General Discussion

alain2112

(25 posts)

4. Union Busting

Sun Jun 26, 2016, 02:00 AM

Jun 2016

One component of the story to which you point us has to do with crushing the unions by shutting down the unionized factories in the North and sending the jobs to the anti-union South - as the first leg on the journey to ship them overseas in the search for absolute bottom dollare wages and utterly subservient workers.

After a lot of people were thrown out on the streets with no work, a lot of the remaining workers made the hard choice that it's better to have a crappy low wage unprotected non-union job than to have no job at all so they gave in and surrendered concessions to management - only to have the jobs yanked away anyhow after the last nickel had been squeezed out of the contract.

So there is a lot of anger and a lot of resentment over the great betrayal. Some of it gets directed and foreigners and some of it gets directed at immigrants, but it really needs to be directed upwards at the people who made the decisions and stole all the money.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

108 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

A lot of people here experienced the Good Old Days very differently than my family did, I guess [View all] Recursion Jun 2016 OP

Thank you for sharing this ... NanceGreggs Jun 2016 #1

If you were a child in the seventies (I was a starving adult) you were in the throes of MADem Jun 2016 #2

Oh I remember it very well, but I stayed here in the US. tonyt53 Jun 2016 #77

They're looking at the past through privilege-colored glasses YoungDemCA Jun 2016 #3

and watching reruns of 50-70's TV... Wounded Bear Jun 2016 #18

This message was self-deleted by its author rjsquirrel Jun 2016 #105

Union Busting alain2112 Jun 2016 #4

So, what, were we just supposed to wait around with no jobs forever? Recursion Jun 2016 #5

For starters, you could understand what happened alain2112 Jun 2016 #7

You said exactly what I was thinking when I read the OP. Brickbat Jun 2016 #24

Thanks alain2112 Jun 2016 #74

Again, well said -- and welcome to DU. Brickbat Jun 2016 #78

You're pushing the old Socialist bugaboo MohRokTah Jun 2016 #34

I think they were talking about unions, not socialism. John Poet Jun 2016 #45

For the most part, Unions are becoming a failed system as well. MohRokTah Jun 2016 #49

AFL-CIO�s Trumka: USTR Told Us Murder Isn�t A Violation Under U.S. Trade Deals think Jun 2016 #54

Your repsonse has precisely nothing to do with my post. eom MohRokTah Jun 2016 #57

Ya. Right.... think Jun 2016 #60

I'm glad we now agree, your post had nothing to do with mine. Thank you. eom MohRokTah Jun 2016 #65

Keep telling yourself that... think Jun 2016 #67

Since you told me that, there is no need for me to tell me that. eom MohRokTah Jun 2016 #72

You blame the unions and ignore the murder just like the trade deals do. How quaint.... think Jun 2016 #64

I did nothing of the sort... MohRokTah Jun 2016 #66

The unions are failing because we send our jobs to countries where union leaders are murdered. think Jun 2016 #68

Now that is complete baloney. eom MohRokTah Jun 2016 #73

Sounds like guilds. Igel Jun 2016 #75

"unions kept their localized focus"? OrwellwasRight Jun 2016 #99

Figure out how to create jobs, rather than take them from the North? SMC22307 Jun 2016 #89

Of course not kcr Jun 2016 #100

Never had that problem in my father's Union... they busted up the 'busters' at Turkey Point Nuclear Ghost in the Machine Jun 2016 #44

I very much hope those responsible spent the rest of their lives in prison. Donald Ian Rankin Jun 2016 #91

These are stories that I heard when I was growing up. I neither condoned, nor condemned them, Ghost in the Machine Jun 2016 #106

Interesting Scootaloo Jun 2016 #6

Thanks for the story alain2112 Jun 2016 #71

Well said. Posts like the OP do nothing but advertise ignorance of others' experiences. nt vintx Jun 2016 #86

I have heard no one say they want to go back to the 1970's. No one! yeoman6987 Jun 2016 #8

Of course you do. That's the "neoliberalism" talk Recursion Jun 2016 #12

No. Nobody thinks that. Igel Jun 2016 #76

You're literally describing the opposite of neo-liberalism Recursion Jun 2016 #79

Only on the count of inflation Scootaloo Jun 2016 #84

No I'm pretty explicitly saying the Clinton era was, followed by today (nt) Recursion Jun 2016 #101

The 70's was a great time, in entertainment. Archae Jun 2016 #32

Norfolk Va did that 1939 Jun 2016 #36

Seems like everybody did it. Hassin Bin Sober Jun 2016 #94

Graphic and eloquent testimony to the dubious value of "back in the day" nostalgia. Thanks for this. Surya Gayatri Jun 2016 #9

Jerome K Jerome--The Idle Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow griloco Jun 2016 #10

So true treestar Jun 2016 #17

It's an astounding coincidence that the apogee of popular music was my senior year in college Recursion Jun 2016 #23

Wow jberryhill Jun 2016 #35

Similar story--I got ITOAIF from my uncle griloco Jun 2016 #87

Also true for me. Nt BainsBane Jun 2016 #11

The "GOD" Never Existed Night Watchman Jun 2016 #13

Sorry to hear that. Socal31 Jun 2016 #14

I have plenty of good feelings about my childhood in the 70's bhikkhu Jun 2016 #15

That's one of the reasons JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #16

My mom lost two jobs in the 70's and we ended up with a diesel VW. ileus Jun 2016 #19

I don't think people are referring to the 70's as the "good ol' days" FLPanhandle Jun 2016 #20

OK, but the 50s and 60s economy was entirely based on keeping non-white non-male labor cheap Recursion Jun 2016 #21

That never went away. FLPanhandle Jun 2016 #22

Not to mention the U.S. Benefiting form much of the industrilaized world.... Adrahil Jun 2016 #25

Me too, and I think they'd all depress wages Recursion Jun 2016 #26

They'd depress wages in certain kinds of jobs.... Adrahil Jun 2016 #27

Sure but you can say that about everything. Recursion Jun 2016 #29

I do agree with that.... Adrahil Jun 2016 #30

Oh, hugely small-c "conservative", and I get that that's their job Recursion Jun 2016 #37

Agreed, comrade. forjusticethunders Jun 2016 #48

Anything other than a guaranteed income is just arranging deck chairs Recursion Jun 2016 #53

Let me add onto that forjusticethunders Jun 2016 #58

That's definitely a thought. I also like Germany's method Recursion Jun 2016 #59

Well my method is *specifically* a way to implement socialism forjusticethunders Jun 2016 #63

public investment doesn't depress wages OrwellwasRight Jun 2016 #40

Depends. It certainly can. Recursion Jun 2016 #42

anecdotal. OrwellwasRight Jun 2016 #46

For the 50% of the population that was alive 3 years later, they'd be up Recursion Jun 2016 #47

so all's well that ends well? OrwellwasRight Jun 2016 #50

No, I'm saying raising wages isn't worth that Recursion Jun 2016 #52

I think I may understand where you are coming from. OrwellwasRight Jun 2016 #93

No, you're still getting this backwards Recursion Jun 2016 #96

I don't think the OP knows what the Good Old Days means at all. Rex Jun 2016 #82

I remember the 50s and 60s, they weren't Happy Days for everyone doc03 Jun 2016 #28

The meme that really irks me is "a high school graduate could support a family of four" Recursion Jun 2016 #38

Irks me too. nt raccoon Jun 2016 #70

That was true here for the lucky ones that had family either in management or union positions doc03 Jun 2016 #80

When I see stories like this the first question I want to ask SheilaT Jun 2016 #31

And that was the lesson I took from my parent's decisions too Recursion Jun 2016 #33

So the issue isn't so much the '70s, but living in an area (the South)... SMC22307 Jun 2016 #85

I find it hard to work up a great deal of sympathy for people SheilaT Jun 2016 #107

Growing up in Dertoit (1940-1957) 1939 Jun 2016 #39

My mom talked about the family vacations they took in the 1950s Recursion Jun 2016 #41

Please note: piling in the car. Driving somewhere (to a National Park) and SheilaT Jun 2016 #98

thank you for posting that, one who was there. raccoon Jun 2016 #69

It was before they passed the Constitutional Amendment 1939 Jun 2016 #88

yeah, I grew up before that Constitutional Amendment too. nt raccoon Jun 2016 #90

I think that's the secret behind the paradox that real wages are much higher now Recursion Jun 2016 #104

I can't speak for everyone, nor would I try to. I also can't speak to your own situation. But silvershadow Jun 2016 #43

And this is what I'm trying to remember Recursion Jun 2016 #56

I grew up poor back in the '60's. Today is much better then back then. Kaleva Jun 2016 #51

As one who came out of active 4yr duty in the Navy in '64, I had a choice of three places to work... dmosh42 Jun 2016 #55

Maybe it IS the Good Old Days? yallerdawg Jun 2016 #61

that map does not bode well. Hiraeth Jun 2016 #97

Nixon and Ford were both hamfisted Republicans who thought 4% inflation was a holocaust Warpy Jun 2016 #62

This message was self-deleted by its author Rex Jun 2016 #81

My job was to answer the phone and lie to bill collectors REP Jun 2016 #83

For the first world, the good old days ended 8 years ago. Donald Ian Rankin Jun 2016 #92

A lot of people are suffering today, and a lot of people suffered then. DemocraticWing Jun 2016 #95

I see a lot of progress in this thread. nt fleabiscuit Jun 2016 #102

I never heard of the 70's referred to marybourg Jun 2016 #103

It depended on where you lived too. If you lived in some areas in FL there were no real jobs Seeinghope Jun 2016 #108