Are workers unions good for Americans? Why?

Question

Are unions good for America or are they in need of major reform? As a non-union member I am curious.

Answer 1

Things to consider.

Trade union membership has declined drastically since WWII, making them irrelevant in many sectors, but still potent in public sector jobs. This might be rephrased as a question about the appropriateness of public sector unionization (think Teacher's Unions). Some feel that teachers unions have not been a force for good in public education, and seek mainly to pursue the interests of teachers, even when those interests conflict with the children enrolled in public schools (seniority systems and strict job protection rules may keep bad teachers on the job longer than would otherwise occur).

Other factors:

Threat effect: Non union workers get better treatment because their employers are trying to prevent unionization.

Technological change may be spurred by rising labor costs, possibly caused by unions.

On the downside, strong unions my reduce the competitive position of US business vis a vis foreign competitors (think GM)

Successful unionization may lead to higher wages, and unemployment for other workers outside the union.

Workers protected by a strong union may have lower productivity (surly flight attendants?!)

Answer 2

Unions are generally good for their members (exceptions sometimes occur if a union is taken over by an organized crime group).

Unions are a mixed blessing for employers (they definitely put an upward pressure on labor costs, but with unionized workforce, you don't have to worry about merit raises, dispute resolution is streamlined, you can set and enforce performance standards, etc.)

Unions are sometimes bad news for the lowest-paid workers; unions are known to favor policies that encourage employers to replace low-wage workers with machines (to be operated and/or serviced by unionized or potentially unionizable workers).

There are also weird situations where a company has a workforce represented by several unions (airlines, for example, usually deal with three: pilots', flight attendants', and ground crews'). This can lead to additional difficulties during the collective bargaining process...

Answer 3

100 years ago, yes. Now...I'm not sure. I don't belong to a union but work at facilities that are union. While I don't like to paint with a broad brush, by and large union shops are not as efficient as non- union shops.

Answer 4

people who do no longer are uninformed or naive or artwork for GM or Boeing and are blind to each ingredient else exceedingly the welfare of this united states of america. Oh, and the Union Thug Bosses that made that determine up

Answer 5

It has it's advanctages and disadvantages. It seems to always be a tug of war. But, really the true idea and most worthy is simply fairness.

Answer 6

i don't like them or support their existence

are they good? i don;t know.