Is Right-to-Work: Protecting workers or UNION-Busting??!!

The real question is.....why in the hell would a government entity or a private entity have the right to grant or deny a man or a women the right to work?

Has anybody still alive in this Nation ever bothered to read the Constitution?

If we allow unions or governments the right to grant us "permission" to perform honest work, what has this Nation become? Think about that before you spout off some drivel that would only be acceptable in a socialist or communist country.

Have you read the bill of rights? The constitution was written by and for businessmen.

Are you trying to say that the Constitution authorizes the Government to have the power to grant permission to an individual so that they can work? There are some rights that are recognized as inalienable, that would be one of them.

What the hell has happened to this country? It seems that the people have decided that the government holds any power they wish and that capitalism is a bad thing. I guess Obama has been more successful in his goal of class warfare than I ever imagined that he could be. Frankly, even though I know most people are sound asleep when it comes to what their government is doing to them, I still can't believe that the populace as a whole is stupid enough to fall for that crap.

According to the most recent polls, Obama still has nearly a 50% approval rating. Just proves what my Father told me in the 60's. He said the American people had become to stupid and too lazy to elect a decent government.

As usual, turns out that he was right.

You are an example of what has (and is), happened to many people in this country bringing us to this place. You have no understanding nor historical background regarding the development and formation of this nation and how it and society has changed or was effected in the past 350 years, based upon your empty statements, yet you spew as though your some sort of infalable authority or expert. IMO.

If you mean that I believe in the Constitution as it was written, you would be correct. I do not adhere to the apparently common notion that we need to abandon or change the Constitution to suit modern times. It was written to restrain and limit the powers of government. The desire of Government has always been the same since the beginning of time. That would be expanding power and increasing taxation. If you knew anything about history in general and especially the formation of this country, you would know that.

I give up. I hope y'all enjoy your socialist utopia while our Forefathers turn over in their graves. When you are begging for a loaf of bread, don't come see me, you won't like the welcome you get.

Just because u use the word constitution, it doesn't mean that your argument trups the discussion. This issue and the context in which u use it is not applicable here.

I think we will see an expansion of RTW states. I don't believe that the laws are designed to break the unions yet they may have that effect. Simply most people don't want nor feel the need union representation. A few of the rants I see below obviously from union members is if you don't want to be in a union don't work at a union shop. The problem there is that most people feel they should not be excluded from working in any industry or for any company that they are qualified for exclusively because the wish not to join the union. As more states go RTW unions do have to bust, they just need to become more competitive. Is thier choice.

That last sentence was suppose to unions do not have to bust

Now we're talking communisim.

Less than 13% of the labor force is unionized. Unions have a very shady history of violence, skulduggery and the like. Unions are not so much interested in protecting workers any more than they are collecting dues and running the well dry on employers.

I do not want to join a union simply because of their political leanings. I would not want to be forced to financially support something I do not believe in.

If you are interested in protecting workers, start by protecting the 87% of non-union workers (scabs) from violence and harassment of the union thugs.

You should read about how and why unions came into being. If u aspire to that philosophy move to china or india to work.

I am very well aware of why unions came into being. That being said, the government has since taken action (decades ago) to address these issues. We have a minimum wage, we have OSHA.

So do you want to really want to equate fighting against sending 12 year olds to work in steel mills with no protection for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week to SEIU thugs rioting because they have to contribute 10% to their pension and healthcare?

If that's the case I think you can kindly bugger off and quit wasting peoples' time.

You have apprarently never worked as a union member. There are many other abuses that go on for example people with time invested are terminated wrongfully, ask the coal miners if they would do away with the unions. Without unions in public sector, u will see an incredible amount of people being terminated for political cronism. If you had 20-30 years invested in a career how would u feel if you were terminated because you were months away from retirement or a raise and replaced by a walk in stiff without any qualifications. In addition, unions assure a harmonious workplace which in large scale operations allows work to flow. my points were extremes used in an effort to educate people that the standards for the workplace today can be attributed to the unions. What the issue here is dividing a small sector of union people not unlike yourself that management and a hostile public want to crush, break contracts assault their pensions and cut their pay further by dumping more of the insurance costs on them. Most people don't realize that PS salaries, not managers (who are not members), their pay is structured about 30% +/- less than the private sector to account for the benefits they recieve. And i could go on. I believe this is a staged wedge issue for political reasons on the backs of a small sector of the workforce and it is not morally or ethically correct. Regards

I actually have worked for a union. It sucked and I hated it. I was a new guy and had no stroke but worked my ass off. There was another worker that had been there forever but was worthless. This person showed up late, left early, took long breaks in between and read the news paper the rest of the time.

The company tried to fire this person. This would have allowed someone willing to work to come in or me to advance. Instead the union made the company take them back.

I have a friend who works for AT&T and is part of a union. He is also a diabetic. The union tells him WHEN he is allowed to take breaks and reprimanded him for splitting his lunch into two sessions so he could, you know grab a snack or insulin shot (hint: this is important to a diabetic). This person is also reprimanded for staying onsite a few minutes longer than necessary to have customers test their phones/internet to make sure the fix is going to stick, if it doesn't he stays and fixes it. That's right, reprimanded for good customer service.

Cant pass a comment, unfortunately, sometimes the spoils play a role, doesn't sound right though. There are certain actions a member can take which include "failure to represent" and the courts are very generous with judgements, usually if they think you have a case they will settle but u gotta cross your Ts

It allows the cream of the crop to rise to the top.

From the union bosses

Both, and neither is a bad thing.

RTW is the first step to rolling back the gains that protected the middle class from corporate thuggery. The right to pay less than other states, the right to not provide health care benefits. The next step is the right to roll back workers protections.

You dont want to join a union? ... The employees decided to organize. Your choice is DONT work in a union shop. Work else where and quit bitching about what others get.

I like how they come up with fancy names like "Right to Work State", which really means what you just posted in your fist paragraph.

Fear mongering at it's finest.

Another commenter void of historical context. Bravo!

Not being allowed to work extra hours if you want. That one annoyed the hell out of me.

how is this the unions determination? A union does not determine what products a company builds, how many hours are needed to produce, or if additional hours are needed.

When I said I was willing to work overtime, and preferred it, my management named the union as the reason I was not allowed to have over 40. Of course, the standard 8-hour work day is something that Unions rallied for.

sorry. That is NOT correct.
The union does not dictate how a company is run. The union would only specify that a regular work day is 8 hrs and OT is paid at the the standard 1.5.That is it. Your management lied to you. Big surprise.

Read your contract! You will find nowhere in your contract that specifies employees are ONLY ALLOWED to work 40 hrs. Management doesnt like to pay OT but it is up to them to run the shop where all the work can be done in a 40hr week, not the unions.

Whatever you say. You must have experience with all unions.

You must not have read your contract. There is nothing in there that doesnt correspond with Federal law.
But you go ahead and blame the union because you cant get more than 40 hours if it suits your conscious rather than actually read what governs the workforce agreement.

Meh, I don't have to worry about it, or the threat of being a "scab," anymore, so, it doesn't really matter to me.

ok, then its a non-issue.

bull

I like it! Short sweet and completely void of any factual retort. Good Job!

"You dont want to join a union? ... The employees decided to organize. Your choice is DONT work in a union shop...."

E X A CT L Y !!!

These folks want to go into a chinese restaurant and order italian food or shut them down. Its a mind set.

hear ya!

Unions have outlived their usefulness. Particularly public sector unions. They are both more about political ideology than labor rights anyway. And that middle class you are so worried about? We're the ones paying the freight for the sweetheart deals; in higher product costs and taxes.

There's plenty of regulation protecting workers on the job, we no longer need unions. You can pay for healthcare and pension benefits just like the rest of us.

your opinion only.

Higher costs? Yet another myth being repeated over and over by those shilling for the corporate elite. Take a comparison look at car costs Scotty before spouting that fallacy again.

I only need to point to declining wages as why unions are still valuable and needed. How long before a completely unopposed corporate oligarchy starts unwinding all those worker and environmental protections? Dont think it can happen? ... who lobbies for the middle class workers anyway? Corporations?

Joey,
Non-union made cars a lot's less expensive and run a lot longer.

Who exactly is the 'unopposed corporate oligarchy'? Sound like some thing you pulled right out of your union handbook. Corporate America has never HAD so much opposition as they do now. Keep it up Joey, you'll put your company out of business. Don't think it can happen?

The individual middle class worker can negotiate for himself.