Change is Necessary?

From A Naybob of IT.... following up on Monday Monopsony? Our commentary evoked a comment from Management...
"Unions are tax exempt and in certain states have monopoly power over labor."
We responded to the conflation of tax exemption and labor monopoly power, along with the ludicrous idea that any Union has monopoly power in this day and age... 

As are houses of worship (tax exempt that is). Although unions may desire to do so, It is rare instance that a labor union actually controls the supply of labor to a occupation, industry or firm. 

Towards that desire, one who pays dues to a union, might feel cheated if the union did not attempt to manipulate the labor market in their favor, viz. increase the bargaining power of labor by acting like a monopolist to combat the monopsony power of the employers. 

Management waxed nostalgic and blamed unions and political affiliation for our auto industry collapse and Motown's woes.... 
perhaps it is rare that is debatable but in my youth the UAW had monopoly power over the automobile industry labor and simply needed to strike at one company.  That monopoly power was a major factor in the decline of the American auto industry.
Recently in the GM bankruptcy the union benefits were preserved at the the expense of secured bond holders by circumventing and ignoring inconvenient laws.  All made possible by the cozy relationship between the Democrat Party and union bosses who use members dues and manpower to support political candidates.   Other tax exempt entities are prohibited for acting in this way.
We responded to the accusatory daze of yore commentary... I too experienced the Motown UAW, amongst other latter day types. The pendulum swung in the early 80's from labor to capital, and has continued to move in that direction in the extreme.  One can always blame labor for braindead management, or political affiliation for the predicament.  Divisiveness only breeds gridlock by design. Moderation, too much out of control, not enough, nothing gets taken care of. Bottom line, that pendulum needs correcting and soon.  

Management responded with more shuck, jive, duckin and weavin... 
I understand your point.  However my point is that unions must change as the economic complex has changed.  This they have not done in my view hence the decline in power members and influence.  This is the issue and they would do well for their members to adjust as opposed to political activism for one party and knee jerk opposition to capital. 
With their finger pointing rhetoric and knee jerk reactions, being neighborly was never managements point. 


Following Mr Rodger's wise lead, being neighborly can sometimes work better than taking a stick to those whose being challenged is a stubborn self infliction. So we calmly rebutted to Management.. 

I understand your view of unions need to CHANGE with the times. When facing adversity, there are three options, migrate - go away, seek favorable conditions; stagnate - eventually terminate under adverse condition; mutate - change, adapt and survive.

My point is CHANGE is necessary on the part of ALL parties, who including unions share in the creation and furtherance of our morass. The decades of stagnation we suffer via bipartisan gridlock by design is reaching terminal end stage.

Witness decades of finger pointing, pontification and dogmatic rhetoric achieves nothing; except divisiveness, populism, demagoguery and the ascendance of antagonists which only worsen the situation, as history repeats.

For people to eat, live and prosper, economic opportunity and equilibrium is necessary, TINA.  Lacking equity and balance in such, people get angry, populism, demagoguery and antagonism ascend. 

When the pendulum swings too far for too long, if oppressed and hungry enough, the pitchforks won't be bailing hay.  Time is the threat, with pap, exhaustion and failure the inevitable consequence. We must stop treating our systemic dysfunction like a passing cold or fad.

Indeed change is necessary, and many need to put away the childish divisiveness, and extract their collective craniums from their rectums, so that they may start growing things in the garden of their minds. Think neighbor, think.  More to come, in Economic Well Being? Stay tuned, no flippin.


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