Perhaps the Real Issue
I have mixed feelings about the Republican basing of automotive unions. On the one hand, I see no reason why individuals in a free society shouldn't be able to organize and bargain as a group on wages. However, this is not a free society, and the union organizing process is one of the most regulated in the country, with numerous state and federal laws that artificially tilt the bargaining and financial power towards unions. Unions, for example, are the only private organization that I know of in this country that have taxation power, ie the ability to apply non-voluntary financial assessments on a population with the full force of government behind their collection.
But it may be that so much attention has been applied to wages and health care that this issue has been under-reported. Below is apparently the Ford-UAW 2,215 page contract. Eeek.
How can it be possible to run a company where even the smallest operational improvement idea has to be screened against this document?
Bob Hawkins:
I wonder how much Pepsi paid to get a Coke product placement in this picture.
December 19, 2008, 7:31 amspiro:
Well Bob, after sponsoring Obama's campaign logo, you can imagine that Pepsi is short on funds now.
December 19, 2008, 5:36 pmhttp://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/files/Clipboard.jpg
A Stoner:
When I talk about the cost of employment to an employer, all that red tape you showed in the 2,215 page contract is part and parcel to the wages of the employee. Every bit of that contract is just more financial burden on the employer. Unions need to be busted up and limited.
December 22, 2008, 8:06 am