Unions once fulfilled a purpose; now they cause unintended consequences

Letter to the Editor,

One of the first jobs I held was a heavy-equipment operator after joining the Operating Engineers Union in 1957. 

I was soon informed by my fellow workers that as a union member, my first loyalty was to the union, not my employer. I was told to slow my productively down to that of my peers so they would not appear to be dragging and also to make the job last longer. This was my first introduction to union mentality and to socialistic philosophy. 

These elements have prevailed to such an extent in our nation (at least for labor intensive products) the cost of labor makes our products non-competitive in the world market. 

Labor unions performed a necessary function during the era of the “robber barons” when labor was exploited by greedy capitalists and terrible work conditions were rampant, but they have now outlived their usefulness and have evolved into impediments for progress and efficiency. 

The concessions won in labor disputes with business management do little to benefit the worker in the long run, because if labor costs exceed those of other countries our goods will be priced too high. This will result in management moving their business out of the country or replacing workers with machines or being forced out of business.

The beauty of free enterprise is that it is self-correcting. 

If the supply of products or of labor is insufficient to meet demand, the price will go up automatically. If supply exceeds demand, the price will go down. 

When unions, speculators or the government attempts to tamper with the market, unintended consequences are always the result.

The economic mess the world is in today is the direct result of government, unions and speculators meddling in the market. 

The $800 billion stimulus package did nothing to alleviate the problem. The money merely went from the people’s treasury into the pockets of the banking cartel. Had the government not intervened, the bankers and speculators who created the mess in the first place would have suffered the loss instead of the taxpayer. 

“Too big to fail” is a myth foisted onto the public by the government and their banking buddies. 

If we, the people, do not reject unionism, socialism, communism, Obamacare or any other form of collectivism, our nation will not endure. 

— Bill Payne

Libby