UNIONS IN INDIANA/RIGHT TO WORK

UNIONS IN INDIANA/RIGHT TO WORK

   I have been asked to research the right to work that is being implemented in Indiana, and what that means for the unions.  The problem is that I am not Yoda.  I don't know everything.  I research and try to discern what is truth.  I am afraid that I may get this one incorrect, so let me know what you think.

   I begin in the great state of Texas.  We have unions here.  We have people who love unions here.  Others, not so much.  The union tried to organize the nurses here, but that didn't work.  We do have the AFL-CIO and others, though.

   The unions have played an important role in American history.  I believe they contribute to the community as far as fighting for worker's wages and benefits.

   The problem is the current economical situation we and the world have found ourselves in.  Workers in the public sector get paid off workers in the private sector.  That is just a fact.  So, with governments being so mis-managed as they have been, the benefits the public sector have enjoyed needs to be revisited.

   People are out of work in the private sector.  In the past 3 years (from December, 2007 to April, 2010), there were 8.4 MILLION jobs lost, never again to be seen (according to MSNBC).  The people who were working those jobs were no longer contributing to the tax base.  When the government cannot collect the taxes to pay for those workers in the public sector, something has to change.  Some of the workers in the private sector took pay cuts, benefit cuts, or both.  The public sector should also be willing to modify their expectations if this country is going to function.

   We don't want to be like Greece and other European countries.  Our federal government is already trying to bankrupt us.  They will not bail out the states and local governments.  They have their own agenda, giving money to their cronies, Muslim countries, etc.

   So, it comes down to what are you willing to sacrifice.  Do you want to bankrupt your local and state government or are you willing to sacrifice a little for the good of the masses?  Paying some of your health insurance, or contributing some to your 401K or taking a small hit on your income to continue working are considerations.  We in the private sector have been called upon to make these decisions. 

   It is like social security.  We were promised we would have this when we obtained retirement age.  Well, the bar has been moved so many times, that we have stopped believing anything the politicians say.  They have mis-managed the funds and given our money to many other causes and forsaken what it was intended for.

   Let me know what you think.

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