Unions need political support from the top to be effective. The current administration has been emasculating unions for the last 8 years. So what would a union gain you, if the company fires everyone and rehires a new staff, or outsources overseas?

Look at what happened to the Air Traffic Controllers, the newspaper unions in Detroit, etc. They went on strike, and were promptly destroyed, causing the loss of all their jobs.

Only if the government support unions, are they effective...... like a law saying compamies can't outsource or wholesale fire entire staffs.

Otherwise all unions do is tax your paycheck for dues, which go to creation of a corrupt union which usually ends up playing golf with management, conspiring on how to make you work harder for less..... they call it becoming more efficient.

I'm from Detroit, and I've seen the rise and fall of unions. At first, they were pro-workers, but it peaked, and got to the point where the workers-cost started dragging down the corporations. Look at the retiree health-care issue in automotive industry. All the unions do now, is raise prices. This wouldn't be bad, in a socialized coutry; but in ruthless capitalist America........ they would rather put the National Guard in the street to keep order, than treat workers fairly.

The only thing that seems to work, is to make employees owners in the companies by paying them with stock shares...... then a poorly performing employee is usually harrassed by fellow workers, because the poor performance is costing them value in their stock.

For unions to work in the current political atmosphere, we would need a National Workers Union that can call a nation-wide shutdown, that would force the political establishment to deal with the problems. But look what happens in France.... not good. In America, the last great union hero, Jimmy Hoffa (who wanted a national workers union), disappeared mysteriously.

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