Unions and problems.

I got a comment yesterday which was in response to my Wisconsin or Cairo post.

After reading the comment I got ideas for three different postings. This is a big part of what I was hoping for when I began this blog.  I really think it is time for honest , open and, as much as possible, non judgmental conversation in this country. And my postings in this blog is the best way I know of to contribute to that.

I am not going to respond to everything within the comment. But I do want to discuss the main points of it. I urge everyone to read the whole comment (the thing that looks like a envelope to me) at the bottom of the Wisconsin post. And please free to add a comment.

Since I was already considering a post about unions I will start there. I want to make it perfectly clear that the following is strictly my opinion. I would have written them eventually but this is also in response to Matt's comment.

I am sure that back in the late 1800's through the 1930-40's  that forming unions was necessary to protect workers rights. But I think the  unions have gotten too powerful and are bad for production.

During the late 1980's I lived in Michigan with family for a little while. I remember several times when cousins and even an aunt would spend a lot of time at bars or partying somewhere but were never worried about being late to work or not going to work a lot. I remember a specific conversation when I  asked a cousin why he was never concerned about loosing his job; he looked at me and laughed, "Rob, you pretty much have to kill someone too loose a union job." Now I'm sure he was exaggerating  a bit but I'm sure he wasn't totally wrong either.

I doubt that things are that much different today. And if that is true from a production viewpoint how is that attitude good? If companies can move their factories to places where unions are not so strong and the cost of labor is less I can't blame them.

I believe teachers have the most important jobs in the world and from everything I have heard they are vastly underpaid.   But at the same time, I have concerns and I can't help but wonder if those concerns stem from teachers being unionized.  It would take some work to convince me that kids don't have many more days off than we used to. It at least seems like there  is  a teachers in service work day every other week now.  Doesn't educating kids work better when teacher's are actually around kids and teaching?

And it seems as though every time I turn on the news either another school is getting a bad grade for the job it's doing; or another teacher is being arrested for having child pornography  or sex with students. And it makes me wonder if teacher unions are resisting attempts to improve teaching methods and tougher hiring practices.

Isn't it past the time where state leaders, business leaders and  union leaders should come together in a common bond of solving financial, labor and educational problems? And shouldn't people's focus be on solutions that are better for all rather than focusing on being right?

All I know for sure is that recent events in Wisconsin and other unions situations that I am now becoming aware of, convinces me that communication is not just a problem in Washington.  Its spreading.