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Union Jobs

You hear a lot these days about how unions are ruining the country and we’re all going to die some horrible depression-era starvation type death because some teacher/auto line worker/grocery store clerk refused to give up his/her pension. Oddly, in this dire prediction no one ever dies because the CEO makes roughly 1000 times more than said teacher/auto line worker/grocery store clerk. They NEED that money because it’s the only way to get “a good CEO”. Apparently only CEO’s work ethic responds to monetary compensation.  Everyone else should just be grateful for a place to go every day.

So what if union jobs did go the way of the dinosaur? Would our economy suddenly jump start? Products flying off the shelves, houses snatched up by prosperous buyers, new companies starting up by the thousands? I’m guessing that it would take awhile for things to settle down and I’m not so sure it would be a happy place to live. I’m also sure that insurance rates would be out of range for most people, especially since those large groups of union employees are the ones that keep most of the large insurance companies afloat. And I’m wondering if I would just have to quit my job and home school my children since few good teachers would remain at low wages with little to no benefits. I probably will have to expand my garden as non-union grocery stores tend to have really crappy produce. In fact, I probably won’t be buying much in grocery stores at all, as the non-union ones tend to skeeve me out with their grotty-ness. (could just be my area) It’s almost too hard to imagine all the changes.

At least the politicians would have nothing left to complain about … more N*CIS marathons on TV!

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Comments

The Science Goddess said…
Remember, though, that many states are right-to-work states---and teachers still have good benefits, etc. They also have more take home pay because they don't have dues deducted from their paycheck, not to mention that many already pay better than WA does.

Changing from a union state to a right to work state would likely not jumpstart the economy, as you point out. It merely gives teachers a choice about where to spend their dollars: on their families or on union dues.

As long as teachers choose to act like blue collar workers, they will be treated as such. When we move to professional organizations (like doctors, lawyers, and others have), we may well expect a change in how society views the field.
1:47 PM
Jenna said…
I'm not so sure that moving from a union would magically change teaching into a "professional" career. We would still be paid by the state and tax payers. In WA state that's barely a step above welfare recipient. Wages determined by referendrum? Scary for everyone.

As for union dues, they're still cheaper than the montly insurance premium I paid as a single person in the private sector. Would saving the dues actually go into personal pockets? I wonder how many actually do the math or would just grab the "instant cash".
5:20 PM
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