ARE UNIONS EVIL

This was a headline in the Duluth News Tribune. 

This was my response.

Are unions evil was a recent headline in your newspaper.  First, there was no need for that kind of pejorative headline.   The man you had argue that unions were evil was sadly misinformed.  He used terms like “infiltrate and termites” to characterize unions.  This is a childish way to denigrate unions.  He pays the obligatory compliment to unions. “When unions were first created there was a need for them.”  What’s changed to make them unneeded?  We have managers and supervisors who try and bully and intimate employees today, and terminate employees on species charges.  In fact most of his argument makes the case for unions.  In his opinion, He states unions are the no. 1 reason companies have gone overseas.  The reason companies go overseas is so they can exploit workers where there are no unions to protect them.  Why do you think that pro-business politicians are trying to do away with OSHA AND NLRB or rescind minimum wage laws? In fact there are politicians and businesses trying to do away with child labor laws.  Mr. Jamail I’m sure would try and spin these things as trying to help businesses.

His other premise is that unions protect bad employees.  All unions do is to make sure that there is due process.  He suggested union employees are lazy and non-productive. I would have liked to have proof of that statement. Lastly this old argument that unions thrive on conflict or want companies to fail is possibly one of the more stupid things that I have heard.  Most union decisions are local and voted on by the membership. One of several things Mr. Jamail doesn’t understand is that the job is our livelihood. We have just as much desire to have a safe and profitable place to work as the company.