For public sector unions, the enemy is you
- Thread starter Locutus
- Start date
I have only belonged to two, our first union went bankrupt, to make a long story short it imploded from within because one bargaining unit de-certified, and we decided to join our US counterparts. With all the resources we now have we are able to assist our employers with all sorts of support including but not limited to accident investigation, occupational safety and health, employee assistance as well as providing extended health and life insurance benefits. Private sector unions, by and large, understand on which side their bread is buttered. Public sector unions give the labour movement a bad name for sure because they know government funding is pretty much infinite and can hold the government hostage for unreasonable settlements. Private sector unions know that bleeding the company will only lead to a world of hurt, for themselves as well as their employers. BTW, much of our management came up through the union ranks.
This is the usual anti-union BS and it ignores the fact that many of the most prosperous nations in the world such as the Scandinavian democracies as well as Germany are very highly unionized. It also ignores the fact that non-unionized workers in Canada and the US have shorter vacations, lower wages, and fewer benefits than workers in not only their own countries, but also many other nations as well.
The key is to qualify union, private sector unions deal in relative monetary reality, public sector unions recognize no such bounds confident in the fiscal irresponsiblty of political nincompoops.
I grow tired of the "It works in <insert some far away country>" mantra.
I don't have any personal experience with Scandinavia, and have to rely on Scandinavia media for facts.
However, relying on Scandinavian media for the facts about Scandinavia, is about as accurate as relying on Canadian media for facts on Canada. It is completely reasonable and normal to be skeptical.
There is a solution to your ignorance. You could actually study economic and political systems that exist outside your own. I realize that requires a bit of mental effort, but it is really the only way. The point is that is is incredibly narrow minded to assume that the system you are used to is so perfect that we cannot learn from the experience of others.
Studying and learning other political system requires a leftoid to leech off the system while others actually go to work and contribute to this economy. I better get busy producing gdp so the leeches don't starve.I trust that it is your job to Google Scandinavia each day. It is everyone's job to be skeptical about what you say....if not for any other reason than to watch you pull out that 'I am left and smarter than you' card that is so 1980s of you. You do realize that provinces like Alberta enjoy a higher rate of post secondary educated peoplease than the Liberal arts provinces? Sorry that is generally physical sciences and we tend to want to see concrete evidence and logic. We grow tire of people that have a degree on the wall and get annoyed if their opinion gets challenged. The world doesn't move forward if facts don't get challenged.
I recall a situation a number of years ago, CN or CP rail workers were poised to go on strike and then Labour Minister Lisa Raitt legislated them back to work before that could happen citing the economic hardship it would place on the country. At around the same time one bargaining unit in our group of companies went on strike and two others including the one I belong to were also set to. Ms. Raitt eventually legislated them back to work and drafted legislation to be passed immediately in the event either of the other two groups walked off. We were still in 11th hour bargaining but the company, with Ms. Raitt's threat in hand, was able to squeeze concessions from our group. Ms. Raitt essentially cost our group something north of $8M claiming we operated an "essential service". How does that make sense? We work for privately owned publicly traded (TSX) companies, and yes, I too am a shareholder as are many of my co-workers, so we too have some interest in how well the company performs.
Contrast that with, during the same period the Halifax Transit operators did go on strike. NDP Premier Darrell Dexter refused to legislate them back to work and the strike dragged on for a period. Granted the bus drivers wages and working conditions paled in comparison to their counterparts in similar cities such as Ottawa but Halifax Transit is a government owned entity, why were they treated so differently?
If Lisa Raitt manages a coup and secures the CPC leadership and JT is still Lib leader come the next election, I may re-consider a move to Russia.