I think you probably would not have crossed the picket line if you had known in advance that it was there, and what the issues were. Coincidentally, I was discussing trade unions with my kids last night. Although there are some abuses in the unions, on the whole the trade union movement has been a tremendously useful force for working people.
We got off on the discussion driving back from DC because we passed a building that has "Right To Work" on it in big red letters. They wanted to know what that means. I gave them the example of a lady who consulted with me on Friday. She works in a unionized business, but doesn't belong to the union. Yet, because Virginia is a Right-to-Work state, she is entitled to all the benefits and working conditions and wages that the union negotiated, without having to pay union dues. Good for her, bad for the union, and if everyone did that, there would be no union.
If scabs are willing to take union jobs, and everyone is willing to cross picket lines, there will be no union. If you think the union is a good thing, don't cross picket lines in the future. Donate $150 to the union and you'll feel better. |
