Political Platform

Labor Unions

A hundred years ago our industrial might as a nation was extensive, pervasive, and all-powerful. It was also uncaring, abusive and draconian; and it exploited the full spectrum of our society, including young children working long hours in unhealthy and unsafe environments. It was in this dark-period that a ray of light and hope was spawned – the Union. The Unions used collective bargaining to achieve better working conditions and treatment for their members, both in the industrial sector, and the government sector. The rights of the Union members and their benefits grew through the years, but so did corporations recognizing the basic principle that a happy and content employee is a productive employee. When I was in college I was forced to join a Union as a full member, which I didn’t appreciated because I needed all my money to pay for college. Later in life I worked for an American Express company, which was non-union and I had great benefits and am getting great benefits now, from my six-year employment over 20 years ago. I watch the news and my conclusion is that Unions have become a negative influence on the economic growth and welfare of our communities, states and country. I think that because of the political influence attained by the Unions their positive values and goals eroded to a dinosaur organization that had questionable relationships to other elements of our society. I think this is characterized by the famous disappearance of James Riddle Hoffa (born 1913 and disappeared in 1975). He was an American Union leader, activist and Union President. He was known to have been involved with organized crime and was convicted of crime and spent some time in prison. As I mentioned earlier, the Unions of today have helped create an onerous burden on the finances of some cities due to most generous retirement plans. In other cases, the Unions have been responsible for major U.S. companies making decisions to expand and open new plants in non-union states, often called right-to-work states. My position is that I view Unions with a high suspicion and believe that they present an opportunity for harmful outcomes to successful business growth and job creation. Any involvement with a Union must be considered with due deliberation and careful analysis.