LPA: It is difficult to know where unions belong in this new century. They have been a flashpoint between different ideologies. Unions have proven to be very beneficial at times, and very detremental at other times. They have a very good side and a very bad side. Unions carry with them, just by their very nature, a two-edged sword.
When a union moves in the right direction, it brings the workers higher wages, benefits, and job security. It gives the workers power that before unionization, they never had. When a union moves in the wrong direction, it ceases to benefit the workers, costs the workers money to belong to the union, and does nothing for them. We know about sweetheart unions that have more in common with management than with the worker, and these unions will do almost anything as long as it benefits the union. WHEN A UNION STOPS WORKING FOR THE WORKER, AND WORKS FOR ITSELF, IT BECOMES A PARASITE. WHEN A UNION WORKS FOR THE WORKER IT CAN BE A GODSEND. Either way, unions need to be very diligent when it comes to ethical issues, as they can be a tool for good or evil as almost no other organization can.
The businesses in states that allow unions the privilage to run union shops, are having difficulties in meeting union demands. All too often, pay and benefit demands are more than the bottom line can allow and some unions are difficult to work with, so the businesses either go under, or exist marginally. In other states (right to work states) the pay scales are barely above the poverty line and benefits are hard to come by, but businesses, not fearing retaliation from the unions, flock to these states because of the cheaper labor. In both cases, people suffer.
We are realists and we realize that there has to be a better way for business, and unions to operate. Since these situations affect the nations GNP, intervention by the Federal Government is warranted. There should be a union oversight board, as well as a business oversight board that act in tamdem to produce arbitration that is fair and equitable to both business and unions. It makes common sense when an agreement cannot be reached at the union-management level. We support binding arbitration, and oppose the so called right-to-work statutes in some states. We believe that the workers should be paid an honest wage for an honest day's work. We also believe that if we can't work for a moral compromise that benefits both the labor and management sides, the nation suffers.