I’m amazed. FOX Noise actually let someone say that the happenings in Wisconsin are only about busting unions, not balancing a budget.
Filed under: Politics and Social | Tagged: Fox Noise, Juan Williams, Scott Walker, Shepherd Smith, Unions, Wisconsin |
For the Sake of Science 
We won’t see Juan and Shepard together very often. Either the word came down from Murdoch to allow them report the truth in their small segment of so-called news in order to provide some balance in their “fair and balance” claim, or there’s an inside fight going on at Faux news. My bet is on the latter,
The strong Libertarian/ anti union tie between David Koch and Rupert are well documented in a piece by Adele Stern today on Alter-net.com.
Why is anti-business not a bad term?
You seem to think anti-union is. Given that a union is a business like any other, I fail to see much difference between the two terms.
I suppose one could be anti-business….not a bad term..something like anti-health care.
Business is the engine of our economy. Labor is the fuel. Anti-union demands a low octane for a high performance (Profit).
Labor unions are in the business of selling labor, in the simplest terms.
I think a business should be able to choose whether or not they wish to do business with a union or if they prefer to buy their labor from the “small businessmen” that is, the individual.
Likewise the government should be able to choose how they wish to buy their labor and individuals how they would like to sell the potential labor they possess.
Labor unions do not sell “labor”….they represent labor’s interest (wages, salaries, benefits, working conditions, etc ) in balancing off the unequal power between business and labor. Labor is a commondity…but labor is people, Unlike any other commodity, they have the power to speak back. And
Labor unions , like big business, have had the corrupted ability to swing this balance off kilter (i.e..Jimmy Hoffa and the teamsters).
I suppose without labor unions and an unregulated workforce, we could return to the era of the Triangle Shirt Factory disaster ….12 hr. day…6 day week…child labor,,,paid holidays,,,etc etc etc.
For that matter if people wanted to individually “sell” t heir labor, they would have to compete with the lowest bidder……a drive to to the bottom of the middle class,
The analogy isn’t perfect but its a close approximation. They are just another business. The trouble with many unions is that they exist to perpetuate themselves, not serve their members interests.
Also, why should someone have to pay union dues if they don’t want to? It’s remarkably common. I would never join a union, therefore their are many many jobs I can simply not hold, regardless of my other qualifications.
As far as child labor, the work week and work day, while those things may be bargained upon, the 40 hour week was legislated and has nothing to do with unions. It could be changed to a 50 or a 5 hour work week in an instant. Just move that mark where overtime is required.
As to your last paragraph… Yes, people should have to compete with the lowest bidder. Justify why they should command a higher wage for the same experience. You seem to think that jobs exist not to produce things but to pay people.
They don’t, paying people is a required side effect.