Are Labor Unions Necessary in 21st Century America?

Where have all our factories gone, long time passing, where have all our factories gone, long time ago, where have all our factories gone, gone to un-unionized countries, everyone, when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn....

Being frustrated by a recent letter to the editor in our Nashville Tennessean Newspaper, I wrote the following letter back. Since I rarely get published by the Tennessean (I suppose the editor does not like my thoughts or comments), I figured I would publish it on my blog. Thank God will still have one uncensored place to write our opinions!

Is it not a little irresponsible to put a letter to the editor that quotes "working-class people worked for 10 cents a day" as a reason for Unions to be promoted in the workplace without identifying the year this occurred in American History. According the NY Times Archives (source:http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9A00E6D6123CE633A2575AC1A96F9C946396D6CF) it was occurring almost 100 years ago in 1910.

I think the fact that there are laws in place that cover minimum wage and many other workplace safety such as EOE, the time area of needing the Union is in the past. Hard working employees can earn a fair wage, and if they are skilled and keep educating themselves and learning their trade to improve abilities, the employees become more valuable and very less likely to be unemployed or treated terrible by an evil employer. I am over 40, and I have never once gone without employment when I needed or wanted it. I have worked in many different areas, such as nursing, education, administrative, banking and retail sales.

I have interviewed many times and never worked for an employer that mistreated me because I was as selective about my employer as my employer was about me. Being a Christian I trust God to be my intercessor (labor union) between me and my employer. I trust Him to take care of me and to provide for my needs. I never have signed up to be a union member, even when given the chance or when being excluded/shunned by fellow employees because 'I was not a union member'.

Even worse, was the stereo-typical quote by Mr. Ralph Kimro of "majority of the red votes in TN either come from rich Republican or or from uninformed working-class Americans"! What an ignorant, arrogant derogatory statement.

Anyone can look to the auto-industry or any other employee management that hands their hands overloaded with one grievance upon another pushing unqualified, complaining people into higher positions over highly qualified people competing for the same position, just to get the Union off their back. Much of the work of manager in union settings is not management but babysitting to whiners. Yes, that is my final answer.

You can log onto www.Tennessean.com to read the entire letter to the editor on Union promoted workplace rights published on December 10, 2008.

Please feel free to share your experience and or opinion in comments.