Quote:I agree...Minimum wage and most current labor laws came about through exploitation of workers through the years...Minimum wage came about when the railroads were paying less money to guys building the railroad, than people who did laundry and worked in town doing other things, plus women were paid less than men for everything... Railroad workers started becoming scarce as they took to finding jobs that paid more in town...The government finally acted and set a minimum wage...This still did not set well with railroad workers as then they were getting paid the same wage as people washing their clothes and they were busting their butts 12-16 hours a day 7 days a week...The lack of workers forced the railroads to start paying premium wages in order to attract workers...

 

Unions came about when employers were able to fire a guy just because they didn't like the shoes he wore...Unions fought for fairness for all employees before branching out into trades...Unions fought for fairness and safety in the workplace...Today's workforce would not be as it is today without unions...

 

Without Unions and organized labor organizations, employers can do whatever they want...they can fire you with no warning, they can reduce your pay at will, they are notoriously slow to give decent raises, (one company here just gave a 10 cent raise to it's employees and said if you don't want it punch out and go home)...Companies can make you pay most, if not all of your health care or not even offer them, the same for retirement...If there were no unions for companies to compete for workers with, there would be trouble in the workforce

 

There was a time when perhaps there was a need for unions.  However, in today's economy the need is gone and they only "serve" to make money.  It's funny how I happened to come across this article today regarding unions in government, and how it's nearly impossible to fire someone, even if they truly deserve it.

 

Case in point, at a VA facility for mental patients, a patient was able to walk out of a door that was left unlocked.  A worker had actually reported seeing the patient at least 3 different times after security cameras clearly showed that wasn't the case.  In a nutshell, the worker was fired, but the union fought and got the firing changed to a 14 day suspension, then got it knocked down to a 1 day suspension, and eventually got the worker re-instated with back pay.  What is really sickening is what the arbitrator had to say about it.  From the article.

 

Quote: 

AFGE argued that suspension was inappropriate because Olubo “had just returned from...vacation and mistakenly thought he saw another patient who looked like [the missing] patient.”

 
Olubo’s negligence was ruled just a “shortcoming,” and the arbitrator even lectured the VA in Kansas City “that it should have used the disciplinary process ‘to inspire [Olubo] to be a better worker in the future,’” Pizzella wrote. Arbitrator Robbins also ordered the VA in Kansas City to not place any evidence of a verbal reprimand “into [Olubo’s] work record or utilize it in any future disciplinary action.”

 

Give me a break.

 

Regarding the part in bold from your remarks, it should be your responsibility to pay for your healthcare and retirement.  Healthcare and retirement benefits were first offered as an additional incentive to attract employees.

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