obama wants workers join unions

[cruztbone]

organized labor built this nation. the 40 hour work week as standard, safe work rules as standard, proper sanitation (bathrooms) as standard, workmens comp insurance if injured on the job as standard, the idea that all workers have dignity and must be treated as human beings as standard.
The fact that most of you blowholes are too young to understand any of this is part of YOUR problem, not the nation's.
I am proud of my 33-year membership in, and active participation with, the California Teacher's association. i have served as vice president and a variety of other voluntary and low-paying, part time postiions with my union( and by low pay i mean $50 a month for about 5-8 hrs work on behalf of the members per month). I am proud that MY president recognizes that what i said in the first paragraph above is true and he supports my efforts.
This effort brought me to the attention of the local teachers union in Santa Cruz where I live( as opposed to San Jose, where i work). they asked me to run for the school board of trustees. i filed for office, was interviewd by the local newspaper and praised the efforts of the teacher's union to bring about school reform and improve the quality of our schools.
I was called by the county clerk at the end of filing for this office and was told, "congratulations, nobody filed to run against you. you are elected".
The school board of trustees position pays NOTHING. it is ALL voluntary. I serve the students and families of Santa Cruz in a part-time, non-paying position for a four -year term of office, until 2014.
For all of you union and Obama haters, I say "read some books. get an education. learn the history of your nation". Perhaps then you will grow the hell up, get some knowledge and get a clue. Until then, you're sadly misinformed and no more than a right-wing tool/fool for the wealthy and powerful.

 

[vince]

Henry Ford introduced the 40 hour work week, without any pressure from unions.

 

[B_talltpaguy]

^Right, and Ford also staunchly believed in sharing his profits with the workers by paying and treating them unusually well for his era.

 

[helgaleena]

Remember. Obama's family hails from south side Chicago where people actually DIED in union struggles for said forty hour work week, etc. Let us not neglect the history necessary to achieve such niceties as mandatory retirement, minimum wage, and lunch hours. The term 'Satanic mills' was not originally hyperbole. Little children died horribly manufacturing matches and coughing up their lungs among the spinning machines.

It still goes on in other nations and in multitudinous back alleys where illegal immigrants are willing to work for less.

 

[DevonTexas]

Unions? What are we? Still carving wheels out of bedrock? Obama is trying to turn every single aspect of America into a socialist nation.

 

[maxcok]

^

Henry Ford introduced the 40 hour work week, without any pressure from unions.

So did the rest of industry decide to make that standard without any pressure from unions?

 

[B_Marius567]

want happen to obama wanting people to join unions?

 

[dreamer20]

"obama wants workers join unions"


In a Labor Day address to more than 10,000 union members and their families in Milwaukee, President Obama announced a massive new job-creating road, rail, runway and air traffic control rebuilding project.
Speaking to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council’s annual LaborFest celebration, Obama said it was “the great American middle class that made our economy the envy of the world. It’s got to be that way again.”
*snip*

Where in the article(careful, I read it) did the President say he wanted people to join unions?

want happen to obama wanting people to join unions?

What happened is you got called out on your false assertion, re: President Obama, in post #2 of your thread. Obama's Labor Day address does not say "obama wants workers <to> join unions".

Remarks by the President at Laborfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin | The White House

 

[Mensch1351]

Ah Unions! One of America's most embarassing sagas as the answer to employers who constantly find ways to screw their employees. Of course not ALL employers are like that. Many do value the people who actually make the company work. But -- how sad is it when corporations today pay outrageous salaries to their CEO's and CFO's -- and then use the "excuse" that they must lay off employees or make them take a cut in wages (or minimally pathetic increases). You can tell how much the Republicans "value" the American worker when for the 10 years they held Congress they voted no increase in the Federal minimum wage -- "nope -- can't do it -- you're gonna punish the job creators!"

And the FIRST act the Democrats did when they took power in 2006 was to raise the minimum wage! It's now what? $7.25 per hour? Wow!

And as the power of union jobs diminished over the last 40 years and salaries kept getting cut and wages got lower and lower -- who could afford college without graduating laden with heavy debt? With the manufacturing base outsourced overseas -- the service based economy that replaced it has made billions on the backs of employees who are paid barely livable wages. An unskilled Labor force can never "hope" to live a Middle Class lifestyle.

Ergo. My dad never graduated from high school. Worked for the A&P for 39 years. The last salary he made in 1988 (I think that was the year) as head dairyman was $29.00 an hour. Time and 1/2 for overtime and double for holidays! The A&P decided to "union bust" and closed every store from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee and gave no transfers.

I have a Masters Degree in Theology. I left the ministry in 2000 and now am employed as an Activity Director for a Senior retirement Community. I started at $9.50 per hour and after 10 years now make $16.43 per hour! Non-union of course! Because of the "smaller" churches I served I never had the extra money to further my education to get a degree in teaching, counseling or social work. Although I DID all those functions -- never obtained a degree in any of them.

With the exception of a cost of living increase I demanded after 5 years, I have received a 2% increase each year. The Company is busy buying more buildings and paying cash. But they are well aware that industry wide I would be hard pressed to find another position at a similar Retirement Community and be able to make much more money. I'm really more fortunate than either the housekeepers we have or the dietary folks because some of them after 15+ years with the company are making less than I do (I am a manager!). How many millions are living totally "stuck" in the positions they have -- waiting for the company to suddenly decide that maybe it would be nice to give decent raises to the people who actually make this company work? I wonder how fast we could move the process along if we shut the whole company down refusing to work until we received a better increase?

For those companies who truly value their employees -- a union isn't necessary. For those who treat employees as though "they should be grateful to have a job" --- well --- let's just say the attitude of many of the people I work with is simply, "why should I give a shit?" Shoddy work, rip the company off whenever they can, screw 'em! I imagine this attitude is even worse among those employees treated like shit in industries where their jobs actually can be outsourced overseas. (Mine cannot) Sad really.

American worker pride gone awry over what Mitt Romney actually believes is "a person"? "Corporations are people," my friend! Isn't that what he said? How much longer is the dynamic of lower wages vs higher prices going to go on before the breaking point? I'm sure some enterprising soul will come up with the brilliant idea of the "half-dollar" store!

And by the way -- I give full kudos to one of the BEST unions the country has ever seen: The NFL! Now those are wages we can all admire!

 

[tanstaafl16]

A good example of where unions are bad is the NYPD.

You get job protections, can be incompetent and shoot a gun 50 times (one example) and still be able to keep your position. I think the cops should be fired at will without job protections.

 

[TheBestYouCan]

Walter Williams and Milton Friedman on Unions - YouTube

An interesting discussion by Economists and Union Leaders on Unions.

 

[FuzzyKen]

In my lifetime I have by necessity been a member in several labor unions. One of these two unions I would have considered worthless and a complete waste of my monthly dues, the other union was the musicians union. That union saved my rear end multiple times, provided me with available health insurance which was a Platinum type of plan and on two occasions saw to it that I was paid for jobs when the persons who had hired me tried to "skip" out and take my services as a musician for nothing.

Unions are a mixed bag with some being very good and some being only a problem. Because of my personal experience my opinion is that as an organization they must be judged individually at what they in fact do for those they represent versus what it costs the members for their representation.

 

[dandelion]

I'd say the police are one group who dont need a union. Governments always want to keep security forces sweet.