Thread: The evil unions

Worker unions must be abolished. They cause nothing but anguish and distort the price the market puts on labour. They cause inflation and cripple some of the world's greatest corporations such as GM. If unions were prohibited then the free-market would function better and the standard of living would increase.
The only useful purpose of a union that should be retained is liability insurance e.g if you are a teacher and are accused of assault on a student the union will cover legal costs. Otherwise unions should be disbanded!

There's nothing wrong with unions, it's the power they have that's off.

Originally Posted by Feslin

There's nothing wrong with unions, it's the power they have that's off.

Unions that don't have the ability to collect dues, which is what initially gave the unions power, isn't a union. It's a group of whiny adults which is sad and pathetic.

Commiekiller is right. Unions hurt the industries and the workers of the industries they claim to help. The only exception would be in a single employer town, like mining towns in the '50s, where there are no other employers near enough to hire the people in the town. A union might be necessary to deter the employer from succumbing to the incentives of allowing safety standards to deteriorate, for example.

These situations are isolated and as the economy becomes more globalized this situation will probably occur less and less. So unions are just destructive to their industries and their workers.

It's a group of whiny adults which is sad and pathetic.

It's actually a very good thing.

If an employer is TRULY treating his workers terribly, a union would be able to start an effective worker boycott.

If there's someone else willing to take the job they've got nothing to complain about; after all, what makes it too low of a job for person A but just right for person B?

Right, person B is a harder worker, and deserves the job.

I'd rather have unions than see corporations have every opportunity to rape the American worker.

How can you possibly hate communism, AND not support unions. Unions were the number one tool for Eastern Europeans to fight against Soviet Communism.

Show me a state which bans collective bargaining and I'll show you either a Communist or Fascist state.

Originally Posted by Dr.Knuckles

How can you possibly hate communism, AND not support unions. Unions were the number one tool for Eastern Europeans to fight against Soviet Communism.

Show me a state which bans collective bargaining and I'll show you either a Communist or Fascist state.

Very true.

Again, Libertarians are entirely fine with the idea of unions, we just don't like the idea of unions who have guys with guns as a bargaining chip.

Originally Posted by Feslin

Very true.

Again, Libertarians are entirely fine with the idea of unions, we just don't like the idea of unions who have guys with guns as a bargaining chip.

I'm pretty sure libertarians aren't the only folks who aren't into heavily armed unions.

Originally Posted by commiekiller

Worker unions must be abolished. They cause nothing but anguish and distort the price the market puts on labour. They cause inflation and cripple some of the world's greatest corporations such as GM. If unions were prohibited then the free-market would function better and the standard of living would increase.
The only useful purpose of a union that should be retained is liability insurance e.g if you are a teacher and are accused of assault on a student the union will cover legal costs. Otherwise unions should be disbanded!

First this is a stupidly unlibertarian attitude.
Second big labour unions do not represent the interests of workers they are bureaucratic, centralised monstrosities more often the junior partners to big business.
Third how the hell can you call yourself a libertarian or a free marketeer and support corporations, they are bascally an extension of the state they only exist because of massive gov't interefence and violation of property rights.(lockean, geoist or mutualist.)

Originally Posted by Dr.Knuckles

How can you possibly hate communism, AND not support unions. Unions were the number one tool for Eastern Europeans to fight against Soviet Communism.

Show me a state which bans collective bargaining and I'll show you either a Communist or Fascist state.

Those states were not communist, they didn't call themselves communist, they were certainly not Marxian communist which requires a stateless society and they are not generic communism because they didn't distribute according to need.