Because of professional and occupational reasons, I was a member of a union on two occasions. In both cases, the experience was totally unsatisfactory, as I derived virtually no benefits from my dues, while the union leadership appeared to prosper at the expense of the membership.
The track record of the United Auto Workers is not one to be especially admired. Its involvement in the manufacturing process has inevitably led to shoddy products and a work force not noted for living up to its potential. All things considered, the halcyon days of the 1970's are probably not destined to return for the UAW. Any comparison of the union's membership rolls of 40 years ago with today's rosters would likely indicate that the organization is in a death spiral.
The recent vote of workers at the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant was seen as being indispensable for the UAW continuing as a viable force. Inroads into Southern auto manufacturing plants would, it was hoped, bring a needed infusion of funds to further the union leadership's aspirations for a return to collective bargaining dominance. However, despite having free rein to campaign for 2 years inside the plant, the Chattanooga Volkswagen work force handily rejected union overtures.
With an average hourly wage in the neighborhood of $27.00 an hour and generous benefits to boot, Volkswagen's workers in Chattanooga no doubt consider themselves fortunate during a time of a lagging economic recovery in the U.S. To subsidize the UAW with annual dues amounting to approximately $600 a year per worker would seem not to be a wise investment, and especially so when one considers the condescending tendency of the union's leadership to willy nilly dole out large-scale political contributions to the Democratic Party.
Grasping at straws, the union leadership has been frantically digging for excuses for
its failed VW vote, the most egregious of which has been to let out shrieks of "racism, racism!" as if somehow a Southern venue would automatically confer a strong dose of prejudice and discrimination that would adulterate a vote on unionization.
Unions have been declining for years. It has only been with the present politics of cronyism and fraudulence that they have been able to throw around their weight in a manner not equivalent to their numbers. In reality, the UAW and its ilk are on a downhill run to eventual extinction. If this country is to resurrect a strong and vibrant economy, it will be without the negative influence of antediluvian relics such as the UAW. The auto workers in Chattanooga appear to be very much aware of this. After all, Detroit remains a frightening example of what Democrats and unions can accomplish
Deo Vindice!
God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!
The recent vote of workers at the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant was seen as being indispensable for the UAW continuing as a viable force. Inroads into Southern auto manufacturing plants would, it was hoped, bring a needed infusion of funds to further the union leadership's aspirations for a return to collective bargaining dominance. However, despite having free rein to campaign for 2 years inside the plant, the Chattanooga Volkswagen work force handily rejected union overtures.
With an average hourly wage in the neighborhood of $27.00 an hour and generous benefits to boot, Volkswagen's workers in Chattanooga no doubt consider themselves fortunate during a time of a lagging economic recovery in the U.S. To subsidize the UAW with annual dues amounting to approximately $600 a year per worker would seem not to be a wise investment, and especially so when one considers the condescending tendency of the union's leadership to willy nilly dole out large-scale political contributions to the Democratic Party.
Grasping at straws, the union leadership has been frantically digging for excuses for
its failed VW vote, the most egregious of which has been to let out shrieks of "racism, racism!" as if somehow a Southern venue would automatically confer a strong dose of prejudice and discrimination that would adulterate a vote on unionization.
Unions have been declining for years. It has only been with the present politics of cronyism and fraudulence that they have been able to throw around their weight in a manner not equivalent to their numbers. In reality, the UAW and its ilk are on a downhill run to eventual extinction. If this country is to resurrect a strong and vibrant economy, it will be without the negative influence of antediluvian relics such as the UAW. The auto workers in Chattanooga appear to be very much aware of this. After all, Detroit remains a frightening example of what Democrats and unions can accomplish
Deo Vindice!
God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!
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