Unions: The Opposition's Excuse

[The Vegan Marxist]

What exactly is it that the opposition, all-in-all capitalists, have against unions & what exactly are their arguments against it?

[Psy]

What exactly is it that the opposition, all-in-all capitalists, have against unions & what exactly are their arguments against it?

Unions allow workers to limit their exploitation and (militant unions) can be used a spring board to seizing the means of production. Their argument against unions is they distort the market value of labor thus is an obstacle to their ideal of a free-market. Remember capitalist believe value is created through trade not production thus in their eyes workers are basically all dead labor that adds no value to the commodity as they believe only capitalists can add value to commodities and workers are just tools capitalists use to make value).

[iskrabronstein]

In general, the most common arguments are abstract - capitalists tend to argue that unions decrease overall productivity, (i.e. rate of return on gross capital investment). Different ideological leanings in the capitalist camp have more nuanced views on the subject. Conservatives, particularly Miseans or Hayekans, argue that union agitation creates an economically unsustainable welfare apparatus in addition to decreasing the freedom of capital movement (by which they mean, the ability to shut down factories and sell off assets without regard to the welfare of the workers) - something held in almost sacred regard by capitalists as the great equalizing force of free market economics.

In general, a few of their criticisms have some ground. Existing union compensation plans are unsustainable in the long term - but where socialists argue for socializing industry to cover costs and extending more benefits, capitalists argue that abolishing the existing union apparati would foster more overall productivity, and the rise in general demand would make up for the loss of pensions and guaranteed employment.

The most commonly used arguments against unions in the capitalist arsenal tend to be based upon a very unrealistic and idealized understanding of free market economics, coupled with general attacks on the economic basis of New Left policies that the right has cribbed from Irving Kristol.

Other attacks, like complaints about union thuggery and intimidation of management, are mostly ad hominem and unsubstantiated by actual political conditions.

They also ring a bit hollow, at least for me - I have absolutely no problem with intimidation of management.