On Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:23:42 -0800 (PST), Millwright Ron
wrote:

As the late Senator Paul Wellstone liked to say, "We may be entitled
to our own opinions, but we're not entitled to our own facts." Even
with organized labor's many problems (shrinking membership, internal
dissension, gutless Democrats, growing irrelevancy, etc.), there's no
disputing the facts.
Fact: Across the board, union jobs pay more (10-15% more), offer
better health and medical benefits, and provide workers greater on-the-
job security and influence than non-union jobs. Fact: Union facilities
are demonstrably safer than non-union facilities; statistically, the
numbers aren't even close. Fact: If unions didn't represent a threat
to management's greed and unchecked authority, they wouldn't be so
vehemently opposed by businesses and business lobbies.
All of which raises the question: Given the post-Reagan assault on the
earning power and dignity of blue-collar jobs, why aren't more people
signing union cards? Why haven't the marginal and disenfranchised in
the workforce wised up? Union membership used to hover at close to
35%; today it's barely 12%. Worse, if only private industry were
counted, it's less than 7%. Better money, richer benefits, safer
environment, more control . . . what's not to like?

Millwright Ron
www.unionmillwright.com


I think that your problem is that you somehow believe that you (i.e.,
the Union) and Management are interested in different things while in
fact you are both trying to do the same things. Increase income.

Unfortunately the Union has no alternative solution while Management
does - move the process offshore, which of course is going on at an
astounding rate.

Not to say that moving offshore is caused solely by high wages which
are, to a great extent caused, or magnified, by Union action, but
certainly high wages are a significant portion of the cause.

So, for whatever good the Unions may have done in the 1920-1930 period
they are a major cause in forcing industry offshore today and thus
decreasing jobs in the U.S.

As a simple example - while most of the posters in this newsgroup
realize that U.S. manufactured machine tools are of higher quality a
significant number actually purchase Chinese manufactured tools.

Bruce-in-Bangkok
(Note:remove underscores
from address for reply)