Blue Collar Workers Turn Back on Unions

[losdiablosgato]

MARYSVILLE-- For more than a month, workers at a small auto supply plant outside Port Huron have fought bitterly to keep the United Auto Workers from organizing their shop.

The blue-collar denizens at Schefenacker Vision Systems USA occasionally picket outside the factory -- carrying homemade signs with slogans like "UAW Kills Jobs" and "Proud to be union free."

Union resistance efforts are nothing out of the ordinary in Georgetown, Ky., Canton, Miss., or any other Southern town where foreign-owned auto plants are popping up.

But such passionate opposition from Michigan factory workers, many of whom grew up in hard-core UAW families, is something else again.

It speaks to a growing skepticism and sometimes outright distain of a union that historically inspired unflinching loyalty from members and fear from management.

On Web sites and in grassroots meetings, UAW dissidents and critics are loudly questioning whether the union is willing and able to fight back at a time of falling wages, layoffs and globalization.

"The partnership and teamwork espoused by unions and management has been detrimental to union members," said Gregg Shotwell, a UAW worker who writes an Internet column called Live Bait & Ammo and is a member of Soldiers of Solidarity, a UAW splinter group.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/

[MadHound]

1. One of the social/labor trends that has most amazed me

Is the brainwashing of labor into believing that the union is not in their best interests. This has been on ongoing successful propaganda campaign that has convinced many many people that the union is not a good thing. Granted, some of unions' actions haven't been the brightest, but still, it just boggles the mind how many people are so easily duped.

Hopefully labor will experience a resurgence with the advent of service unions, but the prospects look dim.

[losdiablosgato]

2. Why, how does it benefit the workers anymore

If the union will not fight for them why be members?

[ohio_liberal]

6. Unions don't fight?

That's not accurate at all. Blame the federal government for giving the corporations all the power and screwing the American worker. There's only so much fighting to be done when the company packs up and moves overseas or files bankruptcy when the union wants fair wages and benefits.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Has That Job, Though, Been Made Easier, By. . .

. . .too many unions allowing themselves to be run by people more interested in their careers than those of their own rank & file? There have been enough dirty unions, or intractable negotiating positions that give all of them a black eye, IMO.

So, it's easier to convince a line worker that the unions just want their dues and won't really provide any benefit. Whether it's true or not, it's an easier sell.
The Professor

[Armstead]

4. It's not all sentiment against the idea of unions

I won't disagre with you about the brainwashing element.

However,it's not a one-way street. REading between the lines on the poted article, it seems a lot of the disaffection is not against the concept of the UAW, but on the beliefe among workers that the unions are getting too cozy with management, insted of actully representing workers.

I think unions also have to find a balance between their old ways and the need for new ways. That's a tough challenge, but IMO it's important to recognize the differnce between opposing the IDEA of unions and being opposed to them because of the shortcomings of the reality of unions.

[Township75]

8. Unions do their part to inculcate this message...

I have spoken with plenty of former union members, and every single one hated the union. The anti-indivualistic nature of the union is what upset them most. Specifically, workers that didn't work and couldn't be touched for it because of seniorty...then when layoff times came, the those same ones kept their jobs because of seniority. I heard this from more practically all of them.

Labor also hasn't had a meaningful victory in a long time, so why pay for dues? Look at GM, the airlines and so forth. I am not bashing the value of unions here, I am pointing out reasons that a blue collar worker wouldn't see a value in it.

There are also plenty of current union members that are pissed with the union bosses after endorsing Clinton when he passed NAFTA.

[bleedingheart]

10. unions do not foster individuality because the nature of the union

is to form a cohesive group that works together...collective bargaining.

As to the petty issues regarding seniority ..etc, same thing happens in non union environments however the union gets the blame for it in a union shop.

If anything I blame union members for not being more active in their union. There was a time when more people attended the weekly/monthly meetings and they ran for office..but like our country the rank and file got lazy and let some of the losers rise up unchallenged.

The tipping point was the air traffic controller strike. If every major union had walked out in support of their brothers...it would have made a huge difference but everyone was worried about their own "skin"...and now they are dying a death by a thousand cuts...

[mondo joe]

14. But the point is that lack of accomodation for individuality is not so

appealing to workers these days. Or the trade off isn't as appealing.

Maybe the workforce is too diverse in its own needs and desires these days.

[bleedingheart]

16. when everyone is out for themselves the spirit of unionism dies

and it also means the end of worker rights.

In the pre-union days...it was an "everyone for themself atmosphere"...and guess what. The wormy ones canoodle with management, they rat out people who they don't like and they promote based on whimsy...(seniority seems a lot less of an issue in those cases)...

Read Upton Sinclair's Jungle, even though the book is old...it rings true today.

[mondo joe]

17. Indeed. But it may alsi be true that when the union does not

or can not accomodate individuality, it also dies.

I think the work force has changed in ways that unions often have not caught up to. For example, a few decades ago people often stayed at the same job or employer for many years. Not so these days.

How does the union shift to accomodate that?

[Toots]

5. The Unions are dead

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country and the Unions sit on their hands. they should have shut this country down until Bush* was gone...Because they do nothing they lose everything....

[Pavulon]

9. The MTA would disagree.

I don't thing the timing for a strike is all that great but there is a good chance of a strike by a organized group.

[expatriot]

7. I don't understand how hard of a concept this is for people to understand.

For the sake of argument, let's just say that unions were what rightwingers think they are... greedy special interests groups that are only out to steal their chunk of dues from hard working union members.

If this were the case, unions would be motivated by increasing workers' pay and benefits so as to be able to take more money for dues and to increase worker's loyalty to the union.

Corporations have an interest to keep costs down in order to increase their profit margin, and the largest cost any company is faced with is labor cost.

When big business makes chumps out of chumps, it's fascism.












"On Web sites and in grassroots meetings, UAW dissidents and critics are loudly questioning whether the union is willing and able to fight back at a time of falling wages, layoffs and globalization."

Oh, so it's better just not to try at all.

[losdiablosgato]

11. I have heard of accusation for companies bribing

union officials for playing ball. I remember hearing this from some former workers a the Crown Refineries.

[Bridget Burke]

15. I have heard many things....

But I no longer believe in Santa Claus.

[mondo joe]

13. But a union doesn't have to be the Rightwinger Caricature to be less than

desirable.

I personally consider unionization the sign of a failed management. Where management performs as it should, workers do not feel sufficient need for unionization.

I think of unionization the same way I do calling the police for a domestic dispute -- if you need to do it, by all means do. But if you don't need to, why would you?

[DemocracyInaction]

12. The Problem: If it's not HUGE...it's useless

I've watched over my 60 years this death occuring. You see, "way back when" it wasn't the size of an individual union, it was that there were many, many unionized workers and thus they were a power house in Washington. As a power house they can then pass legislation that curbs the shit you see companies pulling these days and put big blocks in the way of these companies going overseas and then shipping their shit back for sale here. BUT, since the repukes (and garbage like Limbaugh) have played the greed card with union workers and turned them against their unions the result is that unionization is dwindled to barely there and thus, they have no power in Washington to stop companies ripping the throats out of workers the minute the workers "demand" something. A friends two sons are union lobbyists (lawyers) in D.C. and this is exactly what they are seeing. Unless we can get about 80% of the American people unionized, all unions can do is play ball with management and try to soften blows. How sad.

[Czolgosz]

18. The fact that working people (and even people here) have antipathy toward

unions is a consequence of the GOP's successful demonization campaign.

Even Karl Rove can't convince a worker to vote DIRECTLY against fair pay and fair working conditions and fair health care coverage, but he can do the next best thing. He can search for isolated examples of labor abuses and run a campaign to make it seem as if all unions are like that and as if such isolated abuses are commonplace when they are not.

It's a page straight out of the GOP playbook. You can adapt it to any number of scenarios: "Even Karl Rove can't convince consumers to vote DIRECTLY against consumer rights and fair legal remedies for negligent or intentional corporate misdeeds, but he can do the next best thing. He can search for isolated examples of lawyer abuses and run a campaign to make it seem as if all lawyers are like that and as if such isolated abuses are commonplace when they are not."

or

Even Karl Rove can't convince many women to vote DIRECTLY against fair pay for women and equality, but he can do the next best thing. He can search for isolated examples of so-called feminist extremists (they might choose Andrea Dworkin*) and run a campaign to make it seem as if everyone who wants equality for women espouse the same views as her and as if some of her more radical views are commonplace among feminists when they are not.

or

make up your own example; it's easy . . .

*By the way, I have nothing against Andrea Dworkin and I'm only mentioning her because she is a frequent Rush-Rove object of demonization.