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Greg Worden

Entrepreneur and Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Business, Worden Associates

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Are unions in the US still relevant?

Hostess is closing eliminating 18.500 jobs due, in part, to 5,000 bakery union members striking while the Teamsters had already accepted a deal. True, the company had been mismanaged but this appears to be an example of a union cutting off its nose despite its face. The US has some of the best worker-protection laws in the world. Is this an example of good union leadership or is it an example of unions acting as though it was still 1905? Are unions still relevant in the US today?

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    Robert Winner 50+

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    Nov 20 2012: As it currently is then the answer is no unions are not still relevant. When the unions went after the robber barrons and stopped child labor, required safety, etc ... I was all for them.

    The current union philosophy is straight from Marx ... the value oif the product is in the worker. Thus the alignment of the democratic party and the unions. The chairman of the Communist Party of America stated "I not longer have to run for office of the president as the democrats have picked up our battle."

    On the funny side ... unions who hate management is the most micromanaged organization and also one of the most top heavy organizations I know of. Wonder if the union laborer know what his executive union boss makes and all of the perks the union administration gets the very things they want you (the laborer) to fight against. Talk about selling a bill of goods to someone. Ain't America great when even a lowly worker can aspire to be a multimillionaire union leader.

    • John Smith 30+

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      Nov 22 2012: Are you saying Lloyd Blankfein isn't a robber baron (income inequality has certainly returned to robber baron age proportions)? Or what about all those corporations that exploit workers in China and other low wage countries (often even breaking the local laws)? If Apple (and all the others) thinks $200 per month for a 60 hour workweek is OK in China what makes you think they wouldn't try to make it the same in the US? The only thing stopping them is the law and the only thing stopping the law from being changed are organized groups of workers, including unions.

      P.S. the average CEO makes dozens of times more money than the highest paid union boss in the US (not that union members shouldn't keep taps on how much their bosses make).
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        Robert Winner 50+

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        Nov 22 2012: Llyod Blankfein understands business and the corporate / stockholder mandate is to make money. I find it funny that you chose Blankfien as a model for robber baron. That Goldman Sachs (GS) was involved in the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is a fact. However GS is not a bank and did not either initate of influence this action. They did profit from it as did many corporations. Blankfein is a frequent visitor to the White House and many GS executive now hold positions in the Obama administration ..Gary Gensler Commodities Futures trading, Matt Patterson Chief of Staff to Treasury Secretary, Robert Hormats Under Sec for Economics, etc ... Recently Jack Lew Obama's Chief of Staff had lunch with Blankfein and asked about his political future.

        Obama made the political statements about labor in China but holds stocks in companies that do business there, Romney called him out on this during the debate but he ignored the challange as he is aware that his money is offshore and some questionable.

        It is funny that you defend the union but do not object that I directly related the unions to Marx, communists, democrats, micromanagement, top heavy in executives, etc ... Instead you go to the tired argument that CEOs make money. That you call Blankfein a robber baron and that Obama appoints GS execs to his staff and that he is inquiring about the political future of Blankfien speaks volumes about the deciet of the administration to the party members. Ain't politics wonderful.

        About those Chinese people who make 200 a month (I cannot find this fact anywhere) ... what is the average wage in that country. For rural workers it is 4325 Yuan .. for urban workers it is 7942 yuan per year. The US 200 (you state) is equal to 1258 yuan per month or 150956 per year almost double the national average. Don't you just hate facts. I hope someone exploits me in the same manner by doubling my wage expectations. They hate it so bad they are lined up to be exploited.

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