Making us proud unions!

I remember when I was first promoted into management. It was just an entry level production foreman's position, but what I remember most was the heated discussion my father and I had.  Dad had just retired, after forty-eight years as a union member, from U.S. Steel. 

I was always very proud of Dad. He came here from Italy in 1916 as an uneducated immigrant. 
He worked as a very loyal union member his entire 48 years in the mills. He was disappointed when I left the union where I worked to take a job as an entry level foreman. And so the disagreements started.

Dad felt I had no union to "protect" me. I tried unsuccessfully to convince him that my hard work, ambition, and desire to succeed were all the tools I needed. Dad still felt that job protection only came from union representation. I reminded him that when employment was flourishing and most consumer products were made here in the U.S., yes there were some companies took advantage of workers, and union representation was needed.

Then unions became big and powerful, and subsequently union corruption ensued. Companies actually came under the scrutiny and power of the unions. Companies found themselves acquiescing to unions just to keep the production lines moving. Then the pendulum started to swing in strong favor of the unions. Wages, health insurance, and pensions became unreasonably out of sight, along with union corruption.

Then two impactful phenomenas emerged. First, unheard of investigations took place by companies. Companies that couldn't keep pace with unions began to explore having their products made in foreign countries where labor was much cheaper, and in some cases had no unions to deal with. Of course this angered U.S. based unions even more, and strong union backlash appeared. Slowly there were less and less jobs for the unions to "protect" This caused union "thuggery" in many disparaging acts against companies and hard working Americans.

And then, lo and behold, another phenomena took place. To protect its companies and hard working people, the state of Arizona passed legislation that an employee did not have to join a union to be gainfully employed.  This caused undue outrage among union leaders in the state.

Let's fast-forward to 2012. As of yesterday the state of Michigan became the twenty-fourth state to pass right-to-work legislation. Last year there were 1.3 million private sector union members. Today there are only 400,000 private sector union members. That proves that Americans are more interested in going to work to earn a living, then they are to promote union leadership. Americans are feeling that with the hopelessness of job creation there aren't many jobs for the unions to protect.

Another factor is the horrible fact of automatic deduction of union dues.  American union members further discovered they had no voice in the disbursement of their monthly union dues.
Enter Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama with the support of strong union leaders accepted millions of dollars in campaign donations with the promise of helping unions. 

However, more jobs are being lost every week and it seems that no matter how many speeches Mr. Obama offers to the unions, Americans can readily see there just are not jobs for the unions to protect. Mr. Obama even felt the need to travel to a small town in Michigan to promote his union base, while degrading the right-to-work legislation calling it a political ploy.

Ironically, Mr. Obama's speech was only blocks away from A123 Battery Company that received $249.Million of stimulus taxpayer money just last year.  Then another fact that you can bet the main stream media won't report. This very same A123 Batter Company is currently selling out to China  for $132.Million. Now, do you think we taxpayers will get any of our stimulus money back? Don't think so.

As I watched the violence erupt at the Lansing, Michigan state house I immediately thought of Dad. The legislation had already been passed, and yet union protesters felt it was necessary to show solidarity through violence. At one point a hot dog vendor watched his hot dog stand destroyed by union protesters. Fights broke out, started by union protesters, even to the point a large tent with women and children inside was torn down and trampled on by union protesters causing injury to many.

And this was AFTER the governor of Michigan signed the right-to-work legislation into law.
What did the union protesters hope to accomplish with violence and damage to the people who want the ability to opt out of unions if they so choose.

My Dad is right now spinning in his grave. Not because another state decided to enact a right-to-work law, but because Americans were displaying such violence to other Americans. 

Statistics reveal that employment in right-to-work states is higher than non right to work states.
Employees actually make better wages, and do not have to pay a monthly union due that goes
 to where the union leaders choose, not where the union member chooses. Americans want to take care of their families, not their union leaders. 

There are now twenty-four states that have successfully enacted the right to work legislation. I'm 77 years young, and I pray I live long enough to witness all states enacting the right to work laws. America will surely be better for it.

And that's Politics with Pete for today....God Bless our country and our troops.