Unions made the middle class, and union busting destroyed it.
Thursday, 13 Mar 2025
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Yesterday was the best day to organize, today is the second best day.
It really depends on the Union. There are multiple unions that are no better than having a mob boss in your workplaces. Public voting by hand raising, blackballing desenters, high fees. Im not saying dont unionize, just do your research.
UNIONIZE AMAZON. UNIONIZE WALMART.
Business owners don’t just give things to workers, they need to be forced. You like 40 hour work weeks, workplace safety procedures, or not working side by side with a ten year old? Thank unions.
Not all unions are created equal. I worked for the public library system (quite a few years ago), and after my union deductions were taken, my wage went lower than minimum wage. However, the librarians actually did great with huge wages (although, librarians are actually a very small percentage of the people involved in runnning a public library). I guess the moral of my story, look at what you’re getting with or without the union, then decide if it’s a good deal for you.
I was in a union once. I was working at Disneyland and it was a custodial union. Was super helpful, I wish I could say I was a better worker, but due to my immaturity I didn’t preform as well as I could have.
However, the union was there with me every step of the way. I got tons of chances and was paid pretty well (minimum wage was 8 at the time, I got 13). I think if I had my mentality today, I would have been in a way better position.
My former workplace unionized back in the early 90’s. We got almost 9K net in back wages. Here’s to OPEIU Local 8.
Union busting and getting rid of a high marginal tax.
And I’m guessing 10,000 is going to union dues?
Agreed! We need to take back some of that wealth
Companies don’t care how you manage your money. When they try to “protect” you from unions it should be an obvious sign they are only trying to protect themselves. Since the only thing companies care about is money, it only stands to reason they are trying to avoid paying for higher wages and increased benefits. If that weren’t the case they’d shrug their shoulders and say, “Whatever, it’s your money.”
Anyone that says otherwise, is a company stooge.
“What a mistake. Just think of all the money that was going to trickle down if you hadn’t unionized. You whiffed on a big opportunity, big fella.”
– Frankie Fuckface, CEO
my workplace unionized and everything got worse. i had such high hopes but was ultimately let the fuck down by the very people claiming to support me
Isn’t a union just a business? I paid $50 bucks a check, still made slightly above minimum wage, and didn’t have to drive as much. Saw my rep once a year. From what I’ve read it varies greatly, but good on those that have a great union.
The middle class is shrinking, but most of those are going to the upper class.
https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2024/05/31/the-state-of-the-american-middle-class/
Unions are more worried about culture wars than pushing for better worker rights. Gone are the days of the tough union guys
Both my wife’s parents are strong union people. They ran both of their companies out of business and neither one had a job anymore or a pension to count on.
True
Some unions today are controlled opposition their leaders are purposely ineffective to drive away support then people use that as a tactic to dissuade people from unionizing. There were union bosses voting for Trump who’s anti-labor. There’s hardly any unions left in this country all the power is in the hands of corporations. The few strong unions like the police unions are highly effective but shouldn’t exist. Is anyone going to claim they wouldn’t like police level pay benefits and protections at their work place?
Not just union busting. Moving skilled jobs out of the country certainly helped.
the union members themselves are voting for the anti union candidates, so, what’s the point?
I was a 35 year member of the New York City District Council of Carpenters union. I retired with a wage of $57 an hour in my check with my benefits over $150 an hour. When I retired I had over $675,000 in my annuity and I receive an almost $6000 a month pension. I was able to buy my first house with money from my Annuity which I would’ve never been able to save on my own because I had four children don’t ever ever ever. Let anybody tell you that unions are bad. Post World War II this country was almost 40% unionized. People were able to afford housing. They will send their kids to college to be middle class. There is no more middle class. There’s just a working class. Families nowadays have to have two incomes to survive. The minimum wage in this country is still seven dollars plus. Think about that so for all those who hate unions, you might want to be think that especially in today’s climate.
My job voted out our union and we lost 24k a year in overtime pay.
Absolute brilliant move.
The middle class does not exist. It is liberal nonsense. You live by owning things (Capitalist) or you live by doing labor (Workers).
Let’s just fucking ki ll the slave masters
Why did I read this as un-ionized and was really confused for a minute 😆
I can’t think of another way to get a progressive 20% raise in three years time other than being in a union. Oh, and some other items like extra days off, more money for dental/vision/fsa, but that’s just the cherry on top
“BuT The UniON DuES WiLl cuT intO ThAt RaiSE! AnD ThiNk AboUt YouR tAx brAcKet!” – some old fuck who hasn’t worked in 40 years
The Union will get you more money, and also limit the number of “skilled” laborers in the field. Watch out for the layoffs…(Boeing)
I had three interviews with trader Joe’s. In my last interview, the manager of the store asked me what I thought about the Union. After I told him that it was up to the employees to decide, it didn’t matter how well my first two interviews went. I complained to the NLRB. Years on, no movement. Told the union organizers at the store though. My heart goes out to em.
Been a part of 3. One was so corrupt it drove the company out of business and the other 2 were so weak and ineffectual it was a waste of dues. Unions are not a magic wand that fixes everything with your job. And I bet the above person probably lost things to get the raise, such as healthcare cost sharing, 401k and such. Should unions be explored, absolutely but they are not the magic bullet some sell them as.
SOLIDARITY FOREVER
***FOR THE UNION MAKES US STRONG***
If you’re going to put tariffs on everything, then you better damn well unionize. Even without lots of tariffs, shit jobs are hard to fill when they pay shit as well.
You’ll know unions are gaining popularity when the anti-commie rhetoric goes to volume 11
No, globalization and free trade ended it.
Too late for all the high school dropouts out there making $30k a year who vote for Trump because the Democrats were gonna raise taxes on the rich
unions break legs and have people whacked. No thank you.
Yeah what did your boss get? Has anything thought about him? Why would you do this to the man who gave you this low paying job? You’re really hurting his feelings and his pocket book. His buddies are going to laugh at him as he drives up to the golf course in a Bentley and not a Rolls and with his current wife not his 20 year old side piece.
No worries. In the next 4 years all unions will be dismantled. Enjoy the gain while it lasts.
If I was her boss, I’d fire her for not capitalizing I. Da fuq up wit dat?
Unions are all right but under no circumstance should you be forced to pay fees if you don’t want to.
Nah unions are weak. In the long term, unions make a company less valuable. And employees lose massive amounts of money through devaluation of the stock associated with that company.
what happens when unions are illegal in your state? well if I’m anything to go by, we don’t have a middle class and I have the skill set of multiple separate types of engineers and still can’t find a job
It’s all good, if Americans try to unionize, corpos will just bring immigrants here to take those jobs for cheaper pay.Â
What destroyed the middle class?
Most of them moved up to the upper class not below it.
Hope she enjoys her company going under in a few years, or outsourcing her job.
Imagine making so little Money you think a 14k raise is good.
Unions have you all bilked