Do you consider yourself more pro-union or anti-union?

I believe all groups and individuals have a right to represent themselves.

We seem to be weak on accountability in the government, business and labor. Everything is a contributing factor. Corruption at all levels weakens us. Corporate incompetence; Political divisiveness; Government excesses and inefficiency.

So yeah, Unions in general are good more than bad. Not having oversight is bad for any organization.

Who is watching the watchers? We need to re-affirm our commitment to check and balances.

Both.

Pro-union to the extent that I believe that a group of people can join together to bargain with employers if they choose. I really don't care what unions do as long as they don't pick my pocket to fund it.

Anti-union to the extent that I refuse to work for a company that has a union. Why would I want to work for the type of company that needs a union to treat their employees fairly? Those areas where unions are the strongest seem to be failures to me (UAW, NEA). I will concede that there are smaller unions that don't seem to be as harmful.

I would've been okay marrying a person with different views on religion and politics but I could have never married a person with a "union attitude". By that, I mean an attitude of entitlement. I live in a city where we had several GM plants. I've known many people who worked there. None really cared about the company they worked for or the product they made. Their only interest was in themselves (collectively). I'm very grateful that the last plant will close in a couple weeks. The workers were pathetic. Both times that I went to the plant on business I had to deal with drunks. I knew one man who never slept at home--he did it at work. And these poor, poor people are whining because they'll only get $140,000.00 in severance and free schooling. BAH.

The unions can do whatever they want but they can leave my money out of it. I won't invest in their company or their products.

Unions are what made The USA great! Before unions there wasn't much of a middle class in America. After WWII when unions were strong skilled workers could have a house, boat, 2 cars nice vacations and a great early retirement with only one wage earner in the family. Vote Union and keep America Strong.

I'm anti-union. I'm so anti-union that if forced to deal with a union I would rather fire all my employees, close my business, and work as a fry cook at McDonald's.

I had my fill of unions when I was forced to become a member of one 23 years ago. I have never seen anything a union can do for me that I couldn't do for myself, and I don't charge myself monthly dues to do it.

I hate unions because they make companies that support them less competitive. They create rifts between management and the employees where none would otherwise exist and generally agitate the situation.

I hate unions. I mean I reallllly hate unions.

I don't like unions. I don't think it's fair to tell an employer how much they have to pay their employees. I also think unions like the UFCW are just out there to make money. Some unions make so much money from all the union dues and the workers only make a little more than the non-union workers.

Pro unions. I saw my dad work in non-union factories during and after WWII through the 80s and my husband worked in a union factory his entire adult life. Unions have done a lot of good -- making the work place safer, giving this nation the 40 hour work week and other benefits that ALL workers enjoy today, not just the union shops.

I really don't worry about unions one way or another.

Less than 10% of the non government work force are unionized.

Makes ya wonder why some people get so upset about unions.

Conceptually labour unions make a lot of sense. Give bargaining power to workers by uniting them.

However, in practice unions tend to be thuggish, bloody-minded, overly self-interested and monopolistic. There tends to be a single union for any particular type of labour which gives them far too much bargaining power. If there were a few different unions for workers of a particular type then they would compete with each other and provide more flexible outcomes to members and indeed to the economy as a whole.

Labour unions also tend to be disproportionately represented in politics (in Australia there is a labor party in government who is little more than a union controlled political group) and they tend to make noise on issues that have nothing to do with workers rights and conditions. Take education unions for example, they are constantly striking over issues like class size, curriculum content and funding for private schools. These are all issues that have no relevance to pay and conditions and should be decided by the government (and in turn the people as a whole) or their employers (as private companies).

Unions often engage in deceitful and thuggish practices. It is not uncommon for a union in the construction industry to organise a work slowdown to ensure its workers get extra overtime (as their employer struggles to meet costly deadlines). Similarly, unions enforce membership on unwilling workers violating their freedom of association. Ever heard the term "no ticket, no start." That is ridiculous. If I don't want to join a union why should I be prevented from entering into a contract with an employer just because you are in a union and you are in a contract with an employer. Take the various writing and acting guilds in the US. It is a disgrace that they enforce membership and strikes on people who have no interest in their cause. I bet some people come out in support of their cause just to make sure they don't get turfed out.

Unions argue that solidarity is the only way forward and that workers should support each other in their collective struggle. But I think that fails to recognise that the needs and desires of various workers are different and that uniformity does not encourage productivity or innovation, the cornerstones of democratic progress. If I don't mind working long days without getting holidays, why shouldn't I be allowed to? Just because you don't want something doesn't mean that I shouldn't be allowed to have it!

I'd love to see a trade union work effectively in its area without resorting to these kinds of tactics, but until i do...

I am anti-union

I am very much pro-union. In an ideal world, everyone would own what they need to make a living. Barring that, people should have a big say in the way their workplaces operate.

This is of course ignoring all of the great things they have done in the past. Even without the past accomplishments the above ideals would be justified.

I'm pro-union. Both parents were in unions: carpenter and machinists unions. I'm now in a higher education union. Unions aren't to blame for the economic mess the CEO's got the auto industry in.