Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Union Membership Rapidly Declining...I'm Shocked!

Wisconsin has become a blue state in presidential elections. The state went for Obama twice, elected Gov. Walker twice (once in a recall election), Republicans took both State houses and Walker kicked the public unions in the balls.

Politicians and political strategists will be studying what happened in Wisconsin for years to come.

Like most things, there are good, and bad, unions. Bad ones eventually die or become "good" unions. The same thing goes for the business they're in.

I have trouble trying to understand the difference between unions in Canada and the US. Where I worked there was no union for the first several years I was there. Following unionization things gradually improved over time. Contrary to what one earlier poster said I didn't see the employees making more than comparable wages for the area.

Very little seems to be said about the culpability of management for some of the contract settlements. If the management didn't think they could afford the settlements they made then they shouldn't have made them. Corporations often get poor employees as a result of improper management.

On top of this very large companies seem to grossly overpay their top management.

From my experience unions are not the ogres posters here make them out to be.

Jim

I am a State of Wi employee. I voted for Walker both times and was glad to see AFSCME get kicked in the balls hard. I can tell you that Council 24s numbers have droppeda TON. I don't know how the State is divided and what Council represents what area. But Council 24 has alot of the States prisons in its area. I work at one and I know one person out of a couple hundred that is still paying his union dues.
I was glad to see them go even though I am now paying much more for my retirement and health insurance.
Bill

Would be interested in your definition of a "good" union and example thereof.

My experience and observations have been the same as yours. It's evolution, with greed to differing degrees thrown in.

At least now you know your bennies will be there. For a longer time anyway.

Unions donate huge amounts of money to the demoncrap party from their members dues, thus, unions helped inflict the obamanation on us twice. Never forget that.

Historically, I believe it's been the opposite. Good unions, in that being necessary so workers were not being abused and subject to dangerous working conditions, became bad after they served their goal and their leadership found they could pick their members pockets.

I worked for four years for a HVAC contractor who obtained their labor from the local plumbers and steamfitters union. Even the owner of the company was a member. I was told that the local management of the union received a much better healthcare package and triple the retirement than the rank and file, who had good programs through the union.

I believe what we are left with, is any movement away from a market ran economy is detrimental to all involved. Collective bargaining is just a strongarm tactic to benefit a group to the detriment of other groups. And when big money passes through a few hands, graft and corruption will not be far behind.

I worked within a union all my working life, and I benefitted greatly from it. I will, however, continue to opose them politically every chance I get as long as they remain liberal and progressive. I never liked them falsely saying we were all behind their political views or candidates, and I let that be known. I never contributed to the voluntary Political Action Committees. [bleep] 'em, I have a mind of my own.

A friend of mine stuck a "Obama the Best Gun Salesman" sticker on his toolbox. Committeeman came out, told him someone complained so he had to remove the sticker. Rich told the committeeman to pound sand, there's a bunch more toolboxes adorned with said sticker...

Ogres or not the ideal of unions a socialist one.

Make everyone write a monthly check for dues and there would only be one member left, the guy paying himself.

Look at almost any company, employing union workers, that is making acceptable profits and the employees are happy.

Why do you need a union when you have socialism,food stamps and some rich dude paying for your Ozerocare?

Do you include management in the employee category? Unions are often a huge pita to management. Rank and file are happy as are most who succeed at extortion.

Funny thing Unions and facistic socialist political systems seem to go hand in hand. Americans do not want firearms confiscation, gun bans, a national firearms registry, speech codes, book bans, political speech bans, unfettered open border immigration
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Govern...mroller-Any-Lawmaker-Who-Opposes-Amnesty

like in socialist Canada, Germany, England, Sweden etc etc.( I am aware you just got rid of your registry- good for you)

All those aforementioned laws, bans, etc in Canada are now being funded by unions in America. If the American unions stopped donating forced union dues to radical left wing communistic politicians I think they would get more support from people like me.

That is what I expected, you could not name any.

I have a menber of the UMWA sence 1974, and I feel they made the mines a lot safer if it wasn't f0r the Union the mines would be just like before. It is a lot different under ground.

I was hired by a construction company on a govt contract job about 8 years ago. I was hired as a site foreman. Wage was $33 an hour, and union wanted $11 PER HOUR, PER EMPLOYEE. $88 per day, per man. We got some clown union guy twice a week with a cooler full of soda pop on the job for our $440 a week. I said BS. We fought about it. I was finally allowed to opt out because I was management. Still stuck it to the rest of the guys. They were ABSOLUTE crooks, nothing more. How did this [bleep] ever get started anyway? Organized crime right?