I have been reading a lot about the auto industry of late, about their financial woes, etc. There is the ongoing talk about the employees, specifically the unionized auto workers. The automobile manufacturers are losing money hand over fist, more accurately, they are hemorrhaging money. They blame this on the wages and benefits and pensions, etc of the workers and retirees. This may be partly true, as an auto worker with a high school education makes quite a bit more than I do as a Registered Nurse. Not only do they have better pay, they have better benefits and better retirement. However, with the automotive industry, I think the major problem is with a sub-par product. There is massive talk that the Asian carmakers don't have the union wages, benefits, pensions, retirees, etc as overhead, and yes this is true; but the major issue in my mind is the fact that the Japanese (and other Asian carmakers) build far superior automobiles. If Detroit built American automobiles with the quality, longevity, and efficiency of the Asians, the increased overhead would only be a minor factor. No one heard any crying out of Detroit in the 90's when people were buying the big SUV's. If Ford, GM, or Chrysler (whom I guess is still American) had ANY sort of foresight they would have the biggest cars with a minimum city MPG of 20, which is why I have no sympathy for the Big Three.
On the other side of the coin is the airlines. The airlines started their downfall with 9/11. They never recovered financially from the devastation before gasoline starting costing more and more and more. Don't even get me STARTED on the oil companies. Now, I don't think it is fair for the airlines to hide in bankruptcy protection and use that as leverage to cut their employees salaries by huge percentages. If I went to work and was told my salary would decrease by 25%, I would have to file for bankruptcy as well as my employer. Now the unions for the pilots and the flight attendants have bent over backwards to accommodate the airlines, but the airlines keep taking more and more. I don't know how long the employees can keep giving without getting. I hear the Delta pilots are talking about a strike and I can't say I blame them with all they have already given up. Now, unlike with the auto makers, I feel this is unfortunate for the airlines as well. I didn't mean there was anything wrong with them filing for bankruptcy except when it is used as an excuse to screw their employees.
Now, as a nurse, I have never worked as a union nurse. However, when I was a traveler, I did work in a facility where the nurses were unionized, although I was a contract employee and not under the umbrella of the union. I did get to feel the benefits of working where there was a collective voice, and I must say that it was phenomenal. Nurses had a voice and it was loud and it was acknowledged. One voice is nothing, but many are loud and powerful.
My dad was a union railroad worker and I remember him in contract negotiations and I remember him when he was on strike. I also remember that the workers ALWAYS gave more concessions than the railroad could ever dream of giving.
I have presented the positive of unions, but there are negatives as well. I know when the grocery store workers in St. Louis went on strike, they lost much more than their agreed upon contract made up for in the end. To be honest, I am not sure why cashiers and baggers should be unionized. Everywhere else I have ever lived, these jobs are normally filled by high school kids. Cake decorators and butchers I see, but not cashiers and baggers.
I would like to hear from anyone with positive or negative comments about unions as this is something I am VERY curious about and interested in.
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