The Loss of Manufacturing Jobs since 1999 - Will Unions make a Come Back in the US?

[Marc]

According to the New York Times, manufacturing has lost three million jobs since 1999, representing a sixth of manufacturing's total.

"A record 53 percent of nonunion workers say they'd join a union tomorrow if given the chance - that's the highest percentage in 20 years," Mr. Sweeney said. "It is our job to reach out to them."

Your opinion and comments?

 

[Helmut Jilling]

According to the New York Times, manufacturing has lost three million jobs since 1999, representing a sixth of manufacturing's total.

"A record 53 percent of nonunion workers say they'd join a union tomorrow if given the chance - that's the highest percentage in 20 years," Mr. Sweeney said. "It is our job to reach out to them."

Your opinion and comments?

I'm reluctant to touch this one since it can be a hot potato. But it is one of my biggest concerns, India and China are successful because Government, Business and Labor are cooperating to build their economies. I fear that if those three cannot begin to work together in the USA,, then we will continue our slide downward. No one group can do it. They have to cooperate. It is the proverbial "United we stand, divided we fall." But that's not labor united against business, it requires labor and business to work together or they will both fail. There's enough fault on both sides of the fence. Let's take down the fence. IMHO...

 

[WALLACE]

Interesting take regarding unions and corporate working together.
I'm Ford:
At my Canadian location, Union and Corporate work respecfuly together but, in reality it's a sham of a relationship.
Here we have the Ford Production System, well it works great in Theory and, contributes to the sham in reality.
At the end of the day global corporations such as Ford, Chrysler and GM (if they indeed survive), satisfy the shareholders and them alone. the agenda's of our great part of the world is coming back to haunt us and, the proof of the puding is in the enforced cyclic recession that we have to suffer every 10 years or so.
Over production and high end prices for products that don't even stimulate our design seeking eye's, are the nails in the coporate coffin.
Unions working directly with corporate? Maybe for a while, until the socialist agenda's of Unionism is met, and then it'll be back to the old school grind.
Scinical? You bet I am, I'm living it at this time.
Wallace.

 

[Wes Bucey]

I don't have to be cynical. Many corporations make no bones about the fact they have a "union busting" agenda. I recall one customer in the 90's who was so blatant about the agenda they included a statement in the corporate "vision" to remain "free of union entanglements."

The essence of a union is the "contract" which keeps employees from being fired "at will." Further, unions maintain a "parity" of wages where each employee gets paid at an open, published scale. This eliminates the "secrecy" many corporations maintain about who earns what. Wage secrecy is what allows racial and gender discrimination in wages and fosters "glass ceilings."

I am always constantly amazed at how many folks fall into line with corporate propaganda that "unions are evil" and "unions foster featherbedding."

I certainly admit some unions got taken over by crooks who worked in cozy collaboration with unscrupulous corporations to deny rights and benefits to workers at the expense of the workers and the enrichment of the crooks and corporations. It's never been quite clear to me whether the crooks came first or the corporations created crooks by bribing and extorting union officers to enter into "sweetheart contracts." What is certain is that the combination of evildoers on both sides (union and corporate officers) served to foster the precipitous downfall of unions over the last 30 or 40 years.

Lately, it seems to me, the corporations are winning the union busting battle because they have convinced so many workers to become "scabs" to cross union picket lines. The scabs have rationalized their decision to adopt a "hurray for me, the he!! with everyone else" mentality by saying, "My family and I have to eat!" Somehow, they don't realize that attitude is what allows drastic downsizing of workforces with subsequent overloading of the remaining workers with more tasks and less pay.

Quality suffers when workers feel left out of the process. When a worker gradually gets the idea that the quality of his work no longer ensures his retention on the job, you can hardly blame him for not having an attitude of looking for and offering suggestions for improvement which may result in putting him out of a job!

Was there ever a time corporations did not routinely exploit their workers? I note that Ford is making noises that many non-union white collar workers will soon face the ax. If the corporation overloads its staff through ill-planning, it is always the worker who ends up the loser when the same people who overloaded the staff resort to wholesale firing (not layoff - these folks are not kept on a "string" that they may be called back in the future) when the corporate bigwigs are unable to generate sales to sustain the staffing.

Unions need to adopt a policy similar to that of the Roman army during the building of the Roman Empire:
It is said the Roman army may have lost battles, but it never lost a war. The reason is simple, they never stopped fighting until they won the war!

 

[gpainter]

We just had a vote at a local plant and it was rejected. Second vote in two years. This time it was closer, they said they would be back. The union has to only win once was the quote. Seems like they would head to Mexico, China, etc. A union is not needed if top management is aware of the needs of their employees.

 

[tarheels4 - 2007]

It seems to me that the areas with the worst economies are areas with the highest percentage of union employees. Wonder what that means?

Toledo Blade article

https://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050905/BUSINESS09/50905039

 

[Randy]

Many unions have become and continue to be their own worst enemy.

In the government contract sector I worked in we had a collective bargaining unit whose union contract wound up contradicting benefits that were absolutely guaranteed by the government contract...essentially the employees screwed themselves to the hilt on overtime, holidays, insurance, nearly everything. Once the union started representing the employees everything became negotialble and was on the table..I know because I sat on the management side of the table.

This recent thing with NW airlines will prove my point...the folks at least had a job that paid regular. I haven't kept track, but where are they now? Look at the Air Traffic Controllers, their conditions improved. Ha!

The duh factor also kicks in when you ask "Is there more profit in paying $2.00 per hour or "$20+ per hour to make our product?" The company doesn't exist to support the union and profits are not property to be equally divided between owners and workers automatically.

I think unionization has run its course in the US (or Anglo-N America if you look at Canada too). With the federal government oversight, protection and requirements for workers we now have in place what is there really to offer except for protection from "at will" policies?

 

[Wes Bucey]

It seems to me that the areas with the worst economies are areas with the highest percentage of union employees. Wonder what that means?

Toledo Blade article

https://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050905/BUSINESS09/50905039

Could it mean the corporations refuse to infuse unionized facilities with new capital to stay modern?

What begets what?

It is certainly arguable that the U.S. Steel industry did not upgrade its facilities with newer process equipment during the period they had rancorous relations with their unions.

The plain truth is that organizations need to constantly re-invent themselves or fall by the wayside. Part of that reinvention depends on reinvestment of capital into new products and new processes.

Organizations must also constantly redefine the true business they are in.

American railroads steadfastly ignored the fact their business was TRANSPORTATION and so were left at the gate while trucking, ocean and canal freight, and airline companies "got it" and eroded the rail business which continued to believe it was in the railroad business. That belief became the fact and so they were left out of the TRANSPORTATION business.

Religious leaders for generations have said, "Pride goeth before a fall!" Somehow, despite all that, many business leaders continue to exhibit the same arrogance and hubris which have led their predecessors to their falls.

 

[tarheels4 - 2007]

The plain truth is that organizations need to constantly re-invent themselves or fall by the wayside.

I agree, and unions are organizations that are falling by the wayside.

 

[tarheels4 - 2007]

I think unionization has run its course in the US (or Anglo-N America if you look at Canada too).

I would think the unions would survive a little longer in a socialist State such as Canada.