As for uniions, this is just legalized extortion of big business. They are socialist in nature designed to take money from those that have and give it to those that don't. Personally, I think they should be outlawed in most cases. Automakers and construction in particular. Like government, they are wasteful in nature and very inefficient. Ex. A union worker at a car plant near my home when I was growing up had the job of carrying a 2x4 back and forth across the plant. He'd been there for so long he couldn't be fired or the union would freak. However, his job had been eliminated so this was what he was paid to do. In NYC, you couldn't plug in a light with a 3 prong standard plug at Jacob Javits convention center. A certified uniion electrician had to do it. We had to wait 4 hours for a guy to come by and plug in our light for us.
If they were eliminated, wages, jobs etc. would drop immediately. GOvernment should offer free education for workers who are loosing out and want to go somewhere else. Then, people would move on to other professions that need workers. Also, standards should be put in place that require specific training and licenses to do specific jobs such as we have for doctors, financial pros, etc. This would make sure you don't have a yokel wiring your house and give them a reason to charge a higher rate, make a demand for their skills, and allow them to earn a good wage. With regulation instead of uniions, you would increase productivity and efficiency, redistribute labor from where there is too much to where it is needed, and lower the cost of products and services for all, effectively lowering the cost of living for all. Cynics will say the corporations will keep the added revenues. They won't. They are greedy. But the more greedy thing to do would be to increase the size of the company, adding jobs and more output.
Sorry, unions were good things before there were child labor, workmans protection, etc. laws. They were good back in the early part of the 1900s when there was no regulation or control over companies. But like many prograns put in place back then, they no longer apply. The only reason they exist now is because everyone screams bloody murder, crys like a little girl, and predicts doom whenever they are threatened, as well as to enable organized crime, dirty executives, and dirty politicians to line their pockets. And yes I've worked for several uniions over the years in construction and retail sales.
