Fear Unions

As the late Senator Paul Wellstone liked to say, "We may be entitled to our own opinions, but we're not entitled to our own facts." Even with organized labor's many problems (shrinking membership, internal dissension, gutless Democrats, growing irrelevancy, etc.), there's no disputing the facts.
Fact: Across the board, union jobs pay more (10-15% more), offer better health and medical benefits, and provide workers greater on-the-job security and influence than non-union jobs. Fact: Union facilities are demonstrably safer than non-union facilities; statistically, the numbers aren't even close. Fact: If unions didn't represent a threat to management's greed and unchecked authority, they wouldn't be so vehemently opposed by businesses and business lobbies.
All of which raises the question: Given the post-Reagan assault on the earning power and dignity of blue-collar jobs, why aren't more people signing union cards? Why haven't the marginal and disenfranchised in the workforce wised up? Union membership used to hover at close to 35%; today it's barely 12%. Worse, if only private industry were counted, it's less than 7%. Better money, richer benefits, safer environment, more control . . . what's not to like?

Millwright Ron
http://www.unionmillwright.com/