: Red Menace: Unions ARE the answer. Labor solidarity is the only way to overcome capitalist abuses. Organize, or die.: Qx: Yes indeed they are. Somehow this other guy doesn't seem to have a clue about what American labor history is about and just parrots the typical corporate propaganda line that has finally worn out. At least for many working folks.
For the most part, unions have outlived their usefulness in North America. While once essential for establishing safe working conditions and decent wages, too often they are now used just to call for more money. Witness the recent illegal teschers strike in Ontario (supported by some at this site). Ontario teachers, the highest paid teachers in North America and among the highest paid/least worked employees in Ontario, struck over minor changes, mainly shifting a few minutes a day of their current preperation time to in class time. Their strike caused massive inconvenience to many other workers. Many teachers did not support the strike, but followed union leadership like lemmings, before giving up (not willing to lose any more of their huge salary), accomplishing nothing. Another example is the recent strike by Canada Post over wage increases. The glorified paper boys already make a ridiculously large amount for doing such a simple job. while you say that employers do not share increased profits with workers (many companies have profit sharing or share ownership plans, even for the lowest paid employess, loke Wal-Mart), how often do unions volunteer a wage cut when there are losses?
Nice to see Quincunx back to using his regular handle.
