Quote Originally Posted by denuseri View Post
As if it wasn't the corporations themselves who removed the industry from those regions to begin with so they could line their pockets better by not having to pay the workers in them a fair wage and instead go overseas where they get the labor for pennies on the dollar?

I agree with you MMI, corruption and unchecked greed are the real problem. Orwell didn't support the Soviets because they weren't following communism in the manner in which Marx presented it.
I've never worked for a union company that didn't want to pay its employees a fair wage or provide competitive benefits. Any company that doesn't want to pay fair market wages eventually isn't going to be around very long. I've seen those types of companies too. But Thorne is right; unions don't really serve the needs of their members. Their focus is entirely on continuing their existence. Which means perpetuating conflict with management and, as in the case of Detroit, driving up the cost of labor to unsustainable levels. IMHO, if unions truly were beneficial to their members, they would be willing to have a vote held every year. If the employees feel benefited by their union, protected from evil money-grubbing management (so tired of that personification), then every year they'll continue to vote in their union. But if they feel like they aren't getting jack squat, which my company employees honestly don't get for their union dues, they they'll vote them out. I think you'd see union rolls drop in this country by at least 25%.

The issue in this case is more complex. I'm not a fan of government workers where they aren't necessary. I think private companies should be contracted whenever and where ever possible (union and non-union). The use of prisoners does bother me. But these are difficult times for the state of Wisconsin. If the prisoners are volunteering and they are earning something of value for their efforts, and the work on non-skilled, I don't see much harm. If the state tries to continue the process after the economy has recovered, I would have a problem with that. Just as I would have a problem with the state being obligated to hire MORE union workers to overpay because the state unions felt it was "their work". The work goes to who ever can do it the best at the best price. That has never been a halmark of union philosophy.