Simple Question: What is your opinion of unions?

I believe that they were necessary to cause change and have shaped the working conditions we see today, such as workman's comp, vacation time, 8 hour days, Saturdays AND Sundays off, etc. etc.

However, in this day and age, I think the importance of the union is greatly diminished and its sort of not fashionable anymore. 

I could even argue that most unions are detrimental to business. The auto industry is a prime example. I believe that the UAW had WAY too much power over the decision making process, and pretty much crippled the domestic auto industry. 

If GM didn't have to lock in their wages at X dollars/hour, nor have limits on X % of people to lay off, they'd be in a MUCH better position than they are now. They also would have done WAY better against import cars such as Toyota or Honda. They've been getting spanked by the japanese automakers for the better part of 30 years now.

Back in the day, there was little/no protection for employees and unions were needed to provide even the most basic safety standards within companies ...

Today large Unions are effectively a monopoly on labour and eliminate the ability of the company to control the quantity, quality or cost of work provided by its employees; and large Unions (in particular public sector Unions) tend not to look out for the best interests of their Members, and are only looking out for the (often political) interests of the Union leadership.

If you created a limit on the number of members to a Union (1,000 in a multi-company union, 2,500 in a single company union), you disallowed multi-union collective barganing agreements, and the government enacted right-to-work legislation I suspect that Unions would operate far closer to how they're supposed to.

Unions are far too overpowered. When you have hundreds of thousands, or millions in rare cases, they have far too much power, and they can create all kinds of problems for employers. The NEA is a great example of how horrible unions can make their wages/conditions.

Unions were created to allow the pendulum swing in the other direction - away from total control by the business owner, but in doing so, made it to where employees, not their bosses, have power. And lest we forget the business owners and management are there to lead...Not to bend to the whim of the employee. After all, the business is there for the consumer.

Unions in their current state are bad for all the reasons posted above (so why retype them ). The problem is finding the right balance for unions. There have been multiple changes to union law and each time it has made it too powerful for one side or the other.

Honestly though, I hate how most union workers seem to act and would never want to work with them. I've known plenty who refuse to do their job if you moved something of theirs 5 feet from it's normal resting place since it wasn't in their contract to walk those extra 5 feet. Yes, I have known plenty union workers who are that lazy.

I am part of a union at my part time job and i feel like there are some benefits but for the most part they are more of a hindrance than a benefit. Plus they take unions dues.......greedy ass mofos.

If people think the Big Three went under because of their unions rather than the fact that they were making cars that people didn't want to buy, they are fooling themselves.

I think people unfairly blame unions for problems businesses have. There are all kinds of things that go into a workplace environment besides what you get paid. And employers are just as likely to abuse their power as unions, and have more power to do so.

It makes no sense to me how you will hear people talk about the importance of production jobs in America and how blue collar workers are the heart of America, and then they turn around and badmouth unions in the next sentence. People have been conditioned to think that unions do more harm than they actually do. People have also been conditioned to think that employers abuse their power less often than they actually do.

I say that they're a natural and necessary balance and competition against management. Both sides shouldn't get over powered, and there have been momments in history, and certain sectors of businesses that serve as examples of what happens when one of the two does over power one and another.

At this point in time (specifically speaking of western countries), there is no use for a Union. They currently add nothing to the economy or workers rights.

A union with too much power is never a good thing. It just hurts the long term prospects of the compeny and everyone loses at the end. However, leaving management to do whatever they want is also a bad thing and will only make the workers work more, paid less and fear for their jobs much more. That could also be bad if it drives talent away. The balance is somewhere inbetween or even a good management team could achieve the same.

Bush wouldn't even enforce employment laws that were on the books:

http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/04/02/sweeney-bush-osha-failure-to-enforce-job-safety-law-cost-workers-lives/

Sweeney: Bush OSHA Failure to Enforce Job Safety Law Cost Workers’ Lives

by James Parks, Apr 2, 2009

With 5,680 workers dying on the job each year, a new report shows just how callous the Bush administration was when it came to protecting workers. A report by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released yesterday reveals that the Bush administration’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) systematically failed to perform follow-up inspections for employers who put workers in serious danger. That failure could have led to nearly 60 deaths on the job.

According to the report, OSHA failed to, or was deficient in, following up on 97 percent of the cases in its Enhanced Enforcement Program, which, ironically, was designed to step up enforcement against serious violators. The OIG found that at 45 worksites where OSHA oversight was deficient, 58 workers subsequently were killed by job hazards.

Click here to read the OIG’s report.

In a statement, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says there is “no excuse for OSHA’s failure to properly designate and inspect dangerous worksites, conduct follow-up inspections and enforce enhanced settlement provisions.” 

This report is an indictment of the Bush administration’s unwillingness to protect and safeguard America’s working men and women. It also demonstrates that many employers, including some of the country’s biggest companies, are failing to meet their responsibility to protect workers.

Fortunately, America has a new Secretary of Labor who is committed to putting the needs of working families at the forefront of her agenda. This report underscores the need for strong leadership and a renewed commitment to protecting workers’ safety and health at OSHA.  

Read Sweeney’s full statement here.