Are UNIONS THE ANSWER to the problems we face in our country today?

1. 59

   JON EWALLposted 13 years ago

   Are UNIONS THE ANSWER to the problems we face in our country today?
   
   Public sector unions altho related are different than private sector unions.

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2. 60

   nightwork4posted 13 years ago

   actually unions are part of the problem. they are greedy, protect the worst employees and cause companies to go to other countries to compete.it doesn't matter if they are public or private, they all function in the same manner.

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3. 61

   American Viewposted 13 years ago

   Unions had a good purpose at one point in our history. The origanal reason for the formation of unions had great merit. Fighting child labor, poor and unsafe working conditions, retirement packages, saving senority workers from loosing their jobs just before retirement so companies did not have to pay the benifits, collective bargaining. Belonging to a union during my working years as a firefighter, had its good side and bad side. Currently if I was still in the union, I would be very upset with all the money they spend on politicians, political issues, TV ads. WHere do you think that money comes from? it comes from the union body, there dues, retirement fund and more. Give that money to its members. As for collective barganing, it is so wrong to not let anyone, union or nonunion bargain for money and benifits. I understand they want to save money, but you can al,ways say no at the bargaining table. Thats the point to negotiating.

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4. 0

   Guantaposted 13 years ago

   Unions are part of the reason why this country is collapsing from the inside out.

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5. 80

   Wayne Brownposted 13 years ago

   I really do not think so.  Union mentality can be very destructive.  I am often reminded of what the mechanic's union did to Eastern Airlines many years back.  Their efforts to secure what they wanted pushed the airline right out of business and no one had a job...not a very productive outcome for any of the union members.  Government is out of control.  Growth and spending in the government sector is almost unchecked for the past three years.  Unions will not fix that...in fact, if anything, they will make it worse.  Obama has managed to funnel a ton of taxpayer money to large unions and write it off under the auspices of stimulus spending...what a load of crap. I call it "vote-buying with our money". I see no real place with any true meaning in today's society for the union. WB

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6. 60

   Horse Feathersposted 13 years ago

   The answer is the people are the answer. Stop Wall Street, Banks, and big business from controlling capital hill. Stop voting party lines and remove career politicians.

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7. 61

   KK Trainorposted 13 years ago

   Unions are the reason for a lot of the problems we face today! How can the be the answer when they force concessions on benefits and pay, which in turn drives up costs. Non-union workers don't have the force their employers to give them those things and they survive without them. Unions are full of uneducated and unskilled folks who would otherwise never make a decent wage and the union leaders are thieves who make millions on the backs of the rest of us who pay the price. What union led industry has survived and made a profit in recent times? None.

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8. 80

   cyoung35posted 13 years ago

   Working for a union at a point in my life, I feel that unions are outdated and need to get up to speed with the times. In some cases the union protects against unsafe labor but in other cases such as protecting bad employees I feel companies should be able to fire bad employees for not meeting company standards, Unions make this hard because they protect these employees with all the bylaws these companies have signed making it very hard for them to get rid of the dead wood. This in turn makes the companies more apt to moving jobs out of the country where there are no unions and labor is cheaper, thus adding to our unemployment rate here in the U.S. I don't think labor unions should go away entirely because that would be a bad thing, but I do think unions should give companies the benefit of the doubt when they want to fire a bad employee.

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9. 79

   Danette Wattposted 13 years ago

   There is no one thing that is the answer to our country's problems today. Everything is so complicated and convoluted it will take a number of solutions to help us get out of the mess we are in.

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10. 58

    feenixposted 13 years ago

    No!
    
    In my opinion, unions are no longer needed in the U.S. Presently, there are more than enough local, state and federal laws, regulations and policies on the books that protect and guarantee workers' well-being and rights.

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11. 68

    cattleshipsposted 13 years ago

    At the outset, in the late nineteenth century, private unions were needed. Workers needed representation because companies, unchecked and by their nature, took advantage of them. And what a fight that was. Over time, though, private unions became synonymous with corruption and staged their own decline. For my answer I will refer only to public sector unions.
    
    Public sector unions, according to this blog: http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2011/0 … blic.html, didn't appear on the scene until the 1950's. In short, public unions have also become corrupt, but in a different way: they have become tools of the collectivists, the political Left.
    
    The answer to the question would depend, then, on my point of view. If I am Libertarian/individualist leaning, then I would say "no". And my definition of the problems we face in America today would differ greatly from a Social Democratic/collectivist point of view, from which the answer would be "yes".
    
    Personally, I am an individualist. I am perfectly able to think for myself and to make my own decisions regarding my own life. I am unique. I respect myself, therefore I respect those individuals around me as long as they respect me. I take responsibility for my actions. I embrace negative liberty, as opposed to positive liberty (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liber … -negative/). Therefore, my answer to the question is an enthusiastic "NO".
    
    As tools of the Left, public unions foster two things: social democracy and a money machine for Left leaning politicians. That is, socialism and the financing for it. I am staunchly against that because socialism invariably leads to totalitarianism. Public sector employees are already protected by laws enacted by Congress. So, what are the public unions protecting their members from? Could it be the American public?

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12. 61

    The Sharkposted 13 years ago

    Any validity that unions had in this country is long gone. Today they are nothing but self perpetuating businesses that exist on the backs of their members.
    Unions raise bundles of money for politicians who in turn owe and pay back the unions based on this support, instead of doing what is best for America. Case in point is the recent bail out of GM and Chrysler, billions were poured in under the tarp plan, as a sort of thank you to the unions for the support given to Obama during the campaign. If you doubt that, just look at the recent trip the President made to Detroit to highlight American workers and their prodution. He went and spoke at GM and Chrysler and snubbed Ford. When in fact Ford should be getting all of the praise, they have reinvented and reinvigorated their company with no government bailouts. The exact reason Obama snubbed them.
    Unions cause employees to be rewarded on time served ,rather then performance. Case in point, the winner of the Teacher of the Year award was laid off in WI because she lacked enough time, so some other incompetent teacher keeps the job because of union rules. To compare this to a sports record, let's take Cal Ripken, a great player and a great person, so this is not meant to be derogatory to him in any way. But his record that he is recognized for is kind of like a union record. He went out and stood at second base and got a standing ovation for tying the record, the next night the same thing happened, he went and stood at second base, again a standing ovation for breaking the record. All he had to do was show up, he needed no hits, no runs, catches etc, just to be there. Where Henry Aaron had to hit 715 home runs to break the Babe's record, something had to be accopmlished for the recognition.
    Unions just another name for extortionists aka liberals.
    The Shark

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13. 73

    CZCZCZposted 13 years ago

    No I do not think Unions in their present state are the answer to our countries problem, actually in many instances they are the problem.  Public worker unions are some of the worst.   Certain industries like construction and heavy mining / machine work etc. unions make sense, there are catastrophic accidents and those workers need to be protected and compensated and a union seems to be best at making sure that occurs.  Unions like teacher unions that have the teachers and administrative workers first before students however tend to not be in my favor.

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14. 68

    puddingicecreamposted 13 years ago

    Individually speaking, unions help the small and replaceable workers. On a larger scale, unions prohibit the free market from performing efficiently, inhibiting progress in a sense. Unions used to be needed to get the laws and regulations to protect workers. However, now that those laws and regulations are in place, unions just disrupt the market (objectively speaking so forgive me if I offend anyone) by driving up costs and decreasing quality of service. However, that does not mean that unions are THE answer to the problems we face in our country today.

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15. 59

    JON EWALLposted 13 years ago

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16. 82

    The Ghostwriterposted 13 years ago

    I personally believe that unions were the cause of a lot of problems in the UK during the 70's

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17. 61

    chiquitabiddleposted 13 years ago

    
    
    ANY PEOPLE MAKING DECISIONS BASED OFF OF A MILITANT MENTALITY WILL LEAD TO A FALL OF ANYTHING!

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18. 71

    Naomi's Bannerposted 13 years ago

    Actually, I think Unions is the reason why we are in the trouble we are in today financially or at least one of them.  Unions cost the tax payer a large amount of money demanding pay and benefits that is way above the average.  I understand why they were created but they have gotten out of hand.

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19. 61

    MyTMidgeposted 13 years ago

    Unions have had their day.  They did some good, but failed in the end.  The answer is empowerment and self-employment through small business.  Corporations are failing and the nation should look to entrepreneurs.

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20. 59

    MysteryPlanetposted 13 years ago

    I believe that Unions were a great thing in the beginning and the concept is a good one even now - BUT as with everything else that people get involved with politics, corruption and the desire for personal gain has ruined it.

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21. 59

    sam3mposted 13 years ago

    i don't believe that unions are the whole answer to our problems, but having no unions would remove the check/balance system now in place.  the gop governors trying to remove child labor laws is an example of what we would face, as is wisconsin's law taking away collective bargaining rights from unions which have not supported the governor.

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22. 60

    proactrdvposted 13 years ago

    Unions can be feneficial but if a union doest not attempt to consider all means to maintain fairness and becomes too greedy and wnat only to serve its own purpose alone then that could lead to catastrophic failures for business especially small ones.

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23. 68

    Freeway Flyerposted 13 years ago

    I don't believe that there is any single answer to our nation's problems. Unions have their flaws, but i would not place them near the top of the very long list. Federal, state, and city budgets would still be a mess without them.
    
    http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Cover-30-Years

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24. 50

    AdrianCKposted 13 years ago

    I think there was a time when unions were needed, but not anymore.

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25. 65

    ThunderKeysposted 13 years ago

    I think that corruption is the real problem and the answers are strong moral values, real freedom of choice and transparency.
    
    Without transparency, the presence of strong moral values and the freedom to choose without coercion, any human organization, defined by its resources and power, will develop serious problems.
    
    - Duddy.

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26. 61

    Kerri Russellposted 13 years ago

    It seems that most of the people who responded are against unions. I personally don't like them, and it seems they have become a crutch and upper management has become corrupt. Unions once served a purpose, but no longer do, and they are trying to hold on to what little power they have.
    
    In California teachers don't necessarily have a choice whether or not they want to be a part of a union. Shouldn't they? Doesn't freedom mean being able to choose how and where you want your hard earned money to  go. In Utah it is a choice, and when I heard the union's spiel before I received my teaching credential, I thought the only benefit would be to have an attorney represent me (in case I ever needed one) instead of having to stress about it. That was comforting, but then I thought I have no intention of doing anything to jeopardize my career, or harm students. So, all that money going to something that may never happen. No thanks, I'd rather keep my money and take the risk.
    
    I think America has become so dependent on unions that they don't want to lose them. They really aren't that great, and I'm sure if workers need a bargaining tool they can do it themselves. We're smart enough!

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27. 60

    kizataposted 13 years ago

    i will say no , unions are there to help people regarding their problem but they are not doing so.

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28. 60

    Scot Manaherposted 13 years ago

    The answer to our problems we face is to allow the free market capitalism to run its course without Governmental intervention. President Reagan was one of the most successful Presidents of our time, he seen record growth in all sectors. We need to learn a lesson or two from him.

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29. 67

    ianjonasposted 13 years ago

    Union only makes matters worse...it corrupts the minds of those under its fold, too many companies suffered form unions, too many companies were even foced to close down because of unions, resulting in more losses.

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30. 62

    Dennis AuBuchonposted 13 years ago

    While I think unions are needed in society to protect workers regarding workplace issues such as safety they are not the answer to the problems we face today.
    
    Unions in the past brought about needed changes to the way businesses treated workers.  Today their approach needs to be more cooperative with business in these financial times.
    
    Unions could be part of the solution if there was more cooperation to keep their members jobs more secure which involves the stability of the company.

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31. 61

    cooldadposted 13 years ago

    I think unions once served a purpose, but are now largely detrimental to our workforce.  It seems to me that too many unions end up protecting inefficient and incompetent workers.  It's difficult for me to understand how someone delivering packages or putting fenders on a car can make so much money and have so many benefits.  I think it's gotten a bit out of control.

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32. 72

    JT Waltersposted 13 years ago

    Only if you want more anarchists in the USA.

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33. 61

    dillon102posted 13 years ago

    Yes and no
    
    I think the main problem are the Union leaders and being tied to politicians, But union members just want to do their job.

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34. 78

    hazelbrownposted 13 years ago

    I don't think unions are the answer, but I definitely value what unions can do for the average person.  It's too hard for a regular American to get what they deserve when they are alone and up against corporations.  Look at what happened in Wisconsin - teachers wanted to be able to maintain their pensions and other really important aspects of their contracts, but the Wisconsin republicans wanted to take those away from them - and eventually did.  If everyone followed basic rules of justice then unions might not be necessary, but the "big money" people are too greedy so unions are very important.

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35. 60

    Bud Gallantposted 13 years ago

    I think the solution is for people to shift their focus from being a cog in the wheel and working as an employee, to being an employer themselves or becoming self-employed.

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36. 58

    baygirl33posted 13 years ago

    Unions are over grown and too strong,but  are still necessary because even a good worker,if out of favour with the boss does not get recognized for what he/she does or knows. People are ambitious,use unscrupulous means to get ahead. If a worker does a good day's work and does not cow toe,he may easily be overlooked in favor of the person who butters up the boss.
    I think,without unions,people,even today are subjected to low wages and short hours.
    We're not all willing to work day and night to make a living. Most people want some time with family and friends.If employers were more fair we wouldn't need unions.

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    Admiral_Joraxxposted 13 years ago

    No, I think what will really solve the problem is a change in mindset. As long as there are people who are still thinking more of themselves. There will always be only groups in the world. and the world doesn't need groups anymore, there's just too many of them, what the world needs is a team! It's oneness in goal and aspiration that sets the difference between a team and a mere group.

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