Working In These Times
Saturday Jan 8, 2011 8:23 am
Why Do 48 Percent of Americans Disapprove of Unions?
Mike Elk, a regular Working In These Times contributor, offered his answer to that question this week on the RT network's Alyona Show during a feisty exchange with Christopher Prandoni, the executive director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom. The Alliance, a project of Americans for Tax Reform (which was founded by Grover Norquist), is not exactly friendly to unions. Elk and Prandoni sparred over public workers unions' (lack of) connection to the revenue crises wreaking havoc on state finances around the country.
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Excellent segment by Mike Elk.
Elk tries to justify the practice of forcing workers to pay union dues when they work in a union shop by comparing union dues to taxes. Elk also argues that if a worker is represented by a union, he therefore should be “taxed” by the union, whether he likes it or not. The practice of forcing the payment of union dues is extortion, plain and simple. Ultimately, which kind of union do you think is stronger: All voluntary, or forced participation through union dues rules? Yeah, the all-volunteer group is stronger, because you can count on them to be there when the going gets tough. Meanwhile, in the rest of non-union working america, forced union dues is just another thing for people to hate about unions.