Comments on: Will Someone Please Think of the Unions? http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/ Free Minds, Free Markets, Free Booze Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:21:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Andy http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33448 Andy Tue, 22 Aug 2006 19:03:50 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33448 The power of unions to demand higher wages/benefits comes from a monopoly power to restict production. How do they do this? They create artificial barriers to entry for workers such as dues, certifications, education, etc.. What this does is limit the labor poor so that there is an artifical shortage created above the market price. What happens to the wages is that the wages that would have been paid to all workers is siphoned off to pay those who are only employed by the union - thereby causing artifical unemployment. So basically unions are saying "you can't stand with us because if there were more people we wouldn't be paid as much." All of this is of course very inefficient and I'm positive I will see the death of all unions (besides government) in the next few decades. Sure the labor movement is to thank for a new law, which only makes employment harder and less lucrative to find. Money that would have been going to productive uses is now paid to enforcement equipment and personnel. It's evident that in my job the labor movement hasn't helped at all because I am paid over the legal limits and (would full-time) receive more benefits/sick time/vacation/etc.. than what the law prescribes. What about salaried personnel? What you fail to acknoledge Ms. Blaser is the very fact that people flocked by thousands for those new and high paying jobs in the past. They chose that employment voluntarily over what they were previously doing. When you "stand together" in the workplace for higher wages, if you are average or above average in marginal production, you lose more than if you were to bargian on an individual basis! If unions are really for the lowest wage earners, then why are there no unions for minimum wage jobs? I could go on graphically, mathmatically, therotically, empirically, and common-seniscally all day long about why unions are ineffcient just a bad deal for workers, but I hope I have addressed most of your arguments. The power of unions to demand higher wages/benefits comes from a monopoly power to restict production. How do they do this? They create artificial barriers to entry for workers such as dues, certifications, education, etc.. What this does is limit the labor poor so that there is an artifical shortage created above the market price. What happens to the wages is that the wages that would have been paid to all workers is siphoned off to pay those who are only employed by the union - thereby causing artifical unemployment. So basically unions are saying “you can’t stand with us because if there were more people we wouldn’t be paid as much.” All of this is of course very inefficient and I’m positive I will see the death of all unions (besides government) in the next few decades.

Sure the labor movement is to thank for a new law, which only makes employment harder and less lucrative to find. Money that would have been going to productive uses is now paid to enforcement equipment and personnel. It’s evident that in my job the labor movement hasn’t helped at all because I am paid over the legal limits and (would full-time) receive more benefits/sick time/vacation/etc.. than what the law prescribes. What about salaried personnel?

What you fail to acknoledge Ms. Blaser is the very fact that people flocked by thousands for those new and high paying jobs in the past. They chose that employment voluntarily over what they were previously doing. When you “stand together” in the workplace for higher wages, if you are average or above average in marginal production, you lose more than if you were to bargian on an individual basis! If unions are really for the lowest wage earners, then why are there no unions for minimum wage jobs?

I could go on graphically, mathmatically, therotically, empirically, and common-seniscally all day long about why unions are ineffcient just a bad deal for workers, but I hope I have addressed most of your arguments.

]]> By: Blaser http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33447 Blaser Tue, 22 Aug 2006 18:14:23 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33447 Good point Andy. If anyone else were to strike for an extra day off and whined about having to pay a couple grand to insure their whole family for the year when they make $100,000, they wouldn't get the time of day. But you could also say that they may deserve those extra things if they are important enough to bring basic services that many people rely on to a halt if they don't show up for work. At least with the last EWEB strike they threw them a bit of a bone, but basically put their foot down, saying that they would not raise rates for customers just so those guys can get whatever they want. And just remember, when you, by law, either work only 40 hours a week or get overtime pay to compensate for your lost time, that the labor movement is to thank. Our ability to stand together in the workplace to fight for fair wages and working conditions is one of the most important basic rights we have. But, you know, if people like justadog would like to go back to working 18 hours a day in the factory for pennies an hour, be my guest -- It'll sure make my cost of living go down! Good point Andy. If anyone else were to strike for an extra day off and whined about having to pay a couple grand to insure their whole family for the year when they make $100,000, they wouldn’t get the time of day. But you could also say that they may deserve those extra things if they are important enough to bring basic services that many people rely on to a halt if they don’t show up for work.

At least with the last EWEB strike they threw them a bit of a bone, but basically put their foot down, saying that they would not raise rates for customers just so those guys can get whatever they want.

And just remember, when you, by law, either work only 40 hours a week or get overtime pay to compensate for your lost time, that the labor movement is to thank. Our ability to stand together in the workplace to fight for fair wages and working conditions is one of the most important basic rights we have. But, you know, if people like justadog would like to go back to working 18 hours a day in the factory for pennies an hour, be my guest — It’ll sure make my cost of living go down!

]]> By: Andy http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33442 Andy Tue, 22 Aug 2006 17:28:00 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33442 If taxation is the legalized extortion you're talking about then I agree, but if it's just a union I don't have a big problem against it other than they are inefficient and most are not very good at raising the wages of their members. (i.e. UAW) But the public unions are the real p.o.s. Because government *has to* keep functioning, every strike results in gains! How many times has eweb or the bus drivers been on strike in the past 3 years I've been here! That's extortion! If taxation is the legalized extortion you’re talking about then I agree, but if it’s just a union I don’t have a big problem against it other than they are inefficient and most are not very good at raising the wages of their members. (i.e. UAW)

But the public unions are the real p.o.s. Because government *has to* keep functioning, every strike results in gains! How many times has eweb or the bus drivers been on strike in the past 3 years I’ve been here! That’s extortion!

]]> By: JustaDog http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33423 JustaDog Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:06:04 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33423 Yes, I think of the unions when: - I see business laying off hundreds of workers because they can't affort their excessive union demanded wages - I see businesses going out of business because the union demands have forced that company to no longer be competitive - I see legalized extortion in action - I see taxpayers increasingly held hostage and gouged to support the public service workers demands Yes, I think of the unions when:

- I see business laying off hundreds of workers because they can’t affort their excessive union demanded wages

- I see businesses going out of business because the union demands have forced that company to no longer be competitive

- I see legalized extortion in action

- I see taxpayers increasingly held hostage and gouged to support the public service workers demands

]]> By: Andy http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33407 Andy Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:05:34 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/08/21/will-someone-please-think-of-the-unions/#comment-33407 Whenever I click on the internet it only shows me this site and pr0n. Whenever I click on the internet it only shows me this site and pr0n.

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