One worker has no chance against a large company, With unions they can negotiate and they can back it up with action. This is not a communist plot, our parents starved, fought, bled and died for this basic human right, and whatever prosperity and freedom we now enjoy is primarily a result of that struggle. Even workers who do not belong to unions benefit because they have the right to do so. I've never been in a union, (to be honest, I never wanted to) but I benefitted directly from their work, in salary, benefits and working conditions.
We can also add child labor laws, minimum wage, limits on day and weekly labor, safety and occupational health rules, environmental regulations, product safety, consumer protection and all the rest.
Can these things be abused? OF COURSE THEY CAN! That's why we have laws and debate and negotiation and government. Do these safeguards always work? No, in fact, usually someone gets left out, and too often one or both sides are guilty of overreaching or cheating. Democracy doesn't work very well, but it is far superior to the alternative.
Without these safeguards, you simply cannot trust the free market to provide the workers the justice and dignity they are entitled to. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise, Jody, these are fundamental human rights, as important as the right to own property or the vote; every citizen is entitled to them in a civilized and humane society.
And please don't tell me I only want these things because I'm too stupid to own my own business, or too lazy to work hard for my living.
Current Events » in reply to Okay, I would like to start a thread and I would really like it to stay on topic, if at all possible.
Unions, collective bargaining, and the right to strike.
The whole thread (51 posts)
- Okay, I would like to start a thread and I would really like it to stay on topic, if at all possible.
- "Middle-out" Economics.
- Simple, Right to Work Laws
- You might have better luck on Current Events
- Unions, collective bargaining, and the right to strike.
- Yeah, I think we all owe a debt to unions.
- I don't think that is realistic anymore, ER.