Eulogy For A Union
via Fox News
via Fox News
With Dale McCoy
The union movement in America has been suffering for decades, and its pulse is rapidly deteriorating. It is currently undergoing treatment in Madison Wisconsin, but the outlook is grim. While many feel that the movement is finally showing signs of strength, I believe we are witnessing the euphoria that commonly precedes imminent death.
Unions are trapped in a lose-lose situation of their own making. If they prevail in Wisconsin, voters across the US will exact a heavy toll on union friendly politicians. If they fail in Wisconsin, politicians across the US will exact a heavy toll on the unions. This predicament is the result of an unholy alliance between unions and the democratic party. Their fates are inextricably entwined. As the democrat’s progressive policies fail, the unions will fail with them.
Having been a union member, and quite close to the labor movement, I feel an obligation to help draft the obituary. I hope that the text of my eulogy does the labor movement justice, because in its prime, it really was an asset to society.
Brotherhood passed away today after a lengthy and debilitating battle with addiction. Brotherhood was preceded in death by railroad, steel, and mine workers. He is survived by remnants of the autoworkers and numerous democratic officials. The cause of death is still under investigation, however, autopsy results revealed elevated levels of public funding and cultural insensitivity in his bloodstream.
Friends, what few are left, will be received this evening in the abandoned buildings of the rust belt, the vacant lots of Detroit, and in the decaying remains of coal mines. A service will be held tomorrow at the empty steel mill, followed by interment in the deserted Gulf oil fields. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that unemployment checks be sent to those in need.
Brotherhood was born in the waning days of the Nineteenth Century, and he enjoyed a vibrant and productive youth. As a young man, he was called to duty against the Robber Barons and he fought tirelessly for the rights of the working man. After years of struggle, he emerged victorious and returned home to raise his family. He remained very active through two world wars, a great depression, and numerous political administrations.
Over the past forty years, brotherhood struggled with an addiction to public money and partisan politics. As his dependency worsened, he lost the ability to distinguish between private industry and public welfare. At the time of his death, he was broke and homeless.
Brotherhood will be sadly missed.
There is plenty of satire in the paragraph above, but there is no humor. Progressive policies have destroyed our industrial base and drained our treasury. Taxpayers have had enough of the irresponsibility and political paybacks, and they will vote accordingly. Unions are addicted to a single political party, and they are perfectly poised to reap what they have sown.
Public unions present a unique problem because bargaining parties are often on the same side of the table, and, they are negotiating with someone else’s money. When private unions overreach, they perish. When public unions overreach, the taxpayers suffer. To make matters worse, liberal policies have over time, replaced private sector work with public funded work. The line between public and private unions is quite blurry.
I spent twenty years working as a union construction electrician and I have witnessed first-hand how “progressive” legislators ruined our industrial base and fostered a dependency on government. It is time to get our house in order, balance our budgets, and rebuild private industry. If our monetary system collapses, our society will collapse, and our union cards will be worthless.
I support Governor Scott Walker.
Dale
Posted: February 25th, 2011 under Blue Collar Commentary, News, Newsworthy, unions.
Comments: (10) | Print This Post
This is a thoughtful and well written piece explaining what happens when the movement’s leaders “sell out” the best interest of their membership for political power. At the macro level the leadership cannot defy the laws of economics. Consumers, (including union members) shop for value and lower prices. Taxpayers vote for value and lower taxes. Labor (including union members) votes for jobs. In the short term union leadership can resist the laws of economics by selling out and exploiting their membership for political power. Eventually enough of the voters will wake-up and demand justice. For example, it is unfair and unjust that Wisconsin public employees receive another 74.2 cents in benefits for every dollar of salary while it is 24.3 cents for the employees of private firms that are paying the taxes to support the public employees. As Mr. McCoy stated it is the unholy alliance between union leaders and the Democrats that permits this unfairness to continue. Given the freedom to do so, when the rank and file realize they are being promised a “fairy tale,” they will revolt. That is the real fear of union leadership.
Once upon a time, the unions had a place in America. They were the backbone of creating the American Dream. Then, over years of infiltration, they succumbed to socialism & communism. The rank and file, who were the purpose of the union, ceased to be the purpose with the exception of those dues taken from the workers while saying the money was for them. It wasn’t. It was for the heads of the unions to dole out to the Democrat Party in exchange for perks and plenty. The rank and file have no voice unless they spew the union line. The rank and file have no incentive to do well because the system is based on tenure versus performance. Everyone is the same. Workers of the world unite and let the new motto be “RIP unions” .
Wonderful article, Dale. You energized the crowd, as usual, with your passion yesterday, in support of Governor Walker and all the leaders who are committed to reigning in the out of control spending. We can no longer afford to continue to be silent about the cozy deals between the government and public sector unions. Thank you for your courage to speak up for all of us!
As with other posts by Mr. McCoy, I now find myself in need of studying what exactly is going on in Wisconsin as I only know what I’m hearing on the news. I will say that as a Union member I firmly believe that workers will always need protection against exploitation. So let’s make sure the baby isn’t being tossed out with the bath water.
Bob, excellent comment, and I agree 100%.
Bonnie, I just checked your link, and I see you are keeping up the good fight! Thank you
Betsy, I really appreciate the kind words, Thank you
Annette, I very much understand your concerns, and I certainly do not advocate total elimination of collective bargaining. To elaborate on your analogy; The baby is in the tub….but the house is on fire! We have no choice at this point but to throw the water on it quickly and make a grab for the kid…..otherwise we’re all going to fry!
I really appreciate feedback, it keeps me on my toes, and straightens me out when I need it . Please keep it coming,
Dale
Dale McCoy has a gift, and I told him so after he addressed Tea Party types at Allegheny Landing last summer. He speaks with clarity, wisdom, and force. This man has the power to move the masses, and he belongs in front of large crowds. How do we make that happen more often? God bless this man.
Excellent post! As a daughter of a coal miner, I am well aware of the good unions did at one time. However, even my dad was mad at union leadership using dues money to support only Democrats and t protect dishonest lazy workers wit the same zeal as the productive honest workers. For many years now, unions have sought to make up for lost power and revenue from private sector member through increased public sector “donations”.
I support Governor Walker’s plan to an extent but I especially support the unions collecting their own dues. If the product they are offering (killing the golden goose) is so great then people will pay their dues right on time every month.
At the conclusion of Dale McCoy’s remarks at the City County Building Tea Party Rally in support of Governor Walker’s governance of Wisconsin, Dale said, “We can’t afford to leave the United States.” One of my compatriots remarked, “And, we can’t afford to STAY!” Dale laughed when he heard this response. I noticed that the KDKA reporter, John Delano, saw us laughing.
I believe that he was thinking that with our sense of humour, the Tea Party is destined to prevail in this internecine struggle.
Dale, your elaboration on the baby in the bath water certainly highlights the dire straights we’re all in and yes something needs to happen to reign in spending. I’m certainly hoping that that it can be done without losing unions in the process.
Unions are and historically have been the best and, in many cases, only hope for working men and women to gain a decent standard of living. The problem with unions IS NOT the vast majority of members who desire only a fair wage, the opportunity to educate their children and to have a better life. But rather with the greedy and corrupt union leaders who continue to sell out the very “brothers and sisters” they claim to represent and from whom they “earn” their inflated salaries.