I Hate Unions

[Isis]

I really, really, really hate teacher unions.

2 teachers union lobbyists teach for a day to qualify for hefty pensions

Two lobbyists with no prior teaching experience were allowed to count their years as union employees toward a state teacher pension once they served a single day of subbing in 2007, a Tribune/WGN-TV investigation has found.

Based on his salary history so far, he could earn a pension of about $108,000 a year, more than double what the average teacher receives.

His pay for one day as a substitute was $93, according to records of the Illinois Teachers Retirement System.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...-pension#start

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[Hondo]

Why do I suspect that - were Al Capone alive today - he'd be involved in union activities in Chicago vice bootlegging and gambling?

[CallofLiberty]

I have nothing against unions, everyone who supports the Constitution should be pro-union, as we all have the right to assemble freely.

The problem is when unions secure special privileged from the government. That I have a problem with. Unions, just like corporate welfare, are the leeches that suck on the taxpayer's teet and destroy every industry they infect. We need to end special benefits for both unions and corporations. Let the free market prevail!

[admin]

I have nothing against unions, everyone who supports the Constitution should be pro-union, as we all have the right to assemble freely.

The problem is when unions secure special privileged from the government. That I have a problem with. Unions, just like corporate welfare, are the leeches that suck on the taxpayer's teet and destroy every industry they infect. We need to end special benefits for both unions and corporations. Let the free market prevail!

I support free assembly. Unions are Un-American. You don't like the job, go work somewhere else. Mob mentality can't rule free enterprise. Workers can't decide their wage by extortion. I've seen too many businesses close, or move overseas to ever think a labor union is a good thing. If you don't like your job, take your skills elsewhere. If you have no marketable skill, well, tough titty.

[Hondo]

I have nothing against unions, everyone who supports the Constitution should be pro-union, as we all have the right to assemble freely.

The right of free assembly is just that - the right to peacefully assemble in order to petition the government for redress of grievances. It does not include the right to engage in acts of coercion in order to make a business pay more than the going rate for goods and services. Unions do exactly this, and often engage in acts of violence as well.

Admin is right. Collective action belongs in collectives (AKA communes), and should stay there. The US is based on the principles of individual rights and liberty, rule of law, and free-market economics. Union activities undercut all three of these basic principles.

[CallofLiberty]

Oh I agree that unions should not have any special powers. Especially rules in states that make it impossible to work as, for example a teacher or firefighter, without joining a union and having your paychecks docked to pay dues. I also don't agree with unions using their power to force unfair deals down employers throats.

That being said, people have the right to join together and bargain collectively with their employer. Their employer, however should under no circumstance be forced to accept collective bargaining if he doesn't want to.

[admin]

That being said, people have the right to join together and bargain collectively with their employer. Their employer, however should under no circumstance be forced to accept collective bargaining if he doesn't want to.

Agreed. The union thugs should be able to be terminated on the spot. They have no RIGHT to be employed by the employer. They have no say in the matter whatsoever. They are swapping their skills, muscle, or whatever for a wage. If they are unhappy with the deal, seek employment elsewhere. Labor unions have no place in American society.

[CallofLiberty]

Agreed. The union thugs should be able to be terminated on the spot. They have no RIGHT to be employed by the employer. They have no say in the matter whatsoever. They are swapping their skills, muscle, or whatever for a wage. If they are unhappy with the deal, seek employment elsewhere. Labor unions have no place in American society.

I disagree, every American has the right to be part of a union and to try and collectively bargain with their employer.

An employer, however, has no obligation to accept a collectively bargain or accept a union as the "sole voice" of his workforce. An employer should have every right to declare his company a non-union workplace and to hire only non-unionized labor.

Unions should not have any special powers, but people do have the right to join one and to try and collectively bargain. I think it's un-American to say people have no right to join together in a union.

[admin]

I disagree, every American has the right to be part of a union and to try and collectively bargain with their employer.

No, they don't. They have the privilege of being employed, and must accept the terms of their employer.

Americans do not have the RIGHT to a job. They (we) especially do not have the RIGHT to dictate terms from employers.

We DO have the right to seek employment elsewhere, where the grass is greener. We DO have the right to market our skills, as individuals, not some dumbass mass who have banded together to coerce an employer. I think the UAW, the cesspool that is Detroit, and the shitty, expensive product that is GM proves my point well enough.

[thumbelina]

Public sector unions?