You failed to mention that the other industry model that you refer to is based in Tokyo, subsided by the Japan Government, taking the profits off shore, while piling tariffs on our imported goods. Some of those operations are now unionized with more requests every day as economic conditions worsen.

The workers at our plant now make around $17.00 an hour, (about $35,000 a year). That is about what wages were in 1980, and the top executives still make obscene salaries, most being rewarded grandly for years of bad business decisions.

We all picked our career paths for a reason but when I started on an assembly line of over 100 people over 25 of us had bachelors degrees or better. Most of us were teachers that couldn't find a job, but that Union job provided my family and I a nice lifestyle and a comfortable retirement after 30 years. I am not embarrassed to look back on a job that paid a fair wage for a hard days work. We are by no means rich, and I worry those left behind will not be able to buy a house, raise a family and retire with dignity. Is that really too much to ask, given none of us retired without repetitive motion injuries, chemical exposure conditions, hearing loss etc.

If I didn't answer your question directly I am sorry. The answer is Unions provide the balance necessary to insure individual workers have a voice in this world of Corporate greed. I pick the fair model in a fair and equal market playing field.

Thanks for the opportunity to have and intelligent idea exchange!