Thread: If unions didn't exist

Do you think those people who are currently protected under a union would work harder or produce higher quality results?

Why or why not?

Production has been up for along time, so I would say no, however pay would be up and therefore the economy might be a little better. Shit if Reagan didn't start tearing the unions apart, Bush might have been able to play kick the can with the economy long enough that his failing legacy could have been one blow lighter.

To answer this question you would need to come up with gross generalizations.

I am pro Union in most cases and I think they do all they can to be globally competitive.

Also...I have been beaten up before by cops during a pro union march,

Like, if teachers were not covered by a union, would they put more effort into ensuring that their students were learning if their paycheck or job was in jeopardy. Or would it probably remain the same where you have some good and some bad with no major behavioral changes.

Originally Posted by freckles

Like, if teachers were not covered by a union, would they put more effort into ensuring that their students were learning if their paycheck or job was in jeopardy. Or would it probably remain the same where you have some good and some bad with no major behavioral changes.

The east coast must suck. I have been dealing with teachers damn near all of my adult life, and have had nothing but respect for their efforts and long hours.

Originally Posted by freckles

Like, if teachers were not covered by a union, would they put more effort into ensuring that their students were learning if their paycheck or job was in jeopardy. Or would it probably remain the same where you have some good and some bad with no major behavioral changes.

Thats a great question Freckles and it speaks directly to realities in that industry now. And from my observations as a former Science Curriculum sales rep, there are deserving, competant, wonderful teachers...and the schlocks who just wanted to have a job with summers off. The problem with the teacher's union was that the bad ones didn't get fired for sucking.

I think the ideal situation would be a unionless environment that is performanced based. Sink or swim. Our children should not have thier educations jeapordized by some of these folks I was shocked to see teaching kids. My observation was that out of every three teachers, one was great, one good, and the other horrific.

my two cents

Unions are fine when the worker is being taken advantage of such as with the mineworkers. Unions suck when they are used to do the exact opposite to the employer. If someone asked me what the best thing Reagan ever did it would be when he told the air traffic controllers to hit the road!

No, I don't think the teacher in a union says screw it I'm in a union so I''ll go ahead and be a slacker. I doubt that is the case with any similar union.

Just look to places where there are no unions.

Who wants to go work in a South Korean factory?

In the past, unions were completely needed to push for the bare mininum standards that all workers should have.

However, nowadays they don't seem to be doing much for the economy and its people. But it is still assuring to know that labor unions exist to counter any injustice that may appear in the workplace, even if they do tend to overdue it.

Originally Posted by Nerv14

In the past, unions were completely needed to push for the bare mininum standards that all workers should have.

However, nowadays they don't seem to be doing much for the economy and its people. But it is still assuring to know that labor unions exist to counter any injustice that may appear in the workplace, even if they do tend to overdue it.

The bare minimum standards have yet to be established, hence they are still necessary.