Do labor unions protect the lazy and incompetent?

Answer 1

Sometimes, but they also ensure that good workers are treated fairly. Belonging to a union is nothing more than having a contract with your employer regarding wages, benefits and working conditions. Nothing different than athletes, actores, or anyone working under contract have, except a helluva lot less money.

Answer 2

I would say look at life for worker before unions and look at their lives after unions. Though a Minority may be stereotypical of lazy or incompetent, the majority are hard working people who need the help and protection by unions. Check out the following site, excellent information about labor unions and their history.

Answer 3

Labor unions protect every worker.

Some protections workers would not have in developed countries if labor unions had not won them:

(1) The 8-hour day and the weekend (workers used to be compelled to work 7-day weeks & 12-14-hr days as required conditions of employment)
(2) Vacations and holidays off, or extra pay on holidays worked
(3) Employer-provided health insurance contribution
(4) The right to be paid in actual money, rather than company scrip
(5) Health and safety protections in the workplace
(6) Employers cannot require you to vote for the candidate of their choice in local, state, and national elections
(7) You cannot be beaten or physically abused by bosses or hired security
(8) Overtime
(9) Ability to stay home to take care of a sick child or family member without automatically losing your job
(10) Sick time


All of these were won by union action.

Visit a country without unions, and see how workers there are treated, before running down countries where unions past and present have transformed the living conditions of working families.

Answer 4

Certainly....and the greatest of all are the state, county and city union workers, who of course are being paid by your taxes as opposed to private industry funds. As one other answer said they also (the unions) extort $$ from their members and at times force many small business enterprise's out of business. What it boils down to is that once upon a time the unions did great good for our working class Americans but they (unions) have long since out-lived their usefulness and purpose and have become a liability rather than an asset.

Answer 5

Well, my stepfather was a union representative, and he'll tell you that a union truly is as good as its rep. He's seen some unions with awful reps who allow almost anything, and others where those who did well were rewarded while those who didn't were let go. It really depends on who you have running things.

I also find it's usually those who have never worked with their hands who are against unions, likely due to a lack of experience on "the other side."

Answer 6

Unions protect all workers. Sometimes lazy and incopentant workers definatly do fall into that catagory but they do do alot of good for the total workforce. Union workers in genreral have higher wages, better benifits and a pension something that is dissapearing from the benifits package of most worker.

Answer 7

Since we joined the union all my lazy and incompetent managers have been fired or re-assigned.

Answer 8

Unions protect the weak and the needy, those who have need assistance.

Unfortunately the rules that protect thos who need assistance the most, also protect those would use the rules for their own gain.

Unions have to be prepared to punish their members abusing the rules. In my experience Unions at lower levels are made up of people that love the power it gives them. They use the rules and the name of the union to allow themselves and their friends to do as little as possible. While making the jobs of those people who manage them as difficult as possible.

Answer 9

They were a necessary part of the industrial revolution at one time. I'm afraid now they are a necessary evil at times. When I was in a union, I was told several times to slow down because I was making the others look bad. I told the union boss that they were making me look good.

They are a business within a business and have succeeded in driving most manufacturing and service jobs out of the country.

Affirmative Action tells companies who they must hire, then Unions tell you they can't be fired.

Answer 10

nepotism and *** kissing protects the lazy and incompetent. labor unions protect the wages of the lazy and incompetent.