why are conservatives anti-unions?

Question

do you know if it wasnt for unions , corporations would take advantage of the workforce. unions have fought for employees rights-better wages, sick leave, paid vacations, etc. these worker rights you take for granted were fought for with the blood and sweat of union employees. the companys with no unions get exploited, look at wal-mart.

Answer 1

To be conservative one must have something to 'conserve'. The people with the most to conserve are naturally the ones with the most. These are the factory owners and the bankers and the business owners who do the employing. They are against the workers making more money or having better conditions (ie unions) because it comes out of their profits. What I never could understand is how conservative political parties can keep getting so much support from the working classes. There are so many more workers than owners so how do the Bushes of this world ever get elected in a true democracy? Beats me!

Answer 2

Not just Conservatives, but most non-union people are usually against unions. Being in a union will usually result in higher wages, better benefits, and perks that non-union people do not get. This is why we dislike unions. I live in NJ and the negotiated contacts with the workers unions and teachers unions have put the state into a huge debt and property taxes are the highest in the nation. I do not blame the unions for this because they are doing what they are supposed to do, but the fact that most of the state has to suffer as a result makes people dislike them greatly.

Another issue with unions is that they are a negative impact on businesses. The reason why Toyota is crushing companies like Ford and GM is because they do not use union workers. They treat their employees well and actually have a great deal of employee loyalty due to the good treatment of the employees...all without a union. Meanwhile, Ford andGM are laying off thousands of workers, and forcing the unions to make concessions or face more layoffs. The auto union is choking the life from "American" car companies and handing Toyota a huge competitive advantage.

Unions were necessary back in the day, but they are increasingly becoming detrimental to the country. The days of pensions is coming to an end and 401k's are the new fiscially responsible retirement account. Higher wages in the US is killing the country because the increased costs are making us less competitive in the World Markets. If you owned a business, would you pay $5/each for a particular part from a US company or $2/each from a company in Mexico? How about if you needed hundreds of thousands of the part...or millions? It adds up and at some point Nationalism steps aside for Capitalism.

Answer 3

There was a time that Unions were needed but that isn't the case any more. There are many laws in place that protect the workers rights and unions are simply a middle man that drives up the cost for the worker and the company. Unions only benefit the worker when the worker is in a part of the country that is not unionized. In the north east unions have driven up the cost of everything so the higher wages wash out with higher cost. A union worker in the south, like a railroad employee, makes union wages in a non union part of the country therefore they are able to benefit from lower costs of living. If everybody belonged to a union the cost of living would rise across the board and the only people that would benefit would be the union bosses.

Answer 4

Unions had there place years ago when employers would work people sixty to eighty hours a week in extremely hazardous work environments. Now there are federal laws that keep these abuses from happening.

Unions are abusing the employers now by threat of work stoppage.

For example there was a company in Missouri that I was working for. This companies union arranged in their contract that any work performed on a Saturday was time and a half and any work performed on a Sunday was double time regardless of weather you worked 40 hours that week or not. This was agreeable to the company at the time because Saturday or Sunday work was rare and virtually all of the production needs were filled during the regular work week.

Now the problem with this was, now that the union had this provision, they abused it by organizing approximately 20% of the work force to call in sick at the same time on various days during the week to kill production during the week and thus forcing the weekend work.

This cost the company $50,000 a week forcing the company to sell the business and shut its doors. Now 51% of the production is done in South Carolina (a right to work state) and 49% of the production went to Vasteras Sweden.

Before the abuse of the union this company was the largest employer in the county and paid wages far higher than you could get anywhere else (the janitors made 70k a year). Now due to their greed none of the union workers from that plant make even half of what they did.

Answer 5

I grew up in a union town. Detroit. I saw the what the union did. Yes they took thousands of people and negotiated high salaries, and benefits out the wazoo. They were however unwilling to negotiate when the business where in trouble. Thus the layoffs sometimes up to the 40 year seniority mark. I've seen teachers strike every damn year for more money, the kids just came out of school more dumb than year before. I worked on the non union side of an industry most of my life and made more money, had better benefits, than my counter parts in the union. I never understood how they figured a 12 week strike for .25 an hour could ever be made up. It didn't get them job protection. I can't see where it got them anything. The union did not allow companies to grow their profit but only one way. Higher costs to the consumer. You can't do that in a Global economy and expect to succeed.

You can't compare China-mart to regular industry. There hiring practices are no different than home depot or Lowe's. That's just retail for you.

Unions were useful in their day, and they either need to change with the Global market because they are hurting more than they help.

Answer 6

Actually, companies with no unions thrive...look at Wal-mart. They are not successful because they are bullies...they deliver good product at good prices and they provide tons of jobs to Americans...jobs with benefits and opportunities for advancement.

This is not to say companies with unions do not do well...some do...but at what cost? It seems to me that someone without a union job has more job security.

For instance: in my hometown, there are two large airplane manufacterers. One is heavily unionized, the other is not. Many people are layed of reguarly at the unionized one, whereas the other company provides better job security. Also, there were constant union strikes at the company that was unionized...how can this be good for business? If there are no workers, productivity falls, lower productivity means lower profits...it's a vicious cycle. And there isn't a darn thing the company can do about it...they can't fire and replace union workers even if the workers aren't working!

So why are conservitives generally against unions? Well, unions are a socialistic concept and conservatives in general are not in favor of socialism...so that is probably why there is a trend of conservatives not being fans of unions.

Answer 7

Dont know if it is anti-union, as much as it is pro-business. Unions in the economic fabric of the USA serve as a system of checks and balances on the unbridled growth of big business and vulgar profiteering. Unions also serve the economy by preserving the middle class.

One of the major problems with unions in our economy has been corruption. Unions, unbridled, with no checks and balances can ruin the economy by shutting down vital industries. When railroad unions refused to negotiate and threatened a walkout at the outset of WW2, FDR drafted the workers because they were vital to the national interest. After the war, the RR workers got the contract they wanted.

Unions are good for our economy, they perpetuate the middle class, and preserve the value of labor. In our modern economy, productivity drives the cost of labor more than any other force, but labor unions should be protected as a necessary balance to unfair labor practices.

Answer 8

Hey, your ignornace is showing.

Conservatives are not anti-union. They are a tool, just like a hammer, or crowbar. Some people use tools to build houses, some people use tools to murder. Some unions have done good things. Some unions have abused thier power, and members and have ended up doing a lot of harm. Conservatives recognize this, and when we try to stand up against the abuses of the bad unions, they smear us and say we are against all unions. This just isn't true.

And Wal-Mart does not exploit people. They are a great company. Do some research on your own, don't just listen to the media.

Answer 9

Unions serve a purpose. They protect people in dangerous jobs when the truth about the danger is not publicly known, like coal miners a hundred years ago.

Unions now mostly add nothing to the business model. This is why automakers and many other companies outsource so much of their work.

Just look at the baseball players union, such a great example of what a union can do for the abused worker.

Answer 10

THERE whole idea of life is to control the people the liberals the working class by suggesting the stronger mental capcity makes them the leaders and you must follow there orders .
ANY type of union places rules and job disciptions that take that authority away .ON a union job a carpenter does not lay bricks SO if the brick-layers go on strike the boss can not tell you to lay bricks .OR if you are a janitor and your job is to polish the floors and some one tells you to empty a waste paper basket you say thats not my job .SO the authoritarian system breaks down with unions as each member knows what there job is and how to do it leaving consevatives with no one to bullie on the job and hence they are no longer needed .middle manegment is on the decline in companies with unions cause you do not need a man telling you what to do all day .HE KNOWS his job and there is no need for a boss (conservative biggot who is better then everyone else cause he went to college and you are all idiots who must follow my commands).
HOW many kids go from high school through college and still can not read well or write besides me .
MONEY buys and education and all you need to do is put forth the effort , show up , turn in the assignments , and follow the rules .IF you learn young to read a teachers political leanings you can score higher marks .THATS why in liberal colleges bush was an average student .HIS answers did not please the proffesors.