It's Those Damn Unions Again.

       Whatta ya think of unions? Whatta ya think of people who belong to unions? Whatta ya think of people who are anti-union? I can tell you this much. The trouble with unions is the same as the trouble with corporations. Every time you hear of a union that causes a problem, you almost always hear about a corporation that is causing a problem, if you really listen.
       The main problem with unions is management and the main problem with corporations is management. If you read about a company forced to go out of business because of a union that refused to negotiate on wages or benefits or working conditions, and you look into the situation, you generally find out that the company management has refused to negotiate their own wages or benefits or working conditions.
       Remember Hostess Twinkies? That company's demise was blamed on a union that refused to take pay cuts and went on strike. But in a previous negotiation the union did give in to pay cuts which was followed immediately by management pay increases and bonuses. It was also preceded by venture capitalists taking $800,000 out of the company. The loans the company needed to pay the Vulture Capitalists, killed the company.
       So how come we hear so much more about bad unions? Because they're the ones we see carrying placards on the picket lines.You never see management carrying placards on a picket line. They're the ones who are telling their board of directors how they can get the unions to give in, if only the board will give the management a bonus for doing so.
       So then, what good are unions? Unions gave us safe working conditions and a living wage. Unions aren't very strong anymore. Maybe that's why it's so hard to find a job with a living wage anymore.