And in America, they are bullies, so... moving back to the proposed topic at hand...?

"They're very useful and important over here."

No theyr're not, they're a nuisance and get in the way of a proper market driven economy.

The only thing I've ever seen Unions do is keep the incomptent employed.  My parent's worked at a pork plant where they slaughter and butcher pigs.  One man dropped a piece of meat on the floor, picked it up and just threw it back in with the rest.  When the manager told him he was fired, this was the last straw in a long line of screw ups, he went to the Union and they managed to keep him employed.  One place I worked someone regularly took 2 hours to perform a task that should have taken 15 minutes and the management couldn't fire him cause of the union.  Any need there may have been for unions has passed with the introduction of labour laws.

Since when does a Market driven Economy and Community affairs correlate ?
I dont understand you Leftists ??

@ Skoe

"Stop worrying about making money".... explain that.
Examples....in the Micro......not a broad brushed, bullshit talking point. 

Explain to me, how the market is connected to the DETRIMENT of the people. 

Economists can give you MANY MANY examples how Govt. intervention and controls INCREASE the burden of the final price of a product/service. 

What you are trying to say is that Govt. is more efficient than Market Forces.....Explain your position.

@DPS

I actually look at it from the opposite side.  Unions control wage.  This keeps the drive of the worker in check, and stifles the actual ability of the average worker.  It gives seniority preference over actual performance, and puts a ceiling on wage for the better worker.   

IF I have a firm and I dont have to pay my best workers more money to keep them.....because of a Union.....ROFL....Im ahead of the game. 
Eventually, I can get rid of sub-par workers.  It will just take some time.

BW I think you have lived in New York too long.

"It just takes some time"-- the rest of the country prefers it take as long as the words "You're fired" to go from the boss' lips to the snafu's ear.

I have busted my ass in a press shop that was too poor for a union-- they don't bother with outfits that won't support their dues. OK fair enough but spare me the "Voice of the Common People" crap.

Now what they're doing in CA is striking to force a smaller pension package for new hires so the company can afford the older more generous package for the veteran employees.  You work at those places, they make you join a union, and then they tie you into a budget pension plan In The Name Of The Worker. Thats if they hire Americans and not skilled illegals.

Well it was a small outfit, now defunct, it printed church bulletins in five states in competition with JS Paluch who does them in 50 states.

The bulletin is free to the church, they get 2-6 pages of copy and their choice of cover and the printer sells a page of ads on the back to advertisers.

We got about the minimum wage--i'm sure the best pressmen got a lot more cause they bougt a house-- and we worked by the job, so if crap broke down for four hours you went home four hours late. The stuff had to be out by Friday night.

No health benefits and we worked in non-airconditioned pressroom, our presses were a lot of junk so we learned how to jury-rig them with duct-tape and spot-welding. One day OSHA told us to stop working elbow deep in kerosene without gloves because it causes cancer, which is good to know.

But I guess it was pretty fair, you either did you share or you got called out by eight guys, we were allowed to horseplay back there. I was known as a hitman because I can throw a quart of water thirty feet through a four-inch gap in an ajar doorway and be gone before it hits the target. Front office let us alone and talked to our crew chief.

It went under because the owner believed in hiring his drinking buddies...don't think a stronger union can stop that!