Unions Plan For 2014 Offensive After Massive Michigan Setback

Labor unions are enraged, but can they do anything about it?

Labor unions are mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore. At least, that's the understanding after suffering a major setback in traditionally union-friendly Michigan on Tuesday. Their plan hinges on targeting vulnerable Republicans during the midterm elections, and it's a make-or-break proposition. And they're bolstering union-friendly candidates to challenge conservative state leaders in the Midwest, Politico reports.

And they've the money to do it: the Center for Responsive Politics ranks United Auto Workers union 14th out of 20,484 campaign contributors, according to NPR.

But Ed Morrissey, writing for his conservative blog, Hot Air, thinks that if the unions go even further in supporting Democrats, it could backfire. "By making themselves a participant in partisan warfare," Morrissey writes, "they're turning themselves and their movement into political targets, and exposing their own abuses and radicalism as a means to their destruction."

Via Politico, NPR and Hot Air

Do you think labor unions can stage a comeback?

[WilliamWallace]

After their tantrum is over the little guys will realize the benifits of this.

[MBernard]

I know right. No rights. Whatever unsafe working conditions. Whatever little pay and long hours. Even child labor and no unions to level the playing field. Yeah, sounds like good benefits

[johnCrow]

@MBernard have you ever worked in a right to work state? doesn't sound like it to me. i've worked in one my whole adult life and the conditions are as safe as anywhere else because of OSHA. once you subtract union dues, all the "benefits" that you actually pay some on, the cost of living in union towns, the 20 something dollars an hour the union got you is the same ten dollars an hour down here. unions served a vital purpose in our nations history standing up for workers when working conditions were actually dangerous most of the time but now we don't need them anymore. they have become a business and a business needs to stay in business even if it's not relevant any more. and don't go calling me a republican i'm as liberal as they get but i just don't see the benefit of unions in modern times. the union can't do anything to keep companies from moving down here or overseas, if they make it too costly for the company to do business in union states they will pull up stakes and we'll be glad to take those jobs at 10-15 bucks an hour.

as for child labor i'm not sure what you are talking about, no factory i've ever worked in here employs children you must be thinking of malaysia or something which is another place the union jobs end up going when they can't afford the demands anymore. long hours? really? you're complaining about working long hours? you do know that overtime pay exists right? even in right to work states you get paid overtime. maybe complaining about working too many hours doesn't sit well with an employer. oh well just keep it up and we'll have all your jobs, should be only a matter of time before G.M., Chrysler, and Ford take a hint from Toyota, Nissan, and Mercedes Benz and relocate their facilities down here where they don't have to be worried about being held hostage by greedy union officials who like the idea of mandatory membership(dues) by default.

[Tralee]

They threw a fit, fighting and hurting innocent bystanders, cursing out little old ladies and destroying property, yep, they showed their true colors. They apparently are not bright enough to understand that nothing will change for them. They will still be represented by a union, still pay dues, still have collective bargaining and so on. The only difference is that no one will be coerced into paying dues or joining the union in order to get a job. If it's me, I don't even want the union coercing a raise for me from my employer, I don't want their rules and regulations, I want to bargain for myself, show my boss, without union hold backs, that I can do a higher job for more money. That's all. Let the unions force stuff for their members, I will get what I want by being one of the best and the one the employer WANTS to reward with a higher salary and a promotion. Always worked for me, union members are afraid to have to compete on their merits, the need the union to force raises and benefits for the low skilled employee who does just as much as they need to and nothing more.

[Tralee]

@MBernard You are being a bit silly here, Child Labor? Really? Didn't you know we have laws on the books about Child Labor? We have laws on the books about hours and overtime, OSHA takes care of unsafe working conditions (to the nth degree BTW almost to the point of silliness so don't go worrying your head about that.) and as a non-union worker, I was always able to level the playing field myself. No problem getting a raise or a promotion, no union to hold me back from working outside of my "job description" so I couldn't show the higher ups what I could do. No thanks, I don't want to pay the dues, don't want the stupid rules about what I can and can not do to get a promotion. No thanks.

[MBernard]

@johnCrow I guess the NYC logo I have doesn't tell you where I am from.

[CanisCanemEdit]

Unions have done some good things in the past. However those days are past.

When so many are out of work and watching Unions make ridiculous demands for more and more and more while those with no jobs at all are starving, then I don't think you will see much sympathy for the Unions.

[Zazziness]

If Unions were asking more and more you'd be right. But most often now they fight to keep some sort of benefits for workers. And all while corporate executives laugh on their way to the bank.

[CanisCanemEdit]

@Zazziness - Like the Milwaukee teachers union suing then striking over wanting Viagra added to their health benefits...which were already 100% paid by WE THE PEOPLE?

[Zazziness]

@CanisCanemEdit Health benefits were far from the only issue on the table.

[CanisCanemEdit]

@Zazziness - But that's the one they were striking on. That's the reason they weren't teaching the children. That's the dog they brought to the fight.

"The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association has filed a civil suit claiming that MPS’ exclusion of Viagra and other drugs that treat erectile dysfunction from its health insurance plans constitutes sexual discrimination against male employees.

Last September, an administrative law judge dismissed an earlier ruling that sided with the union, which filed an equal rights complaint in 2008. The state’s Labor and Industry Review Commission upheld the decision in June.

The union now seeks a review of that decision by a Milwaukee County circuit court judge.

“This is an issue of discrimination, of equal rights for all our members,” said Kristin Collett, spokeswoman for the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association."

http://bloggingblue.com/2010/08/06/milwaukee-...

"Board and union negotiators reached a deal in 2002 to cover six tablets per month for erectile dysfunction drugs in health plans that insure 10,000 employees, dependents and retirees. They quickly became popular.

By 2004, the number of claimants receiving prescriptions skyrocketed to more than 1,000 per year, costing the district $207,000. During negotiations in 2005, the board proposed eliminating the benefit and an arbitrator adopted the plan."

http://prudencepaine.com/2011/02/18/flashback...

[Republican5001]

Or the teachers union strike in your presidents motherland known as Chicago Illinois?

[NO-BAMA]

Sounds like the school yard bully is throwing a temper tantrum.
How violent are these union "thugs" going to get? Will the state run media continue to cover up the violence? Will Barry come out and condemn the union violence?
I can see why they're mad. If I was in control of an organized crime outfit and my "money train" had stopped, I'd be upset to. That means, I'd actually have to do my job and show people that unions are what they actually started out to be,(for the worker) instead of just collecting dues and paying millions to my crooked politician pals.
Why should unions "force" people to join and pay dues as a condition of employment, if they don't want to?
Why are unions against personal freedoms?
Are they that desperate for their money,(power)?

[Zazziness]

What happened to the days when America respected the working man and valued labor? Gone now, eh? According to you, unless you make your money gambling on the stock market or sitting on your bulbous in an excutive office, you're not worth spit.

And you just can't figure out why the Republicans lost the elections? Sad.

[woodtick57]

@Zazziness

What does that have to do with people being FORCED into a union? How respectful af workers is that?

[Zazziness]

@woodtick57 Highly respectful. If you are going to take a job where you are going to benefit from the hard work, sacrifices, and group effort of a Union, you darn well should be participating in that Union.

[Nemesis3X]

@Zazziness what happened to the days when the unions cared about their workers first and foremost, instead of the union? Unions need to clean themselves up first, before they can point fingers at anyone else.

[mtkopf]

@woodtick57 if you don't want to pay union dues then go apply for s job at a non union shop.
Just like the argument that if Walmart workers don't like their low paying jobs then go get better ones.

[Zazziness]

Before anyone even brings it up, I sure hope folks know that incident where the tent collapsed (referred to as some by "a massive riot") turned out to be staged by the folks inside the tent. It was NOT collapsed by Union folks and there was no riot and no one trampled.

[Realthinker]

In this day and age everything is on camera. And so it is with the union thugs pulling down the tent. It too is on video and it is clearly the union thugs destroying the tent.
http://www.westernjournalism.com/obamas-union...

[Zazziness]

@Realthinker Nope, It was pulled down from the inside. And you can see that on the very tape clip you want us to watch.

[Zazziness]

@Realthinker Americans For Prosperityh Fake An Attack On Their Tent
http://www.politicususa.com/americans-prosper...

[Waynestew]

Unions can definitely come back. To do so they would need to be wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove.

[tomincali]

i would think they need to clean house first. all the unions i have seen are not out to help the workers as much as themselves. at first they was for the worker until greed and corruption took over.

[Waynestew]

@tomincali True but I don't believe we need to do away with your views are very necessary for wotkers rights.

[stepped_in_it]

It depends....on unions themselves. Unions were created to collectively voice workers demands for better wages/benefits and work environment. Then, the money went to their heads (and off came some heads (thuggery)). Workers no longer continued to "benefit" from unions as much as unions benefited from workers! Unions used their "new found" wealth to become what they despised! They became politicians! If you sleep with a thief, you become a thief....

[marine1]

Goverment was suppose to also be for the paople but when big money came into play the people got the short end of the stick. Unions followed suit, in the beginning their were for the people untill they joined tyhe dark side. As for 2014,there are so many ugly secrets about union activities that will be brought out, they might be wise to tread softly, it's hard to bitch about benifit abuse when you are an abuser yourself.

[Thunderchicken]

From what I've heard, Michigan laws regarding unions were pretty oppressive toward non union shops. One local talk show host (from Michigan) was saying that some non union shops paid into a fund that was transferred to various unions. I find that hard to believe. But if true, I can understand why MI went right to work. That’d suck to be paying off the union to have a non union job.

[woodtick57]

Any state that makes it mandatory to join a union when you work for the gov't or teach in a public school or become a firefighter or LEO is oppressive.

[Thunderchicken]

@woodtick57

I agree and I don't like public unions. Especially they way the operate now.

The host may have been talking about public unions, but I got the impression he was talking about non union shops funding union activities by law. IOW it sounded like the government was shaking down non union workers on the union’s behalf. That would make me a big fan of “Right to Work”.

I still wonder about union financial core status.

[WMCOL]

Interesting that when employess have opportunity to join a Union they do so in overwhelming numbers with less than a handful choosing not to.

Also interesting to note is the fact that most businesses that go bankrupt or move offshore are non-Union jobs.

[woodtick57]

Herd mentality runs deep in our chromosones....

[WMCOL]

@woodtick57
And for the most part it is a good thing for workers.

Workers group agreements, and shared help can be very essential to employees survival.

[Hiker2009]

Because union businesses sometimes get government bailouts.

[woodtick57]

@WMCOL it can alos lead to bringing them down to the lowest common denominator. When compensation is based on years on the job instead of performance and when everyone gets the same compensation regardless of production, it is not good for the good workers, just the ones being carried along.

[Tralee]

Actually, I don't believe that there are any facts to back up this opinion. Good try though.

[mimi57]

Awe, the poor little union thugs didn't get their own way...time for 'blood shed'. Such an intelligent and sane
approach...that's why they'll always be workin' for the man. Are these those real 'intellectuals"?

[Ashstop]

I never thought Obama would be reelected after everyone seen his higher taxes and bigger government agenda so who knows?

[Sharpshooter]

"Unions Plan For 2014 Offensive"

Actually I find their behavior in 2012 to be quite offensive. And this from a third generation union member.

In my Grandfather's time the Union was a benefit, it helped the working man to have a voice against greedy owners. The difference is, people change in concert with their environment; a sort of Mental Evolution bringing attitudes along with it.

In my Grandfather's time working men considered the first part of the description as essential to attaining the second. One had to Work in order to be a Man, so you went to work and busted your ass because you were accepting pay however low it may be.

Unions came about as groups of Working Men lead by those more capable of negotiating and speaking up. This gave the working Men power to negotiate better conditions, but as time went on the Union was taken over by professional "Organizers" who may call themselves "Brothers" but are little more than parasites sucking the blood of dues paying members.

Unfortunately the mental evolution of Union Members hasn't spread uniformly; unions now protect incompetent and lazy worker.

Hard working competent men will always have a job as they are very much in demand, they can often negotiate a BETTER deal for themselves than the Union offers because the dead weight isn't part of the deal.

Unions are loved by the incompetent and lazy; the slobs taking paychecks as teachers in Warren and Taylor Townships are a perfect example. 26000 kids were NOT in school because it was more important to them to protect the union than it was to do THEIR JOB.

If they cared about doing their job, they would have been in the classroom and sent a telegram at recess. The Union may be important, but the JOB is more important.

In my school days, Teachers took pride in their profession and cared about THE KIDS; now the slobs sitting in the front of those same classrooms don't care about the kids, only that their union have power to blackmail teachers into paying to obtain or keep their job.

Unions are now the evil force in labor negotiations. When the workers walk a picket line they are without a paycheck, "sacrificing it for the cause" ; BUT the Union Guy encouraging them to strike and teaching childish pranks to "hurt" Management drives up in a Caddy and continues to pull down a paycheck. BTW when you're striking, you are still expected to pay your dues so your "Brother" can keep up with HIS car payments.

The time for unions has passed, the cause of death will be Terminal Polyphagia

[Realthinker]

The unions demonstrators were clearly behind the assault on the tent. Video doesn't lie.
http://www.westernjournalism.com/obamas-union...

[Politicskid]

If Democrats get more state level power, and keep their control of DC, certainly they will. Other then that, no, these union thugs are gonna have to be working just as hard as the rest of us.

[DARSB]

I see Ed Morrisey is doing his Captain Obvious routine again.

Right to work laws, which are inherently anti-labor, have been around for decades. But unions are just now "...turning themselves and their movement into political targets."

[Gnu2u]

A friend of mine was in the tent when it was pulled down and trampled by the Union thugs - with people still inside it. I guess he didn't know what he was seeing, right?! Did you also miss the part where they trashed the caterer's equipment, too?

[HughAkston]

I just don't understand the Union mentality even though I grew up in a Union household. When I was in college I worked in a Union shop. I fail to see where the Union did anything for me except take my money. I had no choice. I had to belong to the Union as a condition of employment. For most of my adult life I cut my own deals with my employers. If I felt I was treated or paid unfairly ........ I just moved on. Pretty simple concept huh? Anybody that believes that without Unions we'd return to child labor has got rocks in their head.

[woodtick57]

This is a good point. Unions DID do a lot of good for workers, but most of those advances in workers' rights are now laws, so I don't need the union for that. As far as pensions and benefits, I would rather take care of them on my own. I don't want my employer or union paying my homeowners insurance or car insurance either...Pay me what I earn and i'll take care of my own life thank you very much.

[Thegrif]

Of the manufacturing companies that have moved overseas, 72% were union companies.
Unions may have built Detroit in the day, but they are also what tore it apart.
Unions are a thing of the past and gone forever.

[Dan_Tien]

It seems that "union" and "angry" are nearly inseparable.

[lochlomond]

I am not sure what type of offensives the unions can mount against politicians that are funded by corporate entities. They have their own "ringers" so to speak but apparently not enough of them. I live in a region that was central to the 1902 anthracite miners' strike. At issue were wages, defined work day and week, working conditions and the use of child labor both underground and above. The miners also objected to "dockers" who were company employees whose job it was to record output considerably less than what was actually mined. The UMW's representative was Johnny Mitchell. The mine owners refused to even sit at the same table with him. The situation was becoming critical as coal was integral for the railroads and domestic use. Finally, Teddy Roosevelt stepped in and negotiated a settlement. In this respect, the unions were the advocates of the working man in order to force the coal barons to recognize that their employees were real people and not just instruments that enhanced their wealth. Fast forward to now. The integrity of Mitchell has been forgotten by many in union leadership. The national officers reap enormous benefits but when the locals need representation, the coffers are empty. Several years ago, I wanted to quit the AFT because of a horrible contract leopard by our leadership. We met at 4 PM after the school day was over and the president droned on and on without. Getting to the meat of the matter. Teachers with young children, those taking evening classes and people like me who were the caretakers of elderly parents began leaving around eight. He finally put the proposal to a voice vote after denying the membership the opportunity to speak. He claimed the "ayes" had it with fewer than fifty members left in the room. Naturally the board accepted the contract that night and it was a done deal. If I quit the AFT I would still have to pay dues so it was a useless gesture. I am not anti-union because I believe working people need a mediator when dealing with management. However, many in leadership positions are self-serving and have lost sight of their mission. I often wonder about the silence of the unions when NAFTA was implemented. Surely they knew it meant their own demise as power brokers. In order to regain their roles as credible representatives of working people, they need to clean up their own acts.

[lochlomond]

I am not sure what type of offensives the unions can mount against politicians that are funded by corporate entities. They have their own "ringers" so to speak but apparently not enough of them. I live in a region that was central to the 1902 anthracite miners' strike. At issue were wages, defined work day and week, working conditions and the use of child labor both underground and above. The miners also objected to "dockers" who were company employees whose job it was to record output considerably less than what was actually mined. The UMW's representative was Johnny Mitchell. The mine owners refused to even sit at the same table with him. The situation was becoming critical as coal was integral for the railroads and domestic use. Finally, Teddy Roosevelt stepped in and negotiated a settlement. In this respect, the unions were the advocates of the working man in order to force the coal barons to recognize that their employees were real people and not just instruments that enhanced their wealth. Fast forward to now. The integrity of Mitchell has been forgotten by many in union leadership. The national officers reap enormous benefits but when the locals need representation, the coffers are empty. Several years ago, I wanted to quit the AFT because of a horrible contract negotiated by our leadership. We met at 4 PM after the school day was over and the president droned on and on withou tgte meat of the matter. Teachers with young children, those taking evening classes and people like me who were the caretakers of elderly parents began leaving around eight. He finally put the proposal to a voice vote after denying the membership the opportunity to speak. He claimed the "ayes" had it with fewer than fifty members left in the room. Naturally the board accepted the ctract that night and it was a done deal. If I quit the AFT I would still have to pay dueo it was a useless gesture. I am not anti-union because I believe working people need a mediator when dealing with management. However, many in leadership positions are self-serving and have lost sight of their mission. I often wonder about the silence of the unions when NAFTA was implemented. Surely they knew it meant their own demise aswer tbrokers. In order to regain their roles as credible representatives orking peopler, th need to clean up their own acts.