Why are Americans so anti-unions?

[samoyed]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Air_Traffic_Controllers_Organization_(1968)#Legacy

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization or PATCO was a United States trade union that operated from 1968 until its decertification in 1981 following an illegal strike that was broken by the Reagan Administration. According to labor historian Joseph A. McCartin, the 1981 strike and defeat of PATCO was "one of the most important events in late twentieth century U.S. labor history".[1]

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In a review of Joseph McCartin's 2011 book, Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, The Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America in Review 31, Richard Sharpe stated that Reagan was "laying down a marker" for his presidency: "The strikers were often working-class men and women who had achieved suburban middle class lives as air traffic controllers without having gone to college. Many were veterans of the US armed forces where they had learned their skills; their union had backed Reagan in his election campaign. Nevertheless, Reagan refused to back down. Several strikers were jailed; the union was fined and eventually made bankrupt. Only about 800 got their jobs back when Clinton lifted the ban on rehiring those who went on strike. Many of the strikers were forced into poverty as a result of being blacklisted for [U.S. government] employment."

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Capitalists on both sides of the aisle (BOTH SIDES) have been banging the anti-union drum since Reagan, more Republicans than Democrats. Also another reason why I'm pro-Bernie, because he's staunchly pro-union.

 

[I am a Bird]

It's not a very black and white issue, but mostly like other people have said, it has a lot to do with unions seeming to protect problem workers, unions that are corrupt, and a big spoon full of propaganda.

 

[Deleted member 2779]

From what I remember from the class I took on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, anti-union sentiment goes well back before neo-liberalism made the U.S. its bitch.

 

[Kendrid]

Most Republican voters around me are extremely pro-union, to an extreme.

 

[joecanada]

A lot of sentiment in that unions protect and benefit crappy workers more than people who take their jobs seriously, for one.

I used to be in a union job for more than 12 years and that's mostly what they complained about. Also depends if you have a good union or not to influence your view, there are a lot of shitty unions out there.

Unions don't always = Good. A lot more complicated than that. I know plenty of people that are frustrated with their unions. But as it stands unions are sometimes the only way to guarantee job security so...

Sage said it best, it's not a black and white issue.

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Actually unions only benefit crappy workers where management is lazy and just goes " oh the union this and that " . I've worked union jobs almost my entire life and I've seen both helpless management who don't do shit and I've seen management literally make shit up and fire people on complete lies.
The fact is the union should and does always advocate for the employee and management always holds the balance of power .
No one should be against it the labour movement got us every single right in the workplace and continues to promote equality. Gender difference in pay ? Never heard of it (where I work it's literally impossible) .

 

[samoyed]

Union power got us the 10 hour work day from 12, and 8 hour workday from 10. It wasn't because of the benevolent hand of capitalism, people bled and died for it.

 

[Tawpgun]

Most Republican voters around me are extremely pro-union, to an extreme.

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It's because the GOP's labor/economic policies are generally in contrast with the working class.

They just gobble them up by preying on social issues and saying the left wants to turn every kid gay and give them a 50% tax.

 

[sensui-tomo]

Only union I'm anti for are the ones for cops. Seriously bring that system down and you actually have a chance of changing that system around. But good fucking luck with that .