On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 10:44:05 -0500, Jon Johanning <jjohanning at igc.org>
wrote:
> So apparently the view of the most politically sophisticated and
> knowledgeable LBO listers is:
> 3) Nothing can be done to improve existing labor unions. Their only
> function is to strengthen capitalism.
-Sure, because I'm sure the real deal LBO'ers are out on the picket -line every day. When was the last time you walked on a picket line? -What a joke. Anyone witha brain in their heads -can see that nothing can be done to improve existing labor unions, -which currently cover only -8% of the US private workforce, a percentage that goes down every year.
It's funny that leftists feel that unions are a minor threat to corporations, since corporate America doesn't feel that way. They spend millions for union busting attorneys and management consultants the second they catch a whiff that a union organizer is nearby. They spend even more on employee personality tests trying to screen out potentially pro-union workers. And they hike wages in non-union shops to fend off unions whenever union density increases.
The reality is that while 8% of the private workforce are members of unions, many more are in industries where the threat of unions organizing their workforce forces them to raise wages and benefits to stave off union campaigns. Employer pitches in many union drives is that they can get union wages without paying union dues. Some workers buy the line and only pay for it later when they realize that they still don't have any protection against arbitrary layoffs, but they do benefit from the union drive even if the union never wins recognition.
Obviously, it would be better to have 35% union density again or even more, but it is ridiculous to recite the 8% unionization rate and ignoring the fact that just the threat of unionization improves workplace practices across the economy.
Nathan Newman