Words from the web
Do you think unions are still important, or have they outlived their usefulness? Would stronger unions help or hurt Fayette County’s economy?
“Without unions, workers have no protection.”
“In the early 20th century unions did good. Now unions are a drain on the economy and make it very difficult for companies to fire workers, [which] affects productivity. I’m glad unions are dying out.”
“I’ve heard rumblings of a restaurant workers union cropping up locally. Sounds good to me.”
“People have it tough! We need protection to make a fair wage.”
“I’m a boss in a union coal mine, and I honestly believe unions are killing the coal industry. I was in the union when I started in the mine. There is no need for them anymore. They are too costly and hurt the coal market. They give the lazy man too many rights.”
“I belong to the UMWA and work for Alpha Natural Resources. Even though we “kill so many businesses,” we are the most profitable mine that ANR owns, even among many, many non-union mines. We are also provided with the ability to promote safer workplaces and worker equality through this so we can come home safely to our families, not like the 29 miners killed at Upper Big Branch by company negligence just a few years ago.”
“I also work for Alpha. Cumberland is profitable because they are one of only two big mines that Alpha owns. Also, your cost per ton was in the mid-$35 a ton for the steam coal market. Steam coal is on the market for $19 a ton right now. Cumberland can’t sell its coal. Maybe when you started in the mine the union was needed. My dad worked at Cumberland and had 39 years in the union. There is no need for it in today’s world. Trust me, Bailey and Enlow are the strictest on safety I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been in every mine in a 100-mile radius. They outload everybody. And they also make $6 more an hour, have a better retirement plan and get more perks than the union man can imagine.”
“Union membership has been on the decline for years now, and it seems lower wages and less benefits for all is the result, while corporations rake in more money and CEO’s and the like keep adding exponentially to their salaries at the expense of all the other employees. Unions were formed because companies put employees into a situation that they were basically slaves and ‘owed their souls to the company store.’ It looks like they’re trying to get those days back by getting politicians in their pockets and passing laws that hurt all workers and have only helped the rich get richer and destroying the middle class.”