Unions aren't entirely bad. How about the incredibly bad overleveraged gamble to push SUVs and trucks on consumers? Talk about complete lack of money management. The autos have had 20 years to get their act together, and still the best they can come up with is to cut costs with their suppliers. The japanese makers are more flexible in their production, have better quality and have made better strategic decisions. The labor cost is only one part.
I heard something very interesting about unions, and it begs to think about it. It's a fact that during the industrial revolution in the mid 19th century, the workers were living in appalling conditions. Marx wrote his book for a GERMAN communist revolution, where do you think his ideas came from? The situation on the street.
Ever heard of the luddite movement? British textile workers destroying their more efficient machines that resulted in job loss.
Yet 100 years later and working a factory job was a very respectable living, you could afford a house, car, family, everything! What happened?
They said that it's the UNIONS that created the middle class. Those socialist, communist movements during the late 19th century through decades of work created better living conditions. Those jobs were once low class, 12 hour a day exploitation, and they moved to something better. The economy didn't implode either, people had greater purchasing power.
Now for the last 50 years the opposite has happened, unions are a dirty word, everyone is against them, and with decreasing purchasing power how can we be surprised the economy is in dire straights. We shouldn't fear the eventual movement for unions that will take place in low class jobs all across the country.
