And we thank Unions for

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I was recently assailed by pro-union people who tell me we have much to thank unions for.

I concur. Let us thank the unions for:

The federal minimum wage law. Can anyone out there buy a house, raise children and save for retirement on the federal minimum wage which is a direct result of union activity?

Child labor laws. No longer must our children slave away in factories working 12-15 hour days turning out stuff. Indeed! Now we demand children in third world countries turn out the same stuff for similar wages and similar working conditions.

The 40-hour week. Thank you unions for putting into the law a 40-hour week (which is not the case BTW, employers can define a work week to be more or less than 40 hours. Yes huhn.) With this 40-hour work week comes the requirement that such full time (a better description) employees be offered a suite of benefits and access to even more. YES! So in order to get around this requirement, businesses switch to employing people part time so they do not have to offer benefits. The nation's largest private employers do this and save money (more profits for shareholders and higher wages for management) as a result.

http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/the-state-of-the-40-hour-workweek/ - bigger version

Better wages. Oh yes. As unions demand more pay, the end result is that cost is passed on to the consumers of the products the union is responsible for. Unions lead to higher prices for consumers since companies must pay more for wages & benefits, which are then passed on to customers. Unions lead to less productivity and job motivation since pay levels are usually determined by seniority rather than performance.

And how many union people shop there?

Job security. Amen, amen, amen. In a unionized company even the idiot is guaranteed a job. Unions often prevent more qualified workers from getting the jobs. Less proficient workers are often protected from layoffs or firing; thus, new positions open less frequently. Unions fight bills in legislatures, like drug testing, which make workplaces safer.

Unions represent the interest of workers. Betcha. Unions create an "us" vs. "them" hostility between ownership and workers. The union mmebers are favored over non union members. There is no "union." Further, in a union environment, workers cannot approach management directly; they have work through the union chain.

Except for people not in the union

Unions benefit everyone. Really? A business owner benefits from having control of his company wrestled away from him? How have unions benefited small farmers? How have unions benefited freelance writers Unions have driven movie making out of the United States into countries where a movie can be produced at a fraction of the cost in the US. 

THANKS UNIONS!