Originally Posted by BBQMan

In their heyday unions were an incredibly powerful force in the US economy. After a tumultuous start, including shutting down vital coalmines during WWII – a move that threatened the entire war effort, labor unions reached a peak of power in 1950. At that time, 35% of the private work force belonged to unions. Their control over the Democratic Party was unchallenged.

This changed as the world economy and industry importance changed. John L Lewis’s coal miners lost influence as industry shifted from coal to oil as a result the unreliability of coal caused by strikes. Reliance shifted to non-union coal where supply and continuity of paychecks were assured. The same thing happened to the steel industry. It was later to happen to the automobile industry where the US had a highly productive industry in the South and a noncompetitive industry in the Rust Belt. Trans-Atlantic travel left the highly unionized longshoreman behind when ships were replaced by airlines and handloaded loads replaced by containers. Today, less than seven percent of the private workforce in unionized and that number continues to decline.

Over 50% of union members today are public employees at the Federal, State and local levels. This is the source of power and income, above and below the table, for Union bosses. This base has now been shown to be weak. Given a choice, the teachers in Wisconsin have left the Union. Previous to the election nearly 70% had left – now we can expect everyone to leave. This movement will expand as others decide that the Union costs them and gives no advantage except to the Union bosses. Elections in San Diego and San Jose demonstrated overwhelmingly that the taxpayers are unwilling to continue runaway Union benefits.

The Unions will continue to oppose the ideas of whether or not a person must be forced to join and pay the tribute demanded, whether or not the members can have any control of how their dues are spent for a particular politician and whether members have the right to a secret ballot for or against Unionization. They will continue to lose these battles. The people of this country refused to bow down to King George and are now tired of bowing down and paying tribute to Union bosses.

The death knell is sounding for Civil Service Unions just as it has for Unions in private industry. The idea of Unions is as obsolete as the adding machine.