Sink or Swim

Sink or Swim

 Union jobs: everybody who does not have one, wants one, unless they are wealthy, or a member of management.

 Why do people want union jobs?

  Union jobs offer protection from wrongful firings. Union jobs usually pay more than non-union jobs. Unions give employees a format to convey their collective needs, and a means to bargain for such needs.

  Why is that important?

   Unions provide a counterpoint to unfettered capitalism, which relies on exploitation. If companies and corporations are left to their own devises they tend to abuse the work force, which leads to high short term profit margins, but results in a poor product made poorly by poor people.

  Why should non-union workers support unions?

  Non-union companies and corporations have to compete with union places of work, and that leads to better healthcare packages, better working conditions, and better pay, which of course, ends in a better product.

  Why would I worry about the quality of the product?

 A demoralized work staff will do only the bare minimum required to keep their jobs, meaning that an increased percentage of bad product is passed onto the market place. Bad products can sink a company and terminate employment, but workers who take pride in their work make a better product that can be sold in higher volumes for higher prices, therefore stimulating economic growth. In some cases, workers may be encouraged to purchase the very product that they make, therefore returning cash flow to their employers.

    What if there were no unions?

  Without unions the standard of living would plummet, safety controls would be lowered, there would be an increased number of fatal and debilitating accidents, child labor laws would be revoked, overtime pay and health benefits would be removed, product quality would suffer and the economy would suffer in turn, as people would be less inspired to buy a poor product made by poor people. Without unions, community standards would drop, citizens would have less money to invest in their community; less money to invest in charitable causes, and with less disposable income local business would suffer financial losses.

  We need unions and non-union jobs. We need regulations and governmental oversight. We need to recognize the rights of our fellow citizens, and honor their efforts to better themselves and the community. We need to do what blind capitalism will not allow…we need to find a balance of power.

  The analogy is often used, and it is a rough analogy at that, but historians have said that if the Native American Indians had banded together and fought the European invasion, the Indians would have easily beaten the Europeans, instead of being subjected to genocidal massacre and relegated to living in reservations. If the Union and non-union workers, nay, the citizens of our nation band together against the oligarchs, we can bring back our jobs and have our lives back.

   Wisconsin is the battleground, and soon the whole nation will be under the same vile and lawless attack against our rights, so it is time for the unions…every union, to sink or swim.