what they wish?
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You don't. A work agreement is a two-sided agreement. Don't like your job? Leave.
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Why would you wish to deny the true backbone of an industry the right to help guide the company in the direction they want to see it go?
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Let the workers do their jobs and the managers do theirs. Each is an expert in his respective area. Do you tell your dentist how to fix your toothache? Didn't think so.
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If left the way you want it, businesses do what is economical for their business. To maximize their profits. They will cut benefits and amenities as low as they possibly can while still retaining their employees and not hurting their productivity.
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Note the "retaining employees" clause in your statement. Again, freedom of choice empowers the individual much more than any mob ever could. Once again, free markets are the great equalizer, and the profit motive creates the incentives.
Now answer this question - what can a union do that an individual or a class-action lawsuit can't? Then tell me whether or not the answer to that question can be deemed a fair practice.