Unions became the whipping boy of Big Business and its handmaidens on Wall Street and at the Chamber of Commerce years ago. Only the heat has been turned up recently by GOP governor-led lynch mobs who have conspired to bust unions by ending collective bargaining by any means possible. In typical GOP fashion, the methodology chosen is "by hook or by crook." Yet the fact remains that the Golden Age of Economic Prosperity for workers in this country was achieved in large measure as a result of union membership and, hold your breath, the ability of workers to demand fair treatment through collective bargaining. Some people are too greedy, too naive or too uninformed to admit it, but the U.S. never would have had the explosion in middle class life were it not for unions. Yes, problems do exist with some unions and with some union activity, but they are correctable. Allowing businesses both large and small to run rough shod over their employees with impunity is a disaster in the making. Recent history only supports my point.
Labor Pains
If the National Labor Relations Board's complaint against the publicly-traded, private sector company, Boeing, doesn't scare you, then I guess nothing will.
But, if you own stock in Boeing or in a mutual fund that does, wake up and smell the coffee!
The value of your shares could, ultimately, be in jeopardy.
Boeing has had the audacity, in the opinion of the NLRB, to build a new plant in South Carolina and use non-union workers on the assembly line for its new 787 plane rather than constructing that plant in Washington state and hiring more expensive union workers.
Now, in full disclosure, you need to know that we are union members.
But, we didn't join by our own free choice.
In order to broadcast on the radio in New York City, we HAD to join.
However, we will also confess that the benefits we derive from this association have been, for the most part, good for us.
In fact, we were informed of an INCREASE in health care benefits after Obamacare was passed!
Notification of this largess came right after word of "exemptions" from the tax on "Cadillac" plans leaked out to the press.
Interesting timing, wouldn't you say?
Yet, if we had been given a choice would we have joined? Probably not.
But I digress. Let's get back to the NLRB and Boeing.
The National Labor Relations Board (doesn't that name sound like something you'd find in the old Soviet Union?) contends that Boeing's move to a "right to work" state is the company's attempt to free itsel from more expensive union workers.
The NLRB ignores the fact that Boeing has added thousands of union jobs in Washington since beginning the construction of the new plant in South Carolina.
It is a case without merit and a scary warning bell for what lies ahead for workers in this country if the NLRB prevails.
Although the President has stated that his goal is to double the U.S.'s export growth by 2015, this assault on a private sector company will, in my opinion, only serve as a template for doubling the exporting of American jobs overseas, NOT American made goods.
If the NLRB prevails, there will be fewer people to "force" into union membership and even fewer Americans in the workforce.
By the way, we just received an email from our union, which is telling all of us members to attend an upcoming labor rally in New York City in support of the nurses' union.
Radio and TV professionals and nurses--there's some common ground!
Oh, wait. Here's the common ground in the union's own words.
"Ahead of the European Council meeting on June 23/24, workers are joining together to DEMAND (our caps, not theirs) jobs, guaranteed health care, quality public education, fair housing and a financial transaction tax (Wall Street sales tax)."
The European Council!?!
That smells and sounds like "Workers of the world unite," don't you think?
Instead of attending, we will hold our own personal rally on June 22.
We will be DEMANDING the "right to work" in a "right to work" state without the encumbrance of forced union membership in any company that wants to open a plant or office there for the mutual benefit of its own bottom line and that of its employees.
The NLRB may be promoting "Workers of the world unite," but we have no desire to start looking like Greece.
Read More In: Family & Money
Ken and Daria Dolan have hosted their own national radio program for 22 years, anchored their own television shows on CNN, authored six books on money matters, served as money contributors on CBS This Morning and have now launched a comprehensive web site and free e-letter at Dolans.com.
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