Tuesday, March 15, 2005

You No Longer Have To Wonder Why Labor Unions Have Become Irrelevant

As I always pause to say before I blast the process of organized labor, they had their place in history and are responsible for many reforms to labor pay and conditions. But the Unions have outlived their usefulness and when something is no longer useful, it becomes useless or worse, dangerous. Today labor unions are simply political workhorses for the Democratic Party. Case in point:

The United Auto Workers union waved a white flag Monday in its parking skirmish with neighboring reservists, but the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines are not accepting surrender.

Facing intense criticism, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger reversed his decision to ban Marine Corps reservists driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers from parking at the union's Solidarity House headquarters in Detroit.

"I made the wrong call on the parking issue, and I have notified the Marine Corps that all reservists are welcome to park at Solidarity House as they have for the past 10 years," Gettelfinger said in a statement.

Wounded by what they consider an unpatriotic ambush, the Marines rejected the union's olive branch and secured an alternative parking lot.

"I talked to Ron; I let him know that I understand he has rescinded his decision," said Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge, a top-ranking officer at the reserve infantry rifle battalion. "However, I've made my decision -- either you support the Marines or you don't."

The Detroit News reported the controversy Sunday.

The UAW has a longstanding policy prohibiting nonunion-made vehicles from the parking lots at its plants and meeting halls.
STOP RIGHT THERE! They ban vehicles not made in conjunction with organized labor? What kind of fascist regime are these unions trying to emulate anyway?
Until last week, the union made an exception for the Marines who parked at Solidarity House on the weekends. The battalion's headquarters is nearby on East Jefferson.

While both sides say the dispute has been overblown, it revealed the depths of the UAW's antipathy toward the Bush administration and its concern over the rise of foreign automakers in the U.S. market.
Ok. So what we have here is a failure to agree with President Bush. As is the tell-tale sign of any good left-wing organization, a loathing of President Bush is the key indicator of their ideology.
UAW leaders backed Democratic challenger John Kerry and his running mate John Edwards in last year's election.

The UAW's reversal Monday followed a barrage of criticism from both union members and nonunion members. The dispute became instant fodder for such Web sites as The Drudge Report and various radio programs.

The News received hundreds of e-mails Sunday and Monday about the controversy, the majority criticizing the UAW's decision.

"I have never belonged to the unions, but I've always bought (domestic) brand cars," Jenny Pulcerm 74, of Harrison Township. "Right now, I'm driving a Chrysler. But the next car will definitely not be union-made."
And just like the Democrats, the Union leaders continue to institute processes and policy that, in the end, make them less popular. This affair is proof that we need to separate politics from the workforce more than we need to separate church and state.



0 comments: