Should we really be surprised that the union thugs would get violent?

Jump to Last Post 1-6 of 6 discussions (8 posts)
  1. Cassie Smith profile image60
    Cassie Smithposted 11 years ago

    Should we really be surprised that the union thugs would get violent?

    Union members getting violent if they don't get their way is a typical example of The Left sense of entitlement.  If members or anyone else disagree with them then they resort to violence and think it's appropriate.  They have a history of this and the Democrats support it because they know that they need union votes to keep them in power.

  2. Tusitala Tom profile image65
    Tusitala Tomposted 11 years ago

    Goes a bit deeper than that, Cassie.   Way, way back when the union movements began just about all over the world, there was organized opposition to them.   Most trade unions came into being during the great Industrial Age on the 19th and early 20th Centuries.   The ideal was to get better wages and working conditions for the people the unions represented.   

    This was fought tooth-and nail by the big industrialists.  They, in turn, hired thugs to put down and intimmidate the union leaders.  In many instances they even saw to it that those leaders were done away with - killed in some instances.  I believe there was a wholesale massacre of trade union leaders by such 'hired gangsters' on a ferry boat somewhere in America in the 1920s or 1930s.

    It got so fire was fought with fire.   It was only after long and arduous conflict that here in Australia Aussies got the 40 hour week, paid recreational leave et cetera.  It didn't come about out of the kindness of the hearts of their employers.

    Study your history.  You might be quite surprised who the 'baddies' used to be.

    1. Cassie Smith profile image60
      Cassie Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      There is enough history on both sides when it comes to violence.  Union bosses easily become corrupt when they attain power and aren't different.  One of the best movies, On the Waterfront, was about union corruption.

  3. glenn wallace profile image69
    glenn wallaceposted 11 years ago

    Good historical perspective answer from Tom! A well-put response to a (not really a question) question.

    Cassie, not all union members get violent, even when they don't get their way. I think most union members would agree that resorting to violence is not appropriate. My fifth grade teacher for instance, might protest in a union strike, but I can't see her hurling bricks or wielding a 2X4.

    A better question may be, why do Unionists seem so passionate and adamant about their collective bargaining rights? Part of the answer lies in the bloody history Tom references.

    1. Cassie Smith profile image60
      Cassie Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Passion is fine but when it crosses over to violence, it's not.

  4. LandmarkWealth profile image66
    LandmarkWealthposted 11 years ago

    Not really.  There was a time in history when violence was used against the US labor movemment.  But the was a LONG time ago before most of these members were even born.  They have devolved into a thug movement in many ways that feels they need laws to force workers to join a union and pay dues as a condition of employment, even when the worker and the employer don't want anything to do with them.  They often cite union wages are higher.  Yet it is not nearly enough to offset the higher cost of living created by these artificial wage increases and their impact on regional inflation. While in right to work states, the wages are lower yet the standard of living is typically higher in terms of how far a dollar can go, and more than enough to offset the lower wages.   

    When you see actions like what we witnessed yesterday, its clear why so many companies simply packed up an left the US rather than deal with that type of an attitude.  As well as why Detroit south has blown away Detroit north.  Workers for US automakers in the south are doing just fine while the UAW brings back people who were caught drinking on the job.   Most of the public has figured out the labor unions time is over and that is why they need to force people to join.  In places where workers are given a choice, they've left the union in large numbers.   They serve an important role in an emerging market place to help create effective and reasonable labor laws.  But in a developed indistrialized economy they are counterproductive and simply subsidize incompetence and laziness, while failing to reward the best and the brightest people properly.

  5. GNelson profile image60
    GNelsonposted 11 years ago

    We just took one more step toward a third world economy.  That is what should surprise you!!

  6. rfmoran profile image71
    rfmoranposted 11 years ago

    The labor movement has a history born largely of necessity. A pipe fitter had no way, given his limited education and absolute lack of contacts, looked naturally to a group that could help him. But now, with unionism predominantly in the public sector, a whole new reality sets in. Big labor is now mainly public employees, protected by the CIVIL SERVICE LAW. It is a coercive movement that seeks gain at the expense of non members. The public service unions get their power and money from the people across the table who they put at the table through their contributions. Violence is an unfortunate way to insist on their entitlements.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)