Talk Elections

it's time for me to talk about one of my favorite subjects--right to work laws.  it baffles me that there isnt a national right to work law.  i think unions and their servants in the congress (i.e. democrats) realize that unions wont survive if people actually have a *choice* on whether to join them or not.  therefore, they must rely on extortion techniques to keep their membership (and their bank acounts) up.

southern states realized long ago that if they were ever going to get out of the ditch they were in, they could only do so by attracting industry.  you cant spur economic development unless you have a right to work law.

  take a look at the great state of west virginia.  i love west virginia.  i hate the way the labor unions have ran that state into the ground.  if west va passed a right to work law, you wouldnt even be able to recognize the state in 5-10 years.  they would actually have some economic development, lower unemployment, and new people moving in, rather than natives moving out.

Florida has a right to work law and we are seen as one of the most business friendly states in the USA. Our economy is booming and new businesses are popping up everywhere. :) Unions are NOT popular here.

I believe that the decision to strike is a personal one, and I do not believe that anyone should be kept from a job that they wish to do. However, I would advise anyone who disagrees with a union's decision to strike to resign their membership, because I believe an organization is entitled to common goals, and I believe there is something just a little off-kilter about someone who will reap the benefits of an organization without aiding it in its time of need.

Would you also agree that Union members should have a right to vote on where their union dues money would be going? In regards to political organizations, et. al.?

Yes. I believe that such a bureaucracy should be open to the democratic scrutiny of its member

:) I agree. But I have a strong disagreement with Labor unions as I believe they were useful at one period in our history but are now obsolete due to the strength of OSHA and labor laws.

Right to Work is Right to Scab isn't it? How enforced is it? Over most anti-union laws are paper laws only.

If you wish to analogize it to dermatology, you are right.

Ah. Thought so...
Little anecdote:
In parts of the Notts-Derby coalfield old pit towns have two pubs. One for the people who went on strike in 1984 and one for the Scabs.

I guess the wounds run deep. If only that Arthur Scargill wasn't so ruthlessly ambitious and unconcerned with individual welfare, that needless strife could have been avoided.

They should be repealed.  The government has no right to tax me $10 a year just so that I can work (not counting all the other taxes they take away.  Why is it the right of the government to determine whether I can work or not anyway?  It's not.  It is my right to determine whether those working in the government have the right to work or not.

If only the egomaniac had balloted...

AZ is right to work as well.  Unions are incredibly stifled. Its great.

VA is also right-to-work, thankfully. My mom refuses to join our local chapter of the NEA.

NEA = A nice nazi party.

Ha, I think that I totally misunderstood the point of this thread.  I thought this was about the "Right to Work Tax".  That's what we have in PA.

state's rights:  did you name your daughter after the state of virginia?  or did you just like the name virginia?

All my wifes' family as well as mine are from either MD or VA and we plan on moving back someday. We both love the state and the name. :)

State right-to-scab laws should be banned by federal law. The end.

Or, as Sec. of Education Rod Paige called it, "a terrorist organization." Boy did that get some of my Education major friends at school riled up.

Unions and their thug leaders should be banned. They have no right to take my money and put it where they like it.

I agree 100%.

Union-busting should be banned.

Any company that busts a union should have its board of directors jailed for life.

Unions are one of the main reasons why American vehicles are overpriced as well as food, clothing on and on. Unions are obsolete.

Anyone who would bust a union is obsolete.

What benefit does a union provide that most modern corporations fail to provide? In the case of my company we are one of the most highly ranked companies in the nation for benefits and I feel we are just as equal to a unionized company. Unions had their day they were good but now they are a drag on the nation.

Safety and decent wages, perhaps?

What are we in the 1930s? Ever heard of OSHA or the DoL? And the wages we get are FAIR not bloated. Consistently ranked in the top 100 as best companies to work for, for the past 7 years. You could fart wrong and violate OSHA. Believe me I know how these guys are.

:D I have no clue. Whats up with the avatar?

the only positive things unions can say is that their membership gets higher wages.

HOWEVER, i believe that the market should set wages.  artifical wage inflation is *bad* for the economy.

wonder who ends up pay those wildly inflated wages...that's right, the consumer.

Higher wages are understated! Some union members do a 15 dollar a hour job getting paid 25$ a hour! Out of this world! And we wonder why cars cost so much.

I don't see the point of unions. A properly designed regulatory scheme could solve all the complaints about worker conditions. They would thus be rendered obsolete. And you're absolutely right, Walter Mitty. Collective bargaining prevents the natural adjustment of wage rates. In addition, I cannot support them because I believe they give preference to the wishes of a bureaucracy that benefits from them, not the workers. In fact, I think it maligns the individual desires of workers to fuse them into a collective will, one that shows little discrimination between the variances inherent to any class of wage earners.

Migrendel. Why do you dismiss (and pardon me if you didn't know) OSHA which has done a LOT to keep workers safe.

I simply think that OSHA needs to dramatically expand the amount of workplace protection regulation.

I don't know if I'd go that far with it. I have to deal with these guys once a month and they are very tough already. I don't know how they are in the construction industry but in the warehousing industry they are very very tough and will shut a warehouse down if so much as a fire extinguisher is blocked by pallets.

This is the same argument sweatshop owners use when they exploit workers. They're always talking about "market reforms" in "communist" countries like China. Because of these "reforms" most workers there are lucky to earn just a fraction of what the average American who works shorter hours earns.

In those countries what they earn is a fair wage. Its not equal to OUR standard of living but of course we have a much higher and better standard of living.

Not when they're beaten and denied water and restroom breaks.

But of course conservatives support this type of exploitation of workers.

I am talking about $ amount per hour. Not conditions.