Essay on Unions, Bad for America - 685 Words

Unionism, Bad for America Unionism is the concept that traditionally business, especially big businesses are inherently going to exploit their employees. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, the workers form organizations called unions, in which all laborers who work at a certain craft, or in a certain industry band together. By this process of â€Å"joining forces†, the unions gain power in numbers. Unions traditionally try to protect employee interests by negotiating with employers for wages and benefits, working hours, and better working conditions. Unions have been around for a long time. The first recorded union was in 1792, when shoemakers in Philadelphia met to consider matters of common interest. This earliest form of†¦show more content†¦Sometimes unions encourage people to boycott products from an industry or company. Managers can bring in strikebreakers, who work, but are not a part of the union. They can also use a lockout, which means that the management just locks the employees out, until they agree to the terms of the contract that the management draws up. Unions in America today have grown smaller and smaller in the past 30 years. There are many reasons for this. The major one is that industries in other countries that are non-union have much cheaper labor costs, and therefore can offer products and materials at a much lower price than our US union-run, high wage cost factories. â€Å"During the 1970s and 1980s, a fifth of large unionized companies in the United States went bankrupt, unable to compete against companies with lower wage costs.† (Rachman, 308) Unions do provide a lot of good services to its members, such as higher wages, better hours, more benefits, and safer working conditions. There is a price to pay for these services, though. Every union requires its members to pay dues, whether they are in the form of a percentage of each paycheck, or a flat rate. The money form dues goes towards lobbying politicians to pass union-friendly legislation, or better labor laws. The money also finances officers in the union organization, who are the ones calling the shots, as far as labor negotiations are concerned. The fact that unions improve working conditions, wages andShow MoreRelatedPresident Ronald Reagan was the Great Communicator654 Words   |  3 Pagescareers including lifeguard, movie star, union leader, and politician. He held office from January 1981 to January 1989. Never in history has there been a president with his kind of background. Reagan saw America as a good place he believed in balanced budgets but never submitted one. He hated nuclear weapons but built so many. He would wright checks to poor people but cut benefits from many billionaires. He united the nation with patriotism. But his vision of America pushed away many people. Reagan ledRead MoreWal-Mart, the Big Bad Wolf of the Economy1192 Words   |  5 PagesWal-Mart is one of the largest corporations in America today. It serves to millions of consumers a day and is known for its motto â€Å"lower prices everyday.† For the last few years however, there has been the controversy of whether Wal-Mart is tr uly good for the American economy or not. On one hand people believe Wal-Mart is good for the economy because it saves the average consumer money due to the low priced products. Along with being an easy one stop shop where everything a person could possiblyRead MoreAnti Communist Rhetoric And American Patriotism1605 Words   |  7 Pagesrelease of the Comic Codes, Fighting American #3 was already showing acceptance of the codes, with Fighting American being depicted as the perfect athletic American with his American boy side kick ready to save the day from the communists of domestic America. The anti-communist rhetoric is also evident, with the two main villains of the comics, who are evidently Soviet communists, with names like Poison Ivan and Hotsky Trotsky (referring to Leon Trotsky and even baring a likeness to him) and even laterRead MoreWhat Makes A Good President?1266 Words   |  6 PagesAmerica has share of good and bad US presidents a total of 43 in counting. From histor y I believe that are top three presidents our Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson. However, the United States has not experienced a good president for every term. There has been some bad presidents including Taylor, Grant, and Hoover When ranking the presidents one must ask themselves What makes a Good president? The answer varies, one good response may be somebody that can build a team and create a culture thatRead MoreFailure of Liberalism in Dr. Strangelove898 Words   |  4 Pagesof the American public views on liberalism in America. In spite of the prevailing view of democracy as â€Å"good† and communism as â€Å"evil† at the time, America was being just as evil as the Soviet Union by pursuing the technology of superior nuclear weapons. Dr. Strangelove takes a serious look at how liberalism ultimately failed the international system in a most horrific way. Liberalism maintains that human nature is basically good, and that bad human behavior is usually a product of insufficientRead MoreCuba And The United States1217 Words   |  5 Pagesties in January of 1961, meaning that there have not been any high-level diplomatic relations with Cuba for 54 years. At the time, America and Cuba considered one another as mortal enemies and mistrusted each other’s government greatly. So this raises the question; Was it the correct decision for Cuba and the United States to cut ties? This break with Cuba was a bad decision because it caused Cuba’s economy to plummet, caused Cubans to immigrate, and it caused Cuban support of communistic regimesRead MoreFidel Castros Impact on Cuba, America, and the World1359 Words   |  6 Pages Fidel Castro, resigned now, and still living, was the dictator of the Cuban nation. He has had an big impact on America, and he an impact on our world. Fidel Castro was a Cuban dictator for a long tim e coming. Fidel Castro becoming a dictator not only affected the United States, but his arrival affected the world around us. Fidel Castro was a man who had a target on his head. Lots of people from all over the world wanted him dead. Fidel Castro wasn’t a capitalist person, he was a CommunistRead MoreAmerican History: The Year 1962 Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesResearch paper America is the greatest country of all time. It has had many important years and each and every one of those years have been eventful. But there lies a question†¦ What is the most important year for America in the Twentieth century? The answer to that question would happen to be the year, 1962. There are many reasons why 1962 is one of the most important years for America in the twentieth century. The first reason why 1962 is one of the most important is becauseRead MoreCold War And The Soviet Union859 Words   |  4 Pagesand ending. As we know, cold war is a struggle between U.S. with NATO and Soviet Union with WTO from 1947 to 1991. It is a significant event in history, and it influence the almost all of world, it directly lead to the radical change of eastern Europe and the breakup of the USSR. In 1946 February, George.F.Kennan wrote a â€Å"Long Telegram†, it clearly said the strategy of containing Soviets and it was adopted by America. Then in March, Winston Churchill,a famous  Prime Minister of the United Kingdom  duringRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Waiting For Superman 1186 Words   |  5 Pagesin rich communities and suburbs.. The filmmakers attack all political parties and belief systems. The movie looks at many things , the funding of schools, how supplies are distributed to schools, how teachers are picked and monitored, teachers unions, different styles schools within the school districts, private schools, and charter schools. The movie tries use lots of heart tugging information , using a lot of facts and figures accomplish this. The movie was made by a famous American Director