I wouldn't call myself 'pro-union' as I have never been a member of one and I try to take a balanced view of them. I think there is so much hatred for unions on this board though that my position makes it look like I'm a big supporter of unions.
I just try to remind people that unions came into being for a reason during the 30s. You can read some history to find out what ordinary people's lives were like back then and what drove them to unionize, and the violence that was spawned in some cities (Minneapolis included) as the labor movement grew in importance. Unions are about more than just getting higher wages for members - they are also concerned with safe working conditions, benefits, job security, etc. In return (and I'm thinking of skilled labor here) they offer companies highly trained and effective employees. I worked in a unionized factory one summer and boy, those union members worked hard and fast, and when break time was over they were back on the job, right on time. I also lived next door to a union welder for a while, who welded staircases for parking ramps and office buildings under construction. He told me a number of horror stories about construction techniques (or lack thereof) of the untrained, non-unionized workers. One case was they weren't putting in expansion joints in the concrete they were laying, which would seriously undermine the safety and lifespan of the ramp they were building. Or would have to be torn up and done over, if the building inspectors caught it.
You business owners find no fault in yourselves for trying to maximize profits (in a sense raising the standard of living for your company and its stakeholders) - why do you denigrate people who try to do the same thing? Labor union's goals are to essentially raise the standard of living of their members.
OK, so higher wages are passed on to the consumers when employees unionize, the flip side is that higher government costs are passed on to taxpayers when employees aren't unionized. Someone in Montana recognized that, and is trying to do something about it. Maybe they're tired of huge corporate profits being made out of state, while Montana taxpayers are left to foot the bill of the unmet needs of Walmart employees.
Anyway that's my take on it.
