Government Unions: A Dangerous Threat

Government Unions: a Dangerous Threat

The mutual bond between employee and employer is under attack by the leaches of the Far Left. These leaches, union leaders, seek to break this bond, while claiming to be defending and protecting the rights and privileges of employees, though their effect is unemployment and economic disaster for the nation. Nothing positive comes from the organization of unions in both the private and public sector, for their motive is aimed against our Capitalist concepts that make the American dream possible to achieve.

Unions once played an important role in creating safe and descent working conditions for the employees of a company. However, they have gone beyond their boundaries of creating good. Laws have been implemented in accordance with the original union purpose. We must consider the elements that have made a fair and equal work environment: minimum wage, growth of minorities in most job areas, child labor laws, etc. For this reason, unions no longer have a purpose, thus no reason to exist. When workers gained every reason to be satisfied with their employer, union strength fell. In response, the union incentive changed. Now, they have adopted the method of joining liberal legislatures in promoting a radical Marxist agenda, and with it, their power has accumulated.

Union popularity varies by state. In 2010, the states where unions were most abundant, with the highest percentage of union workers, with levels raising as high as 24.2 percent, include California, New York and New Jersey (Ford). These states also are known for having ample liberal legislatures, which act as a seed for the growth of unions. In December, California had a 12.5 percent jobless rate: the second highest in the nation (Semuels). New York's unemployment levels in 2010 were above 10.4 percent (McGeehan). Due to the inability to meet union demands, Governor Chris Christie, of New Jersey, was forced to cut 18,100 public sector jobs and $1.2 billion in funding for public schools, contributing to an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent in July of 2010 (Dopp). These ratings can be compared to the national unemployment rate of 8.8 percent in 2010 (NCSL). The states where unions hold the most power are those suffering unemployment levels higher than the national average. These statistics offer the proof necessary to infer that states, where unionism is most popular, suffer higher levels of unemployment and thus, a collapsing economy.

In the public sector, teachers unions play a key role in the scheme against our education system, hints it's dreadful, current state. Students in private schools score, on average, 10-to-11-points higher on exams than students, the same age, in public schools; a difference equivalent to one grade level (Education Wonks). Despite this, unions take the initiative to keep students in flunking public schools, preventing schools from firing poorly qualified teachers and rewarding exceptional teachers; the reason unions stand fiercely against merit pay. The interest of teachers' unions is not the performance of our education system, but the funding of it, though it's funding is unrelated to the system's performance, as proven in past circumstances (Mackenzie). This means that an increase in funding does not alter the school system's performance, yet teachers' unions demand it, making it clear that their concern is not the education of the nation's youth, but the defrauding of taxpayers.

Under union rule in the private sector, corporations are often required to pay huge pensions to their associates, preventing them from being able to use their workforce efficiently, causing a need for change in business strategy in order to meet a new quota and higher standard, such as the case of General Motors and Chrysler (Hawkins). The once superior American automobile industry was forced into bankruptcy when the new quota, established by unions, was not met. Our pro-union president used American tax dollars to get these companies back on their feet. In addition, GM had to cut 12 percent, over 10,000, of their jobs, and no longer offered early retirement packages to their associates (Allmand). Chrysler laid-off over 30,000 jobs and retirees lost $9.8