Quote:what I was trying to get at, is no one other than a company knows what the company needs or doesn't need...my company feels like it needs the Union,and we Unionized employees feel we need the Union as well...The "need" for a Union can't be decided by you or anyone other than a company and it's employees...YOU may feel there is no need for Unions, but apparently companies do not share your idealism...If all companies agreed with your idealism, no company would use them...

 

Negotiated benefits are not all coming from the company...My vision and dental insurance is through my union health and welfare plan with no financial help from my employer...My short and long term disability plan(s) are Union funded with no financial help from the company, so your example above isn't all together a correct assumption

 

I don't think that you really understand how things are done in the business world.  I would almost guarantee that your employer funds your "union provided" vision and dental insurance as well as your long and short term disability plans.

 

I'll use another example that may or may not be your actual case.  Let's just say that you earn $20 per hour.  Your actual cost to the employer is probably WAY more than $100 per hour.  For starters, your employer has to pay the other half of your Social Security Tax.  That's right, what they take out of your paycheck is half of what your obligation is.  They also have to pay workman's compensation insurance for you should you get hurt on the job.  Then comes the benefits, and I suspect that this increases the cost to employ you well above $100 per hour.  They have to pay your insurance premium for your healthcare.  If your company has set up a 401k for you and has agreed to match contributions up to a certain level, then they have to pay that.  They also have an agreement with your beloved union to pay a "fee" that covers your "free" dental, vision and disability insurance.  I'm sure that part of the dues that you pay helps cover the cost of those, but it certainly is not paid for just from your dues.  And let's not forget that the union has to make their money in order to pay their salaries and donate to political candidates that they choose.

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