Good post, RichieLion. Your explanation pointing out the difference between public and private unions is spot on.

I spent the first half of my career as an active member of a construction trade union. I was a local officer serving in different unpaid positions for seventeen of those years, including VP and Executive Board as well as several negotiating committees. Our dealings with signatory contractors was never confrontational and a true symbiotic relationship. We asked for and received more when times were good, relinquished when times were slow. We negotiated rate increases over a set period of time, usually a 1-3 year period. It was up to the membership where to distribute that money – pension, H&W, on the check, etc. just as you have stated. It was mutually destructive for contractors and membership alike to pay/receive monetary increases when the economic climate didn’t justify it. There wasn’t such a thing as tenure, paid vacations and sick days. If you didn’t perform you went down the road, period.

The second half of my career was spent working for the Federal Government, first in the trade shops and finishing in the engineering dept. Even with my strong organized labor history I never did join AFSCME in the 20+ years employed by the Feds. Why? There was little to be gained from membership. Monetary raises/COLAS are automatic, H&W benefits are optional, and pension program Fed contributions are preset with an optional employee contribution component. The work environment was pleasant in my experiences. Combine that with paid holidays, vacations, and sick days what more could you ask for?

It is obvious those who put all unions in the same pot have little experience in that area. “Unions Bad” seems to be the battle cry of the day. Labor is always a soft target because portraying unions as “bad guys” is an easy sell to the generally misinformed public. Thanks for your clarification.