To heck with politics; unions need to worry about shrinking ranks
Lewis DiuguidThe Agatha Christie thriller, “And Then There Were None,” comes to mind when thinking of the diminishing number of workers in unions.
Only 11.3 percent of wage and salary workers were in unions in 2012 compared with 11.8 percent in 2011, The Kansas City Star reports. The 14.4 million union workers is the lowest share of the U.S. workforce since the 1940s when unions were considered to be growing in strength and numbers. That trend peaked in the 1950s with one in three American workers as union members.
Layoffs in the public and private sectors haven’t helped. The political activism of unions also has hurt their image.
Right to work states and attacks on collective bargaining rights have taken big chunks out of organized labor. Union leaders have to be looking at the trend with alarms going off like quitting time whistle at factories.
George Hunsucker
Northland
3 months, 4 weeks agoUnions drove Boeing to be non-competitive in KS.. I wonder how Boeings costs in SC compare to WA???
People deserve the right to not give dues to union bosses
Mark Hastert
3 months, 4 weeks ago“Unions drove Boeing to be non-competitive in KS”
….but Kansas is a right to work state with low low income taxes and gave Boeing big tax incentives to boot and yet they couldn’t get out fast enough. Consider this some indication Kansas’ future under Brownie.
Unions lost their way and became bogged down in the adversarial style where each side tries to take from the other. Whenever power gets out of balance one side goes too far to the detriment of all.
A new paradigm is emerging where unions and management work together for the greater health of the enterprise and share in the growth as partners.
Kent Mueller
3 months, 4 weeks agoWhy on earth would you connect Boeing’s leaving to Brownback?
A new paradigm? I guess the new paradigm requires fewer union members.
Robert Copher
3 months, 4 weeks agoWhen legislation like they are pushing in KS strips them of the right to collect funds for political expression, the unions are being made less relative. Until such legislation is thrown out, unions will continue to loose members. If thats the goal, fine. If you want unions to become relative again you must stop that type of legislation. My outsider’s perspective of the issue.
Kent Mueller
3 months, 4 weeks agoRobert, who is keeping unions from collecting funds for political expression from willing members of the union?
Robert Copher
3 months, 4 weeks agoAnother story on today’s headlines.
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/24/4029925/kansas-house-panel-endorses-bill.html
Robert Copher
3 months, 4 weeks agoBut I guess its just public employee union. Maybe that isn’t a big deal, but it seemed like it would be. And one member made comments that is was secretly part of the overall plan of eliminating unions in KS.
Kent Mueller
3 months, 4 weeks agoRobert, I can’t account for what the senator said, but that bill would not do what I asked about. I asked who is keeping unions from collecting funds for political expression from willing union members. This bill would only keep unions from deducting funds from public employee paychecks which would go for political purposes. The bill would not keep unions from collecting funds from willing union members.