Why not. Unions have caused huge damages to the airline industry, manufacturing in general, and they have almost completely destroyed the car industry in the US. They might as well as work on driving some more nails through the coffin.

A world without unions would be and was a problem, although tougher laws might help solve that.

However unions have become way way way too ultra powerful. They can demand salaries and benefits that are not cost-effective and are not worthy of the work performed. The companies have very little options and try to last it out by increasing the final product price as much as the market will bear.

In 2007, a union worker at Ford made $141,020/year including wages and benefits. A worker at General Motors made $146,520/year and one at Chrysler earned $151,720/year.

Not bad for a high school education.

Then these people feel that it isn't enough money!

Of course now it is 2008 which means even higher labor costs. Costs which gets passed on to the consumer until the consumer says NO More! and buys a competing lower-priced product of equal or better quality.

I have no sympathy for those people whatsoever. They are killing their own golden goose.

I work for a tire plant (NON-union thank you) that supplies tires to the automakers. We are having to make major adjustments for out ticket and rent out warehouses for the tires we make. So far it hasn't hurt us directly, but I have seen the ripple effect in other industries that supply goods to the auto makers and they are laying off because of it.

Yeah, unions make sense.... NOT

Unions definitely had their place, but I think most of them are ridiculous now. There are laws in place now to protect workers from unsafe working conditions and unreasonable hours and everything the early unions had sought to achieve. Now it seems to be all about getting paid the most for doing the least amount of work.

I grew up in a very anti-union family in a very anti-union province, so I know I've got some bias but some of the things I've seen and heard have been utterly insane.

I have never worked for a union. I never will. Wow. So why did I waste my time going to university again?

Out of curiosity, do you make giant minesite tires? I was told not too long ago that the biggest thing preventing further mine expansions across the globe was a lack of new tires for giant minesite equipment.

/threadjack.

No, light truck and passenger tires. But our company does make these tires. Not sure where. Actually, we have one on display here at our plant and it is HUGE!!!! I was told we could make 25000 regular tires from the material needed to make one of these mining tires.