Should Labor Unions be Abolished – Yes
Not so long ago workers used to work for long hours for little pay. They had poor and unsafe working conditions and got little time off. Unions played a big part in improving the life of the worker. Today the situation is different. Are labor unions needed? Would we be better off without them?
Over the years labor unions have grown to be large and powerful. In the past this has benefited their members. But now they themselves behave more like large corporations. They seem to be getting more aloof from their members and seem only to care about themselves.
I used to belong to a labor union myself. Whenever there was industrial action I was forced to take part whether I agreed with it or not. They just said that I was in the union so I had to do what they said. The industrial action did little good anyway.
At the time I had concerns which the union failed to listen to. I did not believe they were representing my interests. They seemed more concerned with issues like abortion and aligning themselves politically than with securing pay rises. One day I had had enough. I resigned from the union and effectively gave myself a pay rise by saving the excessive fee that they charged each week.
I never looked back from that time. The union never won any further pay rises or any better working conditions during the years I remained at that job. In fact the company introduced workplace agreements which more or less made the union redundant. And, of course, I didn’t have to engage in any industrial action over issues that were not important.
Unions have become irrelevant and costly. They are top heavy and have the unnecessary administrative costs of disseminating irrelevant information and meddling in political affairs and issues that have nothing to do with working conditions. They are filled with bosses who want to give themselves fat salaries and spend money administering themselves.
The union bosses now dictate terms and policies instead of listening to what the ordinary rank and file want. They increase membership fees whenever they like. I don’t believe they represent their members anymore. Unions have become an irrelevant and unnecessary burden on workers.
A better solution is for individuals to negotiate their own pay and conditions. Small groups of workers with similar interests could attempt to do so provided there is consensus among all the members. A return to real and simple negotiation once again would be good. In addition, laws exist to protect the rights of workers. It is harder now for employers to take advantage of employees.
So, yes, I think labor unions, in their present form should be abolished. They used to do good once when they truly represented workers. But now they have outlived their usefulness and are just a burden to ordinary working men and women.
