VIEWPOINT: Today is Labor Day, not Union Day
September 3, 2012 at 11:27 am in Grand Forks Herald
Most Americans realize that Labor Day is about celebrating workers, not union bosses, but that won’t stop Big Labor’s apologists from seizing the spotlight to demand more power. Continue Reading
Best real life example of why organization works and unionism is outdated: In 1987 University of Colorado Hospital nurses were the lowest paid nurses in Denver. This despite a severe shortage. One morning at 9 am 200 University of Colorado RN walked into the Vice President of Nursing’s office and handed in their resignation, effective in two weeks.
Complete and total pandemonium set in. There was not enough hospital beds in Denver to absorb all the UC beds that would have to be closed if this was allowed to happen.
In response, the Governor called the legislature into session. In the space of 30 minutes one single bill was passed and the resignations were repealed. This is all in the congressional record (and tens of newspaper stories).
No union. No drama. No picketing. No pathetic emotional arguments about the struggles your friends and neighbors are going through to defend their rights. Just simple organized action.
And no one paid any money to get the job done.
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Why we need unions: 1914: The Ludlow massacre
http://libcom.org/history/1914-the-ludlow-massacre
That said, without unions, there would not be a 40 hour work week, paid vacations, health insurance, minimum wage, working safety regulations, and a whole long list of things we take for granted today. The current crop of right-wing conservatives are working to take most of this away, returning us to the sweatshops of the1800′s and early 1900′s.
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Fgores: as far as I am aware, no one is arguing that unions did not have their place in history. As you have pointed out, they made many contributions through the years.
What I and other people are arguing is that they have failed to maintain their relevence. The old addage “what have you done for me lately” definitely comes to mind.
Unions and entitlement are two words that are often associated with each other. That is their downfall. The long sorted ACS saga is proof of this mentality.
As I have said many times, the airlines offer many concrete examples of how unions and management can act synergistically for the good of each or how they can result in mass unemployment when your carrier closes its doors.
The auto industry is the prime example of what happens when unions fail to change with the environment around them. Like the dinosaurs they become extinct.
Maybe the unions will learn from this time in the wilderness and come back stronger. It is possible but for that to happen they would have to jetteson their national leadership. The head of the AFL/CIO still acts like Jimmy Hoffa tactics are sound. I wish someone would tell him he died in the 1970s
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