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Thread: Union membership falls to lowest share on record

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    Union membership falls to lowest share on record

    Public Unions have had their influence greatly diminished and they have not only been under assault from Republicans, in NY and NJ its the democrats that have gone after public unions and reduced benefits.
    State Workers in NJ have been without a contract I believe 6 yrs

    The Senate boss in jersey Democrat Steven Sweeney a retired pension collecting double dipping Iron Worker Organizer has done more to screw Unions than anyone before him.



    Union membership fell to 10.3% of the nation's workforce in 2019, down two-tenths of a percentage point from the previous year, marking the lowest level since the Labor Department began keeping track in 1983.


    The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the total number of workers belonging to unions had declined by about 150,000 members to 14.6 million, while the size of the overall workforce grew.


    The decline follows a long, steady trend for the labor movement, which has seen traditional stronghold industries, particularly manufacturing, shrink, and that has struggled to organize new industries, such as the tech industry. A decade ago, the unionization rate was 12.3%. It stood at 20.1% when the Labor Department first began tracking the figure in 1983.


    The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation, blamed the decline on the federal government. "A highly politicized National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is abandoning its mission to uphold and protect workers' right to form unions and bargain collectively," the federation said.


    The current union workforce is roughly equally split between the private sector, which accounted for 7.5 million members, and the private sector, which accounts for 7.1 million members. However, the unionization rate for private sector workers is just 6.1%, while it is at 33.6% for public sector workers.


    Private sector union membership is facing pressure following a renewal in popularity in state right-to-work laws, which prohibit workers from being forced to join or otherwise financially support a union as a condition of employment. A total of 27 states have the laws, up from 22 in 2012. Public sector unions are facing similar challenges following the Supreme Court's Janus v. AFSCME decision in 2018, which effectively extends right-to-work protections to public sector workers.


    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/p...hare-on-record
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    When the unions decide to fund politicians, they are no longer looking after their members, but looking after their own power. Unions should be like churches where they are not allowed to engage in political speech. Had they remained loyal to their members, and not been involved in manipulating elections, they would receive a lot more public support.

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    My nephew was in a class taught by a union thug and he made the mistake of saying, "We have to remember we're here for the children." The reaction was immediate and vicious. With finger jabbing he got, "You are not. You are here for the union first, the teachers second, and there is no third."

    Of course, I do recognize the the incompetent, lazy, corrupt, and brutal workers in any field need to be protected and unions fulfill that function.

    Unions have bought politicians and they're accomplices in crime. A unions power comes from extortion which, if practiced by an individual, gets you jail time.
    Last edited by patrickt; 01-28-2020 at 08:10 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Common View Post
    Public Unions have had their influence greatly diminished and they have not only been under assault from Republicans, in NY and NJ its the democrats that have gone after public unions and reduced benefits.
    State Workers in NJ have been without a contract I believe 6 yrs

    The Senate boss in jersey Democrat Steven Sweeney a retired pension collecting double dipping Iron Worker Organizer has done more to screw Unions than anyone before him.



    Union membership fell to 10.3% of the nation's workforce in 2019, down two-tenths of a percentage point from the previous year, marking the lowest level since the Labor Department began keeping track in 1983.


    The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the total number of workers belonging to unions had declined by about 150,000 members to 14.6 million, while the size of the overall workforce grew.


    The decline follows a long, steady trend for the labor movement, which has seen traditional stronghold industries, particularly manufacturing, shrink, and that has struggled to organize new industries, such as the tech industry. A decade ago, the unionization rate was 12.3%. It stood at 20.1% when the Labor Department first began tracking the figure in 1983.


    The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation, blamed the decline on the federal government. "A highly politicized National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is abandoning its mission to uphold and protect workers' right to form unions and bargain collectively," the federation said.


    The current union workforce is roughly equally split between the private sector, which accounted for 7.5 million members, and the private sector, which accounts for 7.1 million members. However, the unionization rate for private sector workers is just 6.1%, while it is at 33.6% for public sector workers.


    Private sector union membership is facing pressure following a renewal in popularity in state right-to-work laws, which prohibit workers from being forced to join or otherwise financially support a union as a condition of employment. A total of 27 states have the laws, up from 22 in 2012. Public sector unions are facing similar challenges following the Supreme Court's Janus v. AFSCME decision in 2018, which effectively extends right-to-work protections to public sector workers.


    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/p...hare-on-record
    As with anything else involving voluntary membership, union membership goes through cycles; eventually it'll plateau and rise again depending on how happy workers are working non-union and their working conditions. Could take anywhere from a decade to decades before you see a rise again.
    God Bless America, God Bless our Military and God Bless the Police who defended the country against the insurgents on January 6, 2021

    Think 3rd party for 2024 folks. Clean up America.

    Once I tell you that we agree to disagree there will be no more discussion between us in the thread so please don't waste your time continuing to argue your points because I will not respond.

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    Quote Originally Posted by patrickt View Post
    My nephew was in a class taught by a union thug and he made the mistake of saying, "We have to remember we're here for the children." The reaction was immediate and vicious. With finger jabbing he got, "You are not. You are here for the union first, the teachers second, and there is no third."

    Of course, I do recognize the the incompetent, lazy, corrupt, and brutal workers in any field need to be protected and unions fulfill that function.

    Unions have bought politicians and they're accomplices in crime. A unions power comes from extortion which, if practiced by an individual, gets you jail time.
    Do you know that the President and Vice President of the New Jersey State education Union each make 500,000 a year salaries, plus cars and expense accts and free travel. Is that fricken absurd or what ?

    Is it any wonder everyone is coming down on them but the ones that get screwed are the workers they are caught in the middle
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    Quote Originally Posted by patrickt View Post
    My nephew was in a class taught by a union thug and he made the mistake of saying, "We have to remember we're here for the children." The reaction was immediate and vicious. With finger jabbing he got, "You are not. You are here for the union first, the teachers second, and there is no third."

    Of course, I do recognize the the incompetent, lazy, corrupt, and brutal workers in any field need to be protected and unions fulfill that function.

    Unions have bought politicians and they're accomplices in crime. A unions power comes from extortion which, if practiced by an individual, gets you jail time.
    Just like businesses have bought politicians, both sides are a part of the same hypocrisy.

    I had a friend from college who worked for a small company (20-25 workers) for over 20 years. Flawless record; came to work on time; rarely called out sick, well liked by his fellow employees and very productive when it came to his work.

    Then the owners grandson graduates from college and needs a job so my friend gets laid off for no reason other then the then the owners grandson needed a job. My friend who was anti-union never felt the need for a union since he'd talk to the boss man-to-man and work out his own deals. After he was laid off, he complained about how unfair it was since he felt he was a good employee and did nothing wrong. He told me that he wished they had a union to protect people like his from unfair decisions. Today he is one of the more labor minded activist's in the workplace of his job.

    As long as businesses continue to exploit and abuse workers you'll have labor unions pure and simple.
    God Bless America, God Bless our Military and God Bless the Police who defended the country against the insurgents on January 6, 2021

    Think 3rd party for 2024 folks. Clean up America.

    Once I tell you that we agree to disagree there will be no more discussion between us in the thread so please don't waste your time continuing to argue your points because I will not respond.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Common View Post
    Do you know that the President and Vice President of the New Jersey State education Union each make 500,000 a year salaries, plus cars and expense accts and free travel. Is that fricken absurd or what ?

    Is it any wonder everyone is coming down on them but the ones that get screwed are the workers they are caught in the middle
    Tell me, how are the workers screwed because the president and VP get large salaries, cars and all the other entrapment's (which are voted upon by the teachers union executive board). Why are they "stuck in the middle"? Can you clarify that?
    God Bless America, God Bless our Military and God Bless the Police who defended the country against the insurgents on January 6, 2021

    Think 3rd party for 2024 folks. Clean up America.

    Once I tell you that we agree to disagree there will be no more discussion between us in the thread so please don't waste your time continuing to argue your points because I will not respond.

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    Quote Originally Posted by gamewell45 View Post
    Just like businesses have bought politicians, both sides are a part of the same hypocrisy.

    I had a friend from college who worked for a small company (20-25 workers) for over 20 years. Flawless record; came to work on time; rarely called out sick, well liked by his fellow employees and very productive when it came to his work.

    Then the owners grandson graduates from college and needs a job so my friend gets laid off for no reason other then the then the owners grandson needed a job. My friend who was anti-union never felt the need for a union since he'd talk to the boss man-to-man and work out his own deals. After he was laid off, he complained about how unfair it was since he felt he was a good employee and did nothing wrong. He told me that he wished they had a union to protect people like his from unfair decisions. Today he is one of the more labor minded activist's in the workplace of his job.

    As long as businesses continue to exploit and abuse workers you'll have labor unions pure and simple.
    You and I have had this discussion before.

    Who will protect the employer from employee abuse? From employees who just don't show up, leaving everyone else high and dry and majorly inconvenienced?

    Your friend was eligible for unemployment while he sought out another job, so he did get compensation for his termination.

    Unions serve no other purpose than to coerce employers into providing protections for employees that already exist by law. The Unions reap the benefits, while not providing any addition benefits for the dues paid.
    "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." -- James Madison

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    Quote Originally Posted by Collateral Damage View Post
    You and I have had this discussion before.

    We can agree that we've had this discussion before.

    Quote Originally Posted by Collateral Damage View Post
    Who will protect the employer from employee abuse? From employees who just don't show up, leaving everyone else high and dry and majorly inconvenienced?
    You insert language into the labor agreement addressing attendance issues and other forms of possible employee abuse.

    Quote Originally Posted by Collateral Damage View Post
    Your friend was eligible for unemployment while he sought out another job, so he did get compensation for his termination.
    He told me he got the standard 2 weeks pay and whatever vacation time he was owed. And yes he did collect unemployment. All in all it still doesn't address the fairness issue about being laid off because the owners grandson needed a job.
    Quote Originally Posted by Collateral Damage View Post
    Unions serve no other purpose than to coerce employers into providing protections for employees that already exist by law. The Unions reap the benefits, while not providing any addition benefits for the dues paid.
    The so-called protections under the law are few and useless for the most part. The labor department is underfunded and over worked. Plus companies will fight it out in courts for years. The CNN/NABET case was just resolved a couple of weeks ago after being filed in 2004; 16 years later the company finally settled with the NLRB/union and paid $76 million dollars which will go to 200+ employees or the estates of those who've died in the interim. 16 years to settle a case which the government and Union worked to battle; imagine if it were non-union and a single person going against a major corporation. The single employee would have given up or quite possibly never have pursued it.

    Tell me, what benefits does the union reap while allegedly not providing any additional benefits for the dues paid???

    Your allegation that unions serve no other purpose then to coerce employers into provide protections for employees that already exist by law fails miserably in my opinion. I base this on all my years as an employee working under a union contract. What you allude to I've never witnessed in all my year as a union member either in my union or any other labor union in my company (and there were 17 separate unions in my company).

    I don't recall if you ever worked union or not, but if you did, you most likely had a bad experience and are labeling all unions based on that.
    God Bless America, God Bless our Military and God Bless the Police who defended the country against the insurgents on January 6, 2021

    Think 3rd party for 2024 folks. Clean up America.

    Once I tell you that we agree to disagree there will be no more discussion between us in the thread so please don't waste your time continuing to argue your points because I will not respond.

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    Quote Originally Posted by gamewell45 View Post
    We can agree that we've had this discussion before.
    You insert language into the labor agreement addressing attendance issues and other forms of possible employee abuse.
    other forms of possible employee abuse.. like quitting? In no state is an employee required to give any notice at all to an employer. Notice is given is optional. No contract is going to force an employee to continue working for a company if they want out. That is called servitude.
    He told me he got the standard 2 weeks pay and whatever vacation time he was owed. And yes he did collect unemployment. All in all it still doesn't address the fairness issue about being laid off because the owners grandson needed a job.
    Where in the Book of Life, does it say everything must be 'fair'? I've been replaced before, for no know reason (given) and I sure didn't want to be where I wasn't wanted.
    The so-called protections under the law are few and useless for the most part. The labor department is underfunded and over worked. Plus companies will fight it out in courts for years. The CNN/NABET case was just resolved a couple of weeks ago after being filed in 2004; 16 years later the company finally settled with the NLRB/union and paid $76 million dollars which will go to 200+ employees or the estates of those who've died in the interim. 16 years to settle a case which the government and Union worked to battle; imagine if it were non-union and a single person going against a major corporation. The single employee would have given up or quite possibly never have pursued it.
    If the DOL, fed or state are notified there is an issue with a location or employer, it is investigated almost immediately. The company I work for has been the recipient of those visits. Labor audits are not so fun when you've done nothing wrong but a disgruntled employee wants to make a problem for the employer. The laws are very clear, and geared towards the employee.

    So one case, paints the whole situation as untenable? No person can make waves to correct perceived wrongs? I call false, in capital letters. It's been done, repeatedly.
    Tell me, what benefits does the union reap while allegedly not providing any additional benefits for the dues paid???
    It's all about the money/dues to the union. Perhaps your question should be, what benefits do the Unions provide that are not already covered by law? I'd say the answer would be vacation time, PTO, and raises. All of which can be negotiated by the individual. It does not require a third party to write a basic employment agreement.
    Your allegation that unions serve no other purpose then to coerce employers into provide protections for employees that already exist by law fails miserably in my opinion. I base this on all my years as an employee working under a union contract. What you allude to I've never witnessed in all my year as a union member either in my union or any other labor union in my company (and there were 17 separate unions in my company).
    I don't recall if you ever worked union or not, but if you did, you most likely had a bad experience and are labeling all unions based on that.
    See my response above for the first statement.

    I have never worked for a Union, but I have seen them in action. Which is a good part of why I researched exactly what they were and what they provide many years ago. There was a benefit to them a long time ago. But since then, not so much.
    "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." -- James Madison

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