The issue of organized labor is again in on the forefront of political thought, after being almost absent for many many years. Some automatically will tell you labor unions are dangerous to the practice of free enterprise and others point out that unions help the American worker achieve a level of success. It is interesting that there is truth in both perspectives.
It goes without saying that the United Auto Workers are a major player in the demise of the American automobile industry. It is unbelievable that outrageous demands were met by the "Big Three." Now we will see how long Michigan, Ohio and Illinois take to recover from the recession. Longer than most states I will wager. This is a case organized labor that became totally out of control and did their part to damage, not just an industry, but the nation at large.
I am sure that when the UAW first came on the scene, there was good reason for workers to organize. Unfortunately the organization became too powerful. This is nothing more than human nature however. People will almost always take something and run with it as far as it is possible to go.
That being said, there are a great many industries that are in dire need of organization. Have you ever worked in a restaurant or bar? How about in the chemical trucking industry? I have and can assure you that if there were ever industries that needed to "feel the heat" of labor organization it is those two.
I have worked in the food and beverage industry off and on for quite a few years and I can tell you that you are at the mercy of "management." Sometimes that so called management are kids barely out of their teens. Other times it is older guy who owns a club. There is very little more that is scummy than a middle aged guy that runs a nightclub. If you have worked in the industry, have you ever had some owner/manager jack with your tip money? I have and it makes you want to hit them in the mouth with a stick. This is after all how you make your living. If you are in this industry I say go for it. Organize for all you are worth. If some clubs or restaurants can't handle the pressure, well too bad. Make sure you get most of what you want however or it won't be worth it.
An industry that is in even more dire need of organization is chemical trucking. You know, the tank trucks you see running up and down the highway. I worked in this industry for quite a time as both a driver and in lower/middle management. I knew damn good and well that I was being scammed when I was a driver, and when in management, I saw exactly how some of the scams worked. Here is a standard ploy. A trucking company will charge a customer a fuel surcharge, which is reasonable considering the fluctuating price of fuel. The company will then turn around and "charge" the driver a certain percentage of his gross for fuel. They make out on both ends and the driver ends up with a deduction in his check. That is nothing but theft. It is surprising that a lot of these guys don't know about this scam. At some point I may do a little investigative reporting on the issue and write a real piece about it, but then again maybe not. I may have to go back to work in the industry and it is quite easy to be blackballed. There is something that is called the DAC report that any trucking firm can subscribe to that gives the rundown on a trucker's past. Granted there are a good many bad apple truckers out there, and a company has a need to protect itself, but at the same time, it is easy to put information in the system on an individual that can erroneously "paint them in a bad light." It is high time for these truckers to be treated with the professional respect that is deserved. Chemical tank trucking is an exceptionally dangerous business, even more so than "regular" trucking, which is dangerous enough. A tank truck driver often is required to load and unload the cargo much of which is extremely dangerous stuff. Some of it is of the "a drop on your skin will kill or disfigure you variety." This is in addition to driving to the destination in a safe manner. Easier said than done when you are tired and on the road with crazies.
Now we come to a problem. The trucking company still has to make money. I was once told by a driver from a union firm that he "didn't want the owner to make one cent off his labor." That is of course stupid and I didn't bother to explain economic reality to him. Unfortunately that is the attitude of a good many union people. Some are too dumb to realize that an unhealthy company will eventually fail and leave them out on the street.
The only time that I ever had the opportunity to join a union was in the early 90's when I worked for the City of Houston. A real nice lady name Castro begin to solicit my membership in whatever organization was representing city workers at the time. I asked her if I joined would I get a raise. The answer was no. I asked her if I would be paid a higher overtime rate. Again no. Would I get better health benefits? Again the answer was no. I then asked her what benefit I would get out of paying union dues. She informed me that most of my "comrades" were members. I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that, her last name being Castro and all. Just kidding Mrs. Castro. She was a lovely person to be around and she finally left me alone about the whole thing.
In right to work states, or as an old friend called them, "right to starve" states, becoming a union member seems like a good idea if there is tangible benefit. Otherwise it is just a waste of time and money and may damage your chances of further employment.
I almost forgot to mention the "card check" that is being pushed by major labor at this time. That is not an American concept and smacks of something unspeakable in this country.
Now consider this; If I was the owner of a small or midsized business and some of my employees were agitating for organization, they would be out of a job. I would find a way. Oh Yes!
In this country people generally do what is best for them and theirs. That is human nature.
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