Why do Republicans hate labor unions?

[nonconformist]

It's quite obvious why the wealthy CEO's hate them, because they force accountability and living wages.

But why the hell does Joe Schmo hate them? I've never understood it.

Recently, a local company fought and won against unionization and most of the employees are thrilled because they were threatened with a 10% pay cut plus the price of union fees. BUT those workers would have had more job security, better benefits and safer working conditions. It's like people can't see the larger picture, that sometimes you have to give a little to make things better for all. Would you rather make $20/hr with no health insurance and very little job security or make $18/hr and have medical, dental, optical and someone fighting for you to keep your job? You'd think most would chose the latter, but that's not the case.

I suppose this is a problem with society in general, nobody seems to want to sacrifice anything anymore for the greater good.

But I'm curious... what is the main driving argument against unions? I see corruption within the unions is often mentioned, but are people so naive they don't see that corruption is rampant WITHIN the corporations as well and unions help keep that in check?

I think about this a lot because I was raised in a strong union supporting family and my stepfather is a UAW committeeman. Now I live in the infamous "bloody Harlan" Kentucky, where people laid their lives on the line to stop the scabs and unionize the coal mines... and it's so depressing because most aren't unionized anymore. If you have ever seen the excellent documentary "Harlan County, USA" it's heartwrenching to know that all their work ended up for naught.

My great-grandmother, who participated in human chains to stop scabs from taking those mining jobs used to love the old adage, "if you don't stand for something you stand for nothing". Indeed.

[Vincardog]

1. The slave wage conservatives hate unions because they get in the way

of people sacrificing everything to benefit CAPITAL. Unions offer hope to workers that they might actually improve their lot.

[tabasco]

2. Primarily because of propaganda.

The corporate elite spend a lot of money on propaganda. One of their strongest propaganda themes has been that unions hurt the economy. Despite the fact that unions have been weakened and workers have little rights now, the theme still remains.

It resonates well with low-income, rural people who are told about union workers in factories in the cities making exorbitant pay, and the poor factory owners who are driven out of business by the greedy workers. Yep, worker greed is a constatnt theme of right-wing propaganda.

[nonconformist]

9. I think you are exactly right.

They've bought the propaganda hook line and sinker.

The irony is that making rich corporations richer to the detriment of the people has not truly "helped" the economy. The CEO's get richer, their wealthy shareholders get richer and they outsource labor so they get even richer. They don't create "more jobs", they pocket the profits and widen the gap between the classes.

The rich hate the middle class, they'd be happy to see it disintegrate altogether. The working poor are much easier to exploit and control.

[bookman]

3. I never miss a chance...

..to tell the freepers in Texas that I retired early with full medical benifits because of my union. I tell them that unions do their job -- look out for their members.

I also mention that I didn't "belong" to a union. I was the union. It's called democracy in the work place.

[Gyre]

4. They consistantly identify only with the owners and managers

whose job is to exploit the workers (get as much work for as little as possible in return) to get the greatest return on their investments. The union's job is to protect the workers and that often translates into an empowered workforce, which is the last thing that management wants. Plus it's often more expensive thereby cutting into the "bottom Line". Basic stuff.

Gyre

[Sentath]

10. AH Ah ahha eureka!

SHEESH, it took a long time to get this one through my thick skull. Somehow (too much Dallas and DieNasty {sorry, Dynasty}?) the .. people out there have disassociated themselves with the lives that they actually lead and latched onto 'being on the winning side' id est the C.E.O.'s

 large   portions   of   the   country   are   suffering   from   a   disassociative   personality   disorder   ?

yipes

[alfredo]

17. it is something akin to the Stockholm Syndrome. n/t

[glaucon]

5. The middle class...

are comfortable as pigs in shit, enjoying a lifestyle paid for by the blood and tears of tens of thousands who sacrificed themselves in the labor movement in this country. That honorable history is not a part of their world-view. It means less than nothing to them. The propoganda of the capital bosses has wiped it from the things that matter and made the word "unions" an obscenity.

But a time of reckoning will come. Sadly, it may be too late to revive the spirit and strength of labor in time to save the asses of most middle class Americans.

[Mnemosyne]

12. Amen glaucon!

Welcome to the DU!! :hi:

[Jose Diablo]

29. Yep, think so too

the struggles the working people had to go through to get even the basic needs to survive have all but been forgotten, down the memory hole as those that fought are mostly now dead.

I wonder if high school history even mentions what happened in places like mining towns in Colorado and West Virgina. What the railroad workers had to do. The steel workers, meat packing workers, auto workers, textiles, the longshoreman, teamsters could tell some tales. But the ones that had to fight for these worker rights for the most part are now gone. All thats left is just words in a book that for the most part, few students even want to read or try to understand what really happened.

It's all about class war, always has been. But the working stiffs have been put to sleep and have forgotten what they are up against.

I am afraid that what it will take to relearn those hard lessons is a return to the days and conditions that caused the formation of unions.

The wealthy won this round, but the fight never ends. It goes back and forth, forever. There will be another day.

[democrank]

6. Republicans have done a good job

demonizing labor unions and making it stick. I can`t for the life of me understand why more Americans aren`t interested in labor issues, but I`ll tell you what....they will be when their job goes overseas.

Too few people are looking at the big picture. Instead of consumers celebrating the fact that they could buy a made-in-China screwdriver for $1.00, they should have been thinking about the layoffs those screwdriver purchases helped create.

If we don`t do something fast about our manufacturing base, we`ll dearly regret it down the road. This country would be nothing without the workers who built it.

[0007]

20. Companies are good at intimidating the hourly worker.

Most companies will put out propaganda that Unions are run by a bunch of crooks. By giving them your dues you are supporting organized crime that won't help you, as much as the company you work for.

[ikojo]

7. It's not only Republicans who hate unions...there are a few

Dems who are none too union friendly as well. I believe they are called the DLC.

That being said, the ruling class dislikes unions because it gives workers power that those who own capital do not wish to share.

Unions have done woefully little to educate even their own members about the reason unions came to exist in the first place. Most workers, union and non union, think that if there were no unions we would still have the 40 hour work week, the weekend, paid vacation and health insurance benefits. All of these things were paid for by the blood of union members. Corporate America extended these benefits to their non union members to keep unionization at bay, that way they could say "look what we give you WITHOUT a union, now why would you need a union?" Unfortunately too many workers swallow that lie.

[morcatknits]

8. R's hate Unions

They've always hated them, because the Republican agenda (rich get richer, poor, poorer,) depends on an underpaid lower class to keep the profit coming in. They won't invest in the middle class, education -- anything that will help people be upwardly mobile. Democrats believe in growing the middle class. Simple.
morcatknits

[nonconformist]

13. Sadly, you are correct.

It's not only the right that hate unions, some self-described "democrats" seem to have a lot of animosity as well.

You bring up an interesting point about education. I've said for years that I think Labor Relations should be a required high school course, along with Social Class (since class isn't explored nearly enough in typical Social Studies courses). And you're right, the unions have not done a good enough job in educating their members. I know someone who is a union employee that was bitching about having to work a Saturday because all employees had Good Friday off due to union efforts. Yet they take for granted the job security and benefits that the union provides thanklessly.

It's definitely a problem with education and rampant propaganda.

[spanone]

11. Because they force Corporate America to pay fair wages.

and the Thugs are only pro-corporation.

[Abelman]

14. Sometimes because the union isn't that great

Most unions I know of are good and all, but some are bad!

My dad wasn't a member of the union at the shop he worked at. But he saw first hand many people who should have been fired for being poor workers, and they didn't do it because they would have brought the union down like a ton of bricks.

Unions can get too powerful, especially if you HAVE to join to work somewhere. Or look at Hollywood unions - they make it even harder to break into what is already a tough field.

Overall, unions are good, but there are the same problems with unions as any other organization and the Cons focus on these. I personally think that if a place won't allow a union to be formed, then they are the type of place that should have one.

I don't know how much sense I am making. But there are good aspects and bad aspects of unions in this country, but the good outweighs the bad in most cases. Naysayers tend to concentrate solely on the bad.

I wish that we didn't NEED unions in this country, but the sad truth is we do. Otherwise the bosses would have everyone back to the old days of working non-stop every day and barely squeaking by.

[nonconformist]

19. With the good comes the bad

That's true for EVERYTHING.

It's throwing out the baby with the bathwater that causes problems for the majority.

Power of the people can NEVER be a bad thing because it protects the interests of MOST. Nothing will never protect the interests of all. And when the power rests solely in the hands of the corporate muscle, the only interests that are protected are their own.

They look out for themselves, they've got millions to back it up and each other for support. They're organized and have successfully propaganda'ed unions into a bad thing. In a sense, they use the "power of the people" philosophy themselves, which is the ultimate irony.

[B Calm]

23. I haven't worked in a union shop since 1997. I've since learned

that the cheapest thing you'll ever pay for is your union dues.

[kevinmc]

15. Republicans Hate America...

and Unions helped build a strong America.

[Deja Q]

16. Becuase SOME unions happen to be greedy and won't protect their workers.

They'll do some work, but I know a few that are absolutely vile. :-(

[nonconformist]

22. But isn't that, in essence, cutting off your nose to spite your face?

For example... right now, I'm absolutely furious with the Democrats for allowing the bankruptcy bill to pass. But I know if I just turn my back on them, even though I'd never vote for a Republican, I'm not doing myself any service. Instead, I have to fight for change and the election of representatives that share the true Democratic vision.

It's frustrating, that's for sure, but I know my interests will never be represented if I just step aside and let the Republicans have their will. It's the same thing with unions - is a bad union better than no union at all? Short term on an individual level - maybe. Long term on a wider scale - not a chance. We need to work harder for change instead of throwing our hands up in the air in frustration.

[B Calm]

18. They know when labor sticks together, wages go up.

We don't call them Cheap Labor Cons for nothing!

[oneighty]

21. May day

workers of the world united. Communism. Socialism. One for all all for one. Fair pay for a fair day.

These are the reasons that many do not like unions even though today still most workers union and non-union are benefiting by the united workers that have gone before them.

180--Never been in a union but always benefited from unionism.

[all.of.me]

24. because unions help people

republicans do not.

well, maybe i should rephrase that to 'unions help working people, repubs do not.'

[solinvictus]

25. Collective bargaining..

Because with an effective labor union, the workers have an equal voice because they speak as one and the management/owners can't play workers off one against the other. Union members have better wages and benefits than non-union.

[Red State Rebel]

26. Example of Bad Union Practices

I can think of two instances -

I taught colorguard/winterguard for our local high school. Every year there is a competition at the Edward Jones Dome. Band directors get their kids on the field then want to go up top to watch and see how they do. In order to do that the dome would have to open a gate and put some portable stairs there that they have for that purpose. The organization who organized it said the cost would be too much because the Union said there had to be an employee at the stairs to help people up and down. Mind you this was a set of 3 steps. This competition went from 8 am until midnight. Also at the dome I found that in order to take an elevator to the luxury box seats we had there was a union elevator attendant - in a modern push button elevator. Not only were they not needed, but they took up room in the elevator when the elevator was busy.

This spring when my husband was setting up our booth at the home show at the dome he was delayed getting finished and home because they had to wait 3 hours for a Union Electrician to come and plug a plug into an outlet. No, I'm not joking. They had plugged it in themselves and management came by and made them unplug it and wait for the Union Electrician to do it.

When people see these sorts of things and associate them with Unions, they are going to have a bad impression of Unions.

When my husband was in a Union, we would get a monthly newsletter from the national headquarters. Every month, there would be a list of Union officials who had that month been arrested or were being tried for corruption or affiliating with known mobsters.

The Unions need to clean up from the head down if they expect to gain back the respect they used to have.

[sandnsea]

27. They think business is fair

They think you'll be rewarded for working harder. They think business would be foolish to create dangerous working places that would hurt their labor. They believe unions are what is making it hard for business to compete with 3rd world countries. They believe all the ridiculous free market lies of the last 30 years.

I think too many union leaders may believe some of this stuff too, and fight regulation or other perceived anti-business legislation in the mistaken notion it will keep jobs in the US. Not realizing they were helping spread the rhetoric that has ended up costing us jobs.

I imagine it's the same kind of people who fought the unions in your g-g's time.

[Hippo_Tron]

28. GOP Propaganda makes them go against conventional wisdom

Basically what it resonates to is "Labor unions = evil liburl anti family values communists".

And hey, who can dispute that argument?
:eyes:

[Igel]

30. My mother has been Democratic since before I was born in

the late '50s. Hates repubs. Hates conservatives. Didn't like the Vietnam war protesters, but her son was in it and didn't like her airplane mechanic son called a child killer.

Hated the steelworkers union with a passion. They allowed unequal pay. The men involved she considered pigs, in all but the "oink oink" sense of the word: they were sexist; they were racist; and they stole from the union fund. Every audit done by members found problems; no audit done by the HQ did. Their friends who didn't walk picket lines got strike funds; not-their-friends that did had better have proof if they wanted their strike fund money. And, to top it off, they confused the union's good with their own.

I've had two run-ins with unions. The first cost me money: they negotiated that the 50% TA I was awarded actually have hours reported, and have it adjusted to match reality the following term. The dept. was easy on us: my 50% TAship became a 45% TAship. My health insurance was smuggled in under the "50% heading", thanks to my nasty slave-driving bosses.

The second was at a different school. They wanted a strike vote, and organized a meeting. I had already asked various and sundry organizers what the goals of the union were: representation. Not better pay, benefits, conditions. The goals of unionization was to get a union. That struck me as silly. But I asked again, and got the same quizzical look from one organizer: the union should have, what was that word ... issues? The other said the goal of organizing was to get a union. Same old blather. But I went to the strike meeting.

The bylaws had been regularly approved at a meeting: sufficient numbers of people said yes. The strike meeting never got quorum. Far from it. Two hours after the start, they had been voting for 90 minutes--if you entered the room, they asked if you were absolutely positively sure you had already voted--if you said 'no', they asked you to vote and added to the tally. I went to the bathroom, and they tried to convince me I hadn't voted. Organizers were rousting friends from bed to get them there to sign in and vote. I left, forgot my hat, and they again tried to say I hadn't voted. UAW reps were there and watched it all. The next day, the student paper said the organizers claimed they far exceeded a quorum, the reported vote numbers authorizing the strike didn't match the number of signatures on the sign in sheet when the student paper double checked, and still the UAW said it was all done legally, and applauded the students for the stand they were taking. The strike was illegal. The campus union activists lied to the students; the UAW lied to the students.

I'm seriously conflicted with unions. In some cases they're a necessary evil. In others, an unnecessary evil. But always a means to an end, at best.