The union bashers in this thread have been painting with a wide brush this whole while.

Understood. Doesn't do any good to label people with the same label. Good, hardworking people are in the unions and at places without unions. I have seen both.

You guys may be wondering why I have such an interest in this, and it's more than just the unions giving money to my son's campaign opponent when he was a union member and she was not.

Back in the late 1970's right out of high school I went to work at the Winnebago Factory where they make the motorhomes. A couple years after I started, There were some people who tried to unionize and it came to a vote. I was young and foolish at the time, with very little knowledge of how it all worked, but I voted against it for two reasons. First, I felt like the Union pushers were characterizing the managers as bad people and trying to incite division and jealousy, and I knew many of those people, they were good hardworking people, some even went to my church and were friends of the family. They were just trying to get ahead just like the rest of us. The company VP was one of my dad's best friends. It's a small town and most everyone knows everyone.

Second, even though I was being told I would have better benefits and support from the unions and I would make more money, I feared it would limit my opportunities for advancement. I felt like I could be one of those managers someday, and I didn't want people talking about me like that, and also I thought it would make it harder to move up the ladder so to speak. It might mean more money now, but less over the course of decades if I stayed with the company. Fortunately it failed. The company was good to us, yes we got things like turkeys for thanksgiving and hams for Christmas, plus company picnics, all that.

I did advance, I got two promotions, more responsibility and more pay. In 1984, I quit to trap full time and that was the best decision I ever made, but that's another story.

Here's the point. One of the guys that worked there when I started became a good friend and we fished together, etc. He went up the ladder quite a ways and retired with a lot more money than I'll ever see.

Another guy got promoted to foreman, then general foreman, then manager, then general manager and then ended up as the CEO of the company making at that time around $250,000 a year. Just an ordinary guy I knew, and he even pheasant hunted on the 80 acres of CRP I had in the 1990s. He's retired now but he started at the bottom just like everyone else.

Think about this: If that union vote had been successful, what are the odds that he would have gone from the assembly line all the way to the top? He understood the needs of the rank and file because he used to be one!

I know that there are good hardworking union people, the lazy ones are far and few between, but is it easier to get rid of the bad ones in a union environment, or a non-union environment? I think I know the answer.

^^ This^^

I see where your coming from Bernie.My wife is an example of just the opposite.She works for a power company and put 25 years in the IBEW (Electric Workers Union),,and loved it.While there,,she bid into several different jobs(within the company,,all still union)doing different jobs for more pay.Got to a point though where some plants were shutting down,,restructuring and so forth.She had the opportunity to go Management.Her and I both being long time union members,she diccussed it with me.I said every job you bid into and decisions you have made have been for the better so far.You make the choice,,I back you either way.She went into Management.They were tickled pink to get her,,because by then she knew almost every aspect of the company.And has climbed the ladder ever since and is now one of the Head Supervisors for the company.She could retire any time,,but wants to work a few more years.Also even being Management,,the union folks respect her,,and know she did their jobs for 25 years.P:S: She also always wanted here nursing degree,,so went to full time classes.after full days of work.She is also a Registered Nurse.Quite the "LAZY SLACKER" union member hugh.(not your words but others in this thread)

Unions are the fund raising arm of the Democratic party. I've worked one place where union membership was mandatory. I'll never work for another one. I have a very low opinion of unions, but that's my opinion. If you have a different opinion, that's fine too.

Non union folk donate more to the Dems than any union.Look at Soros,,twitter,,facebook all the media groups.Why do you think the Dems don't regulate THEM.Cause they scrub each others back.By the way,,THIS is exactly what the Commies want,,all us working folk(Both union and non union) fighting each other.

where did the Union get the money to buy you those things?

Ol dad

I won't say there aren't hard workers in and out of unions but I will say this it is easier to get rid of a non union worker who is crappy you fire them but with a union it is a fight to unload a slob. But don't beat your chest and say I am a conservative and support the 2nd. when your dues go to support ALL the liberal polices of Biden and Nancy. Another words you can"t say you are a race horse and then lay eggs. If you can be on both sides at the same time please explain.

How much of your money debts donated to democrats? I promise it's more than you realize. Do you vet every business and product you by and check their political contributions. Of corse you don't that would be to much work and it just easier to point fingers and make claims you know little about.

I'm sure you supported Trump after the bump stock ban and made excuses for him also? If so your purely nothing more Than a hypocrite .

It all depends on the union , the people in it and the company.
If they work together it's fine .
Too many unions today are for the union and not the people paying the bills.
Never tell me unions don't back democrats , I know better , 4 different unions and they all backed democrats .
I'm just glad I got through life even though the unions were hard to deal with.
Unions in the begining were a good thing , but as anything , they became greedy , the more pay a worked got , the more dues were paid.
Think about it , 1,000's or workers in a plant paying for protection .
Even at $ 19 amonth at a minumin that's $19,000 for what?
Many companies that are non union give vested rights at 5 years , union shops 15 -20 years.
Depending on the product being produced , demand controls the wages and the union dues.
That's why you need over $100,000 income today.
I got tired of the strikes and unemployment .
Over one worker that didn't like his job.

Not the same thing at all I DON'T KNOWINGLY CONTRIBUTE TO LIBERALS YOU SIR DO because YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR DUES GO To say I do what you do means I would have to write a check each week and mail it to the DEMOCRATS . So YOU SIR ARE THE HYPOCRITE for all your talk. By the way you didn't explain how YOU can be on both sides of the fence at the same time?

When I see all those capitol letters,,does that mean your Yelling? LOL

Yout tax dollars go to support non working welfare freebee collectors and ALL things paid for illegal aliens.Now go lay your egg.

MattLA i aint buying it.

Nobody touched this one yet lol...

Bernie Google David Abney.

He's the guy who started at the bottom rung of a union company and Rose to CEO of a company that has just a little bit more market cap than Winnebago.

Out of their own union dues of course.Where does non union companies get the money to give their emoloyees goodies like turkeys and such? They can afford that stuff because they pay their employees less.So,pretty much the same thing. P:S: ole dad,,who is it that sais "money is what we trade our lives for"

Nobody touched this one yet lol...[/quote]
It came from membership dues and was voted on at the monthly meeting. The union workforce makes the company millions of dollars a year. The ceo gets a salary of 750k a year plus a bonus equal to 100 to 150% of his salary every year. I can’t remember the last the company even gave the workforce a simple thank you for the job we do.

You pay union dues !
Where does a percentage of it go?
Don't ever tell me that union members don't get fliers telling them to vote democrat !