Jack Kirkpatrick
04-11-2009, 01:56 AM
The public has spoken and they had a good time at the successful San Francisco Flower and Garden Show organized by Salmon Bay. The public crossed the picket line thrown up by members of the San Mateo County Central Executive Council who were not hired by the organizer. The non-union labor pool helped demonstrate that union laborer is not a necessary force in providing capable and professional services when a non-union labor pool is just as hungry and can be hired at an affordable labor cost. The union argued local spending was lost, but notwithstanding, it is also true that spending is fleeting even by some local standards - we are a commuter county and not all union members work or live in the county.
All this blustering by our Council unions' rings hollow as they are not serious about non-union busting. If our unions were so concerned about their members, they would be out picketing our "shovel-ready" day labor pool who congregate at various sites such as Home Depot. (Los Angeles recently introduced legislation requiring shelter's be placed in day-labor sites at the expense of the private business.) Additionally, our Council should be picketing our government entities that don't enforce labor and business license laws! Unions probably have illegal immigrants in their ranks and they do not support our E-Verify documentation policy through the U.S. Citizenship and Information Services. However, they want to promote Card Checks at the cost of the secret ballot that offers a harbor to a person's conscious and independent thinking in what is right for that person. Without the secret ballot organizing labor abuse will extend their labor's long history of direct and indirect threats and use of proxies to abuse those who may not want to become members or be organized into a union shop.
Unions abuse membership dues by taking them from anyone without any guarantee of employment; much of their expenditures should be scrutinized just as corporate donations to political candidates should be scrutinized. All the public and the 88 percent of non-union members have to do is look to the abuses in winning and influencing people by AIG, and in the public sector, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association - the powerful prison union!
Union's early 20th Century history has interceded to accomplished some good deeds such as the 40 hour work week; however, that is being negotiated downward to 32 to 35 hours in some union contract negotiations; they have inserted their interest in safety measures that have resulted in more government oversight with OSHA, EPA and a number of other enforcement arms; and unions have been instrumental in helping government create child labor laws. Despite these accomplishments, by the end of the 20th Century our unions have less members and there are significantly more well paying jobs than ever. This cannot be attributed to modern unionism!
The only significant union organizing has been in the public sector: government. Here is the rub - safety employees and other government employees are getting some very good deals. In many cases our taxpayers in the private sector are paid well for their skill sets. Yet it is the unions that are pushing up government salaries and benefits that will ultimately crash like the legacy costs in the auto industry!
One writer to the SMDJ said that "it is our corporate and financial elite and their today politicians who are the criminals" in reference to our trade policies forcing illegal immigrants to come to the U. S. and by inference that the "elite" are the cause of other matters not specified. I would point out that labors' successes in the workplace was because Congress passed legislation that improved the work and safety environment and essentially labor unions today are becoming an anachronism.
Our old hat unions of the 20th Century cannot compete in the 21st Century demands of the post-modern world!
We should be a right to work state and country, and our citizens should not be told that we have to belong to a union to work. Once unions start dictating to employers an employee has to be a member of a union or pay substitute dues, you can expect more jobs leaving the country, higher labor costs for the skilled laborer and more poor who have fewer competing skills, but maybe that is the union's unintended and ultimate goal - globalization and international citizenship - a no border policy with uniform wages and benefits!
All this blustering by our Council unions' rings hollow as they are not serious about non-union busting. If our unions were so concerned about their members, they would be out picketing our "shovel-ready" day labor pool who congregate at various sites such as Home Depot. (Los Angeles recently introduced legislation requiring shelter's be placed in day-labor sites at the expense of the private business.) Additionally, our Council should be picketing our government entities that don't enforce labor and business license laws! Unions probably have illegal immigrants in their ranks and they do not support our E-Verify documentation policy through the U.S. Citizenship and Information Services. However, they want to promote Card Checks at the cost of the secret ballot that offers a harbor to a person's conscious and independent thinking in what is right for that person. Without the secret ballot organizing labor abuse will extend their labor's long history of direct and indirect threats and use of proxies to abuse those who may not want to become members or be organized into a union shop.
Unions abuse membership dues by taking them from anyone without any guarantee of employment; much of their expenditures should be scrutinized just as corporate donations to political candidates should be scrutinized. All the public and the 88 percent of non-union members have to do is look to the abuses in winning and influencing people by AIG, and in the public sector, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association - the powerful prison union!
Union's early 20th Century history has interceded to accomplished some good deeds such as the 40 hour work week; however, that is being negotiated downward to 32 to 35 hours in some union contract negotiations; they have inserted their interest in safety measures that have resulted in more government oversight with OSHA, EPA and a number of other enforcement arms; and unions have been instrumental in helping government create child labor laws. Despite these accomplishments, by the end of the 20th Century our unions have less members and there are significantly more well paying jobs than ever. This cannot be attributed to modern unionism!
The only significant union organizing has been in the public sector: government. Here is the rub - safety employees and other government employees are getting some very good deals. In many cases our taxpayers in the private sector are paid well for their skill sets. Yet it is the unions that are pushing up government salaries and benefits that will ultimately crash like the legacy costs in the auto industry!
One writer to the SMDJ said that "it is our corporate and financial elite and their today politicians who are the criminals" in reference to our trade policies forcing illegal immigrants to come to the U. S. and by inference that the "elite" are the cause of other matters not specified. I would point out that labors' successes in the workplace was because Congress passed legislation that improved the work and safety environment and essentially labor unions today are becoming an anachronism.
Our old hat unions of the 20th Century cannot compete in the 21st Century demands of the post-modern world!
We should be a right to work state and country, and our citizens should not be told that we have to belong to a union to work. Once unions start dictating to employers an employee has to be a member of a union or pay substitute dues, you can expect more jobs leaving the country, higher labor costs for the skilled laborer and more poor who have fewer competing skills, but maybe that is the union's unintended and ultimate goal - globalization and international citizenship - a no border policy with uniform wages and benefits!