Unions are a good idea until their leadership begins to take on the very same greed components that they are supposed to be protecting workers from. And once they become strong enough to be a political factor, the benefits to the average working person goes out the window. Rank and file Union members are pretty much told to shut up and vote like we tell you.. I belonged to a union for a while, went out on strike, walked up and down in the picket line, did all the union things and didn’t get a darned thing for all that. No salary increase, no shorter working hours, nothing. But the union bosses came out stronger and got a bigger piece of the political pie. The union I was in pretty much jerked us around just like the corporation, only using different language and arguements. So, workers may be jerked around by the company and/or jerked around by the union. That was my union experience.

Hundreds of thousands of children are on waiting lists around the country to get into charter schools because teachers unions refuse to allow more to be built in their communities. In Chicago, 13,000 students in failing schools are being denied a chance to get into a charter school, but rather languish on a waiting list. Same in DC, Same in LA, Same in Boston, Same here in NJ. Unions bring the quality of service down. Call the NJ State government at 4:30pm, and you will hear that the offices are closed at 4:23pm! And they open at 8:49am, or some such odd number. Unionism is the opposite of professionalism. When we first moved to NJ - the DMV and Inspection stations were all union - and slow - super long lines, chaotic - very rude employees. Recently, we went for an inspection, and drove right in - thinking maybe we’d come on a day when it was closed. Employees were super professional, polite, fast, efficient. While in the waiting room we read that all NJ inspection stations had been privatized - no wonder they were so much better!! Due to union demands, NJ is hemoraghing red ink, running a massive deficit - but the Democrat legislature just approved all the previous generous benefits for brand new workers. NJ pays out 5 BILLION dollars a year in retirement benefits to state workers. Unions create fiscal insanity - and the middle class pays and pays and pays.

Kitty, You are correct. This is what happens when unions giveback contractual rights in favor of the almighty dollar. Once a union does that, it loses any credibility to protect its rank and file.

In my experience (26 years in the public schools) the teachers’ union was interested mainly in financing itself and various political candidates, none of whom I was “for.” When push came to shove and I NEEDED the union, it was not there. In fact, it sided wholly with the administration, mainly due to the fact that neither had any computer/internet knowledge whatsoever.. My classroom computer was hijacked and I was blamed for what was done with the contents. Not one person in the union or administration understood enough about the internet to comprehend the dynamics of that. So yes, the union? I loathe it. In fact, I despise it. And I have no respect for the administration, either. Someone in power who doesn’t know how the internet works? Despicable. Unacceptable. Deal-breaker. Yes, in every aspect of life.

Today unions have a place however, I hope they come down to the middle class man and stop with the expensive salaries, offices and benefits. Sometimes what they ask for can do more harm for the business. Example…what happen to the price of the automobile before Honda and other imports brought prices down because of high labor cost mostly contributed by benefits. Insurance is important however, does the average middle class worker get the long vacations, and their birthday off. Review what is important and let every worker think hard about what they’d be willing to give up. As all of us could do this in some way … Let the unions give us some of their benefits, as I also think our fat cat congressman should do. If we looked into what those politicians have given themselves…we’d probably be sick. So some reform and new thinking is needed. So we can still say we need unions although on a different level with more thinking of what we can and what we shouldn’t… Dorothy from grammology www.grammology.com

Designed to be a support of and boon to blue collar workers, when “unions” first started they were. “Unions” have grown into major corporations where the upper echelon employees prosper as the wage earning employees bleed. Dues alone can ruin a family budget these days. Let’s not talk about a strike.

Unions are definitely for the betterment of the worker, but unfortunately, too many times union officials have padded their own pockets. There should be more control over the unions.

Labor Day weekend is coming to a close. This discussion on union is barely begun. Would enjoy more discussion based around teacher’s unions and education. There is so much to say in general also about education in the US. Anyone read Bill Cosby’s “Come On People” ? Love to discuss that book in terms of education and its influence.

Another avenue to address workplace wrongs, aside from the DOL, could be the EEOC or the state-specific equivalent on the basis of whistleblower protections.