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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WalkerBulldog" data-source="post: 1983409" data-attributes="member: 25825">I'll try to stay as factual as possible, but it's hard to talk about unions without interjecting opinion.Unions are not inherently bad.  However, their leadership can be.  Some are unabashed socialists, and many more seem to act more on the interests of getting more dues paying members for the union, and less on the interests of the union memberships.  This is why in some states it's illegal to be a bag boy unless you join a union (California).  Unions have also made employment in some industries harder.  The UAW won't let you get a job at GM unless you're related to a UAW/CAW member.On the other hand, some unions, like police and firemen unions, have served important roles in helping to defend their members in stupid lawsuits.  But you hear about that less than when the leaders of the SEIU open their big, stupid mouths.Not sure how wide-spread the "problem" is, but some of the larger unions have certainly made themselves newsworthy.  The UAW is lead by a self avowed communist.  The SEIU and the AFL/CIO have been fairly openly hostile towards right-to-work states, and have sought to make it easier for unions to set up shop in various businesses.  Boeing had issues with trying to set up a factory in South Carolina because the union in Washington was crying foul over using workers who actually voted their union out.  They've certainly not given themselves too much good press.The reality is that only about 7% of employees in the USA are actually members of a union.  Also, much of why unions were founded in the first place are now laws and federal agencies like OSHA.  I would argue nothing would really change, and in this day in age of free flowing information and workplace mobility, a company treating their employees badly would be outed fairly quickly, and they'll find themselves unable to find anyone to hire.  If anything you might see lower wages or compensation in some areas, to coincide more with free market prices, and costs of some products will go down.The biggest damage that unions do are preventing workforce mobility, and preventing discipline.  As above, in many cases unions make it harder to get a job.  Most unions favor seniority over performance, which does lead to an overall depression in productivity.  Unions often ask for wages and compensation over what "open shops" offer, raising the cost of certain products.  Unions can and do often destroy the manager-employee relationship, and prevent union members from advancing into managerial positions.  This last point is one of the biggest reasons that Wal-Mart is anti-union.Finally, unions often create the dumbest rules which only lead to decreased productivity and increased cost.  In NYC, a news anchor can't pour his own glass of water.  The UAW does not allow members to be fired outright, but rather must go through a months long process in which the offending member spends his 8 hours in a room doing nothing until the UAW approves his firing.I think the biggest issue people have with unions is when they get involved in politics, and when they seem to act in the self interest of the union even at the detriment of the union members.  Like, those New Jersey idiots who chased off the Alabama utility workers trying to help clean up after Sandy.  It really makes them look selfish, idiotic, and bullish.</blockquote>

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