So, how'd that Donnie Shit for Brains "sit-down" with Union heads go? Folks should lose their jobs

[maxrandb]

Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will meet with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Teamsters President James P. Hoffa United Automobile Workers President Gary Jones, International Association of Machinists President Robert Martinez, and United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/21/trump-to-discuss-nafta-with-union-leaders-745703

What a bunch of worthless asspickles these "Union Leaders" have turned out to be.

What the hell have they done? Under their leadership, they've overseen what can only be described as the complete destruction of Unions in this country.

From a high of 38% of Americans belonging to a Union to now just a paltry 10-12%.

Good Job assholes.

This just pisses me the fuck off. You can, to the fucking gnat's hair, pinpoint the exact moment the Middle Class...and by proxy...the rest of the Working Class started getting fucking hosed in the country. That moment was when Unions began to get destroyed, and we DID NOTHING!

Now these so-called leaders are going "hat-in-hand" to beg for fucking crumbs...and when they get some crumbs...they'll drop to their knees and fellate the orange shitgibbon on 5TH Ave.

Where the fuck were they when state after state after state enacted "right to get-fucked" laws?

Did they ever once call for a strike?

Did they ever once tell a company that was shipping jobs overseas that they would boycott the ever living fuck our of them, or strike at their other plants.

Did they ever say, fuck no!? You can move your shit overseas, but good luck getting parts from the plants we'll be striking at?

Did they ever fucking do anything but march into Walmart for their "cheap prices"?

How you could lose 80% of Union membership, 90% of any of the collective bargaining power that was fought and bled for, and 100% of your relevance to the political debate, AND STILL HAVE A JOB is criminal.

Union Leaders taking a meeting with Donnie Shit for Brains???? What, were there no Pinkerton Guards to suck up to?

[Nictuku]

1. Word!

I couldn't have put it any better.

[OverBurn]

38. Word! 2

[zipplewrath]

2. Reagan Democrats

The trouble started when the "Reagan Democrats" voted. They were heavily blue collar. Reagan sang them a song while he crushed the unions. How the union leadership wasn't able to get out in front of that is hard to see. Since then, their political power has been so diminished that NAFTA got passed by democrats, and "right to work" laws got passed in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, et. al. They're talking to Trump because they see a chance to improve union activity in Mexico and they are jumping at it.

[olegramps]

3. It is evident that the rebirth of unions demands new effective leadership. Not these gutless pimps.

I also hold the leadership of the Democratic Party responsible for the organized labors demise. They have not demonstrated the determination to defeat anti-labor laws that have easily been slid through congress. The hard nosed Democrats of the labor movement who were willing to walk the picket lines and willing to slug it out with hired anti-strike beakers thug are a thing of the past. They are so tame and civilized that they are a push over by pasty-faced wimps.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Reagan Sang Them A Song

And they danced to the tune like trained monkeys.

This joint where i work now is a union shop. I can't begin to tell you how many Trump, or anti-HRC, or InfoWars stickers i see in the parking lot.

Sickening.

[brush]

5. It started with Reagan getting rid of the air traffic controllers union back in the 80s.

Down hill from there.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Yep. PATCO

But, the union "dems" that switched and voted for him already did so. The union busting started only after union folks decided that he was a good idea.

[brush]

8. Yeah, and they haven't come back yet. I started to say people can be incredibly stupid...

and some really are, but then I thought about how the repugs have gutted education continously over the decades whenever they could.

All those Reagan Dems and now trump fools don't seem to know anything about the history of the union movement and its struggles and bloodshed which not only raised income levels in union shops but in all shops, not to mention shorter work weeks, shorter hours, workplace safety, vacations, health insurance, unemployment insurance and on and on and on.

It's really sad and tragic even for the country that many still vote the party that's continually trying to dismantle all those hard-fought union gains.

[zipplewrath]

15. Victims of their own success

The union movement and the democrats were successful at getting laws passed for labor that the unions used to have to bargain for. Various EEO protections among other were achieved through legislation and that presented the perception that unions "weren't needed anymore". And now, here we are...

[Recursion]

12. PATCO had endorsed Reagan in 1980

Oops

[brush]

16. Sad. I didn't know that. Wonder how they felt as he dismantled their union and their lives?

[Recursion]

17. "At least he pisses off the bra-burners and draft-dodgers"

Same shit, different day, really.

[turbinetree]

39. They were hoping that the ALPA and the IAM would join them

but the leadership of the two unions were told that they would be fined and they would have injunctions placed against them.................................the rests is history............................me I would have gone out, have that UE mentality, united we stand..................... divided we fall

[ProfessorGAC]

18. You Know, I Forgot About That

Thanks for the reminder.

Ooops, for sure!

[Zorro]

20. PATCO did it to themselves

They threatened the safety of all air travelers with their aggressive tactics, which turned a lot of people against them and handed Reagan his opportunity to attack all unions.

[brush]

21. I don't remember it that way. Your perspective sounds like something coming from the opposing camp.

[Zorro]

25. You must not have been doing much air travel then

PATCO shot themselves in the foot by daring Reagan to fire their members.

It was an ill-advised strategy on their part.

[brush]

26. There were no safety issues that affected the public. Reagan did his union busting and wages have...

have been stagnant for decades. Of course management/ownership has done well, even began off-shoring jobs, but I guess those results were a good thing to you.

[Zorro]

28. We will just have to disagree then

I seem to have a recollection of events that is different than yours.

The PATCO strike was ill-advised, and it was obvious to everyone but the clueless that it would not end up well for the union.

[brush]

34. I doubt the same thing would've happened if there wasn't a president pre-disposed to union busting..

We will have to disagree.

[pecosbob]

22. Unfortunately that's what you get with a 'big-tent' party...disaffected Republicans

bringing along their voodoo Reganomic trickle-down theory bullshit with them. Every time I see someone here talking trash about health-care for all or a living wage, this is what I think...f*cking re-badged Reaganista.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

27. Absofuckinglutely.

[Xolodno]

31. I'd say it's a combination of two things.

1. Corrupted Union leadership...who just didn't give a damn so long as they lined their pockets.

2. Shitty Union leadership...who couldn't see past the end of their nose. The signs were there that the economy was was moving more towards a service sector base and international trade restrictions were going to ease. Instead they buried their heads in the sand.

They should have bit the bullet, started job retraining and working on unionizing, service sector jobs. Just about every college grad gets a job as "salaried" and they have no clue if they negotiated well for that salary. In other works, they could be working their ass off, long hours...and the guy next to them is just "standard" and gets paid better.

And then you have this, more and more companies are dropping to high deductible health plans, few offer pensions and 401k's and company matches have been scaled back. And now you have companies dropping vacation/sick time for PTO...aka paid time off. Which is both all rolled into one. However, they severely limit you banking it in case a severe illness...that way they don't have to pay you a lump sum if you retire. Oh and it's on accrual, so if you use more than you accrued and get laid off, leave, etc. You owe the company money.

[zipplewrath]

36. They weren't economists

The corruption angle is over played. I was in a union around that time. The leadership were very political but they weren't economists. They really didn't see what was coming economically. And their reaction to things like increasing global trade was, well, "reactionary" not strategic. They didn't deal well with automation either.

There has been something else that has arisen that gets little attention. The rise of the Human Resources department. HR has become to the corporation, what unions were to the employees. They establish all manner of work rules, and in the absence of union or collective bargaining, they are almost uniformally written to benefit the corporation. And out of this we've gotten all of the benefit changes and reductions we've seen over the last 40 years. Entire employee evaluation systems have been created whose only purpose is to establish a paper trail the company can use when downsizing needs to occur.

I have seen articles over the years on how "unions" could modernize. One of the better ones was something more akin to a "trade organization". It wouldn't do collective bargaining at all. However, it would advise workers, at all levels, on appropriate pay values, and provide access to legal counsel so that workers truly know their rights. They could also create pension programs into which members could buy their way in, as well as health care plans. Many companies might cooperate with them in order to unload their own health care plans.

Unions were quite successful for decades at the ballot box, in many says so successful that it allowed the perception that they were no longer needed. They will have to re-invent themselves for the new millennium.

[Xolodno]

37. I agree the corruption angle is overplayed...with that said...

...it is what generates headlines. The press is a double edged sword. And it also affects the ballot box, if I think my "Business Agent" and/or "Shop Steward" are corrupt... What chances I would vote with them. And to give some personal experience, the first time I saw my "Business Agent", was when we were on the path of striking.....and he was urging us not to do so. That doesn't exactly generate some confidence.

Union's modernizing? Yeah, they need to...and generate some patience. When I was interning at Coca Cola Enterprises many moons ago, one of the "Account Managers"....aka...sales people on salary, told me about a time when a union tried to organize for them. Coke of course offered the farm if they didn't unionize. And that was the end of unionization. So why didn't they try again in 5 years..or even 10 years? Once the company thinks its out the "danger" they then ignore the units problems....seems like a good idea to try again.

Unions can't just win over labor by using 1930's tactics. They need to start going for the jugular...start after "salaried" employee's...and expect heavy losses. But each win, thereafter, will make things easier when they take to the battlefield they lost previously.

In Europe, Unions and Corporations have a more cordial relationship. Until that happens in the USA, unions need to fight...until a corporation says its willing to work in tandem...then unions have the undesirable task, is the corporation tying to work for the benefit of both? Or are they blowing smoke? If they choose the latter, they could very well bankrupting the company which doesn't help anyone...so they need to be more aware of the company's standing as well.

No easy solutions.

[dugog55]

6. The rest of the Country

started its downward spiral with the demise of the Unions. Reagan was the WORST President for the middle class, hands down. His eight years were marked by Union busting and anti-worker sentiment. He loaded the NLRB with Corporate friendly lawyers and paved the way for Companies to move their industries overseas for cheaper labor.

The Unions blew it big time during Reagan's tenure. European Unions would have shut the whole Country down over any one of a dozen things Uncle Ronnie did. Before Reagan, most workers, not just Unionized laborers, had health insurance, vacation time, sick pay and defined pensions. By bringing the Unions down, most Americans lost these benefits, but most people under 55 do not realize what they should be getting because they joined the work force during the 80's when the changes were taking place.

We need Unions and Democrats to fight back to regain what was taken from us and handed over to the wealthy on a silver platter. America went through the greatest economic expansion in the world from 1940-1980 because of blue collar workers and Unions. Everybody made money. Workers, the banking industry, corporations, and small businesses. But Reagan and Wall Street wanted more, then they wanted almost all of the profits. They passed laws, tax cuts, and outsourced until they now have the largest piece of the pie. Time to reverse that trend, make the wealthy and Corporations pay their fair share in taxes, and help workers form Unions to raise wages around the Country.

[moondust]

9. +1

"Support corporate/Wall Street profit maximization and your 401K will make you rich enough for a lavish retirement someday!"

Fools.

[smirkymonkey]

29. +1000

Great post!

Welcome to DU dugog55!

[Recursion]

10. We still have a higher unionization rate than France

Unions aren't everything.

[maxrandb]

11. The French also have a history of chopping the heads off of the wealthy and powerful

We could go the French way, but I prefer strong Unions.

[pecosbob]

23. It would be really fun to invite Erik Prince and Betsy DeVos to a Revolutionary Tribunal

[blue-wave]

13. Yup

All that struggle over centuries, all those that died in places like the Ludlow Massacre, the Little Steel Strike Memorial Day massacre of 1937 or the aftermath of the Haymarket Square. Those martyrs and others who struggled did more to bring about the American middle class than anyone else. And now it's close to being eliminated. Mother Jones and many others are certainly rolling over in their graves.

[Doreen]

14. I saw/felt the downfall of unions when it came to school districts.

The unions are in bed with the school administration. You paid a union due and then got screwed. My friend got fired/forced resignation and the union rep did absolutely nothing...not a word. We know the reason is because he knew of the corruption that was taking place and he was a danger to them. Believe it or not he was "just' a custodian. For those who are custodians you know that we tend to know a lot more than people think we do about what is going on. I lost my respect for unions years ago.

[bluecollar2]

30. Your friend should have filed a DFR lawsuit

My experience is that a Union Member has an obligation that goes beyond just paying dues.

A Union Member has an obligation to learn the contract, know his/her rights under the contract and a whole host of other responsibilities.

Most of the Union members I know that got allegedly got "screwed by the Union" didn't do anything to support the Union but were happy to skate along taking the benefits and then bitching about how they were treated unfairly.

[Tumbulu]

19. They share the goal to reinstate the patriarchy

Which is why all those unions wanted to keep medical benefits a work benefit- rather than supporting universal way back in the 40's and 50's. They wanted something to hold the patriarchy together. Forcing woman to stick with their stupid man if they wanted to keep medical coverage for their family.

It's all so obvious. Why the hell did they all want either Bernie or T? They wanted men and not a woman in charge and certainly not THAT woman. Because they want all women to be subservient and all made up wearing silly heels looking like a T woman and dependent upon them.

They will not give this up.

[still_one]

24. I couldn't watch his interview on Bloomberg this morning. Is this the kind of leadership the

unions want?

As the OP said labor was influential in electing Reasgan over Jimmy Carter. Did they learn ANYTHING from that?

I have always been a strong supporter of labor, but I am wondering if it is getting to the point if they won't even attempt help themselves, why should I care?

[Mc Mike]

32. Attacking the union leaders is a crock of shit.

[TwistOneUp]

33. Good post!

I *try* to never buy products made offshore. I've bought non-American products and am usually pissed-off at the quality. Buying American-made is very difficult to do, as many American companies have offshored some, if not all, of their products. Apple, can you hear this? Even some All-Clad cookware, which I adore, is made offshore, and the only American-made steel colander I can find is almost 10x the price of those made offshore (I found a plastic one made in USA so I use that).

And even buying American-made stuff doesn't guarantee there won't be exploitation. The rethugs have broken the backs of the unions afa the autos being made in the Appalachian and Southern states. I still drive a Ford, made (afaik) in Detroit by union labor.

[Locrian]

35. 80s propaganda

Everyone was sold on the "be your own boss" and "be your own brand". That the "free market" will take care of it all - why be in a union with a "bunch of losers"?

There's a story somewhere - I think it was the auto industry - that they purposely built golf courses near the factory. Thing is, when you can play golf (or rub shoulder etc) and pretend you're part of the upper class you tend to think you're one of them and vote against your own interests. Shit like that.....