Now that they’re not compulsory…
…membership in Wisconsin’s public sector unions has fallen significantly.
Quelle surprise!
More:
There is an important lesson here: not only did Scott Walker’s reforms strike an important blow for employee freedom, they also had the happy side-effect of depriving the unions of a large chunk of their funding, and therefore their ability to sway elections.
When unionism isn’t compulsory, the union actually has to take notice of needs and wishes of the members. Unionism as it’s practiced in most unions today is a form of tyranny where the leaders impose their philosophies from above and the rank and file have to just take it. No more in Wisconsin.
Will the unions figure out that to survive they have to become more inclusive, taking note of the opinions of all the members? I doubt it.
While the recall brouhaha that the unions and their friends in the Democratic Party subjected the state of Wisconsin to was reprehensible, it was very understandable. The unions knew that removing mandatory union funding through payroll deduction would greatly reduce their funds- and their ability to fund election campaigns. Fortunately, the unions failed in their attempt to recall Governor Walker.
Walker stood his ground and did a great thing for WI. This ‘revolution’ needs to spread. Even FDR thought public employee unions were a bad idea.
I was going to make a comment about compulsory union membership not really being support for the union and its policies; but J.J., you’ve said pretty much what I would have. Forcing one to join is a form of tyranny.
Unions don’t care about the opinions of their members because that is not what a union is for. A union is a tool of power, a ready mob for whatever nefarious purposes the “leadership” cares to support. It has to provide some benefits to keep the members content but, again, dat ain’t da point.
If they shrink to a small enough number, at some point, all the money will have to go purely to graft and outright theft by the bosses, like in the ‘good old days’, before they realized they could buy politicians so as to scratch each other’s backs. The bosses aren’t in it for accolades, that’s for sure. The poetic justice of honor among thieves will prevail wonderfully. I love cyclical things. Urhm, some of them.
“Will the unions figure out that to survive they have to become more inclusive, taking note of the opinions of all the members? I doubt it.”
I’m glad Walker did what he did, I wish the “Stupid” party in Congress had some of his brains and backbone. But here is something to put on the back burner for a year or two. Will Obamacare help the unions expand?
A caller to a talkshow yesterday made the point that as Obamacare kicks in next year, the small non-union shops will either drop coverage or put their employees into the state-run system. Otherwise the costs will push them out of business. While on the other hand, since the union healthcare plans fall outside of Obamacare, these union shops will still have their “Cadillac” plans with no penalty. Will this be a bargaining chip? Unionize with us and you can still have a good health care plan? Which would tend to make the playing field unlevel in the race between union and non-union shops. Just something to think about. Not that Obama would reward his friends and destroy his enemies in an underhanded manner.
Unions are criminal organizations. Once free from their coercive threats and violence most people walk away.
The Democrat party is also a criminal organization. The question is how to free people from its coercive threats and violence. There should be an opposing political party to do this. Too bad there is none.
Break the back of the Left and you will find that freeing slaves is not only the right thing to do, but militarily, it will cripple the enemy’s logistics.
But doing the right thing takes work, and many people don’t like that.
“Will the unions figure out that to survive they have to become more inclusive, taking note of the opinions of all the members?”
All they have to do is to tell the Left to crush those rebels and it will be done. They don’t need any such thing as democracy to keep themselves in power.
Survival is not an issue when one has the power of the Left by their side, powerful enough to destroy any opponent. Walker may win tactical battles in his state, but at the federal level, they will crush him and his allies. Why is that so?
Because it has always been that way and the Left has not failed to do so, every time.