Why has American union membership in decline?

[Nathyn]

I'm sort of new to Socialist economics, so I wasn't aware of this 'til recently:

http://economics.about.com/od/laborinameri...ion_decline.htm (http://economics.about.com/od/laborinamerica/a/union_decline.htm)

It's probably old news for you. Aside from Reagan's union-busting, why is union membership in such decline? And what are you doing about it?

I think unions are bad for industries which can be exported, because domestic unions increase the desparity in wage rates, which acts as a catalyst for outsourcing. But unions for industries which cannot be exported (construction, plumbing, etc) are essential.

[Red Rebel]

why is union membership in such decline?

Because most of working America is in the service industry. Union membership has been declining in America since the end of WWII. Also post WWII in America witnessed the decline of the "workingman" (such as a person who gets raw materials, ect.) and the rise of the worker being in the service industry (such as salesmen).


And what are you doing about it?

I can't afford Union made goods. But if you want to help Unions:
1. join them
2. buy union made goods


I think unions are bad for industries which can be exported

Unions are bad for the person who owns the company because he/she has to pay more. It is better for the person in the Union because more people together are stronger (and can stand up to the boss) than one person.

[Iseult_]

The American businessman just moves his operations to a cheap labor country (China/Mexico) where he doesn't have to worry about the workers.

Free trade agreements (NAFTA GATT) don't help either.

[rouchambeau]

Why has American union membership in decline?
Because unions are for shit. They have become part of the system and serve as nothing more than a barrier between workers and the bosses.

[Clarksist]

The American businessman just moves his operations to a cheap labor country (China/Mexico) where he doesn't have to worry about the workers.

Free trade agreements (NAFTA GATT) don't help either.

Which they will inevitably do anyway.

If all workers either revolted or unionized, we'd have the capitalists by their necks.

Easier said than done, though.

[RebelDog]

I think unions are bad for industries which can be exported, because domestic unions increase the desparity in wage rates, which acts as a catalyst for outsourcing. But unions for industries which cannot be exported (construction, plumbing, etc) are essential.

So workers who are in industries that can be moved should not defend their rights and have the right to organise? Where an industry cannot be moved to exploit cheap labour, low taxes, regressive union laws and slack environmental controls then capitalists simply try to create these conditions domestically and import cheap labour like commodities. Workers should fight to better their lives in every workplace on this planet. The wage disparities are created by the capitalists and their chaotic free-market.

You sound like a liberal capitalist. You would give the right to join a union to a set of workers because you have no choice and deny these rights to the workers who need them most. Outsourcing is something we as socialists will fight and the more organised we are the better. Greed is the fundamental reason outsourcing happens. We are socialists and we stick up for workers. I personally could not give a damn for the capitalist and his property and 'his rights'. If a company says it is going to leave the US, UK, wherever it is, to exploit workers overseas and pay them peanuts, then the workers should seize the factory.