Modern Life in Northern Minnesota
Grace Kelly at the Minnesota Progressive Project features a video of State Sen. Tom Bakk explaining and analyzing Iron Range history in the context of modern politics. Bakk is actually pretty good at this stuff when you can keep him on point. Check it out.
By Aaron Brown A 21st century memoir of a place and a people: (Buy now on Amazon) -- The Iron Range is a string of blue collar towns along an iron formation in northern Minnesota, many of which ... Read More →
The Great Northern Radio Show features music, comedy & stories about modern life off the beaten path: Written, produced & hosted by Aaron J. Brown with a talented supporting cast and Minnesota musicians and guests. Each episode broadcasts from a different location. The next Great Northern Radio Show is Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019 at 5 ... Read More →
Bakk is real good at this stuff, but he tells half the story..
Yes, U.S. labor unions were created in the 19th century to protect children and workers from unfair, inhuman, labor practices that existed at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Good that they did…but it’s only natural for humans to protect themselves and survive. (Bakk could have begun his story a thousand years ago to be even more dramatic).
However Bakk doesn’t tell the whole story…Here’s the “Fair & Balanced” side of his union story…
1) Unions provide higher-than-market wages and below-market productivity for its members eventually killing the very business they work for. Wages are kept artificially high, rather than based on merit.
2) Production rates go down when unionization occurs.
3) Managements ability to fire known (to the union workers as well) troublesome, incompetent workers is difficult, no impossible…further contributing to poor productivity.
4) Its difficult, no impossible, to reward people who perform exceptionally well…discouraging personal satisfaction and productivity.
5) Every new task becomes a big, drawn-out affair via numerous frivolous grievances…further contributing to poor productivity. (My father, like most Rangers worked numerous jobs during his life. He worked in the mines for three months. He was a new union employee hired as a common laborer, a “helper”. One day, he was chastised by a more senior union employee for changing a light bulb in a storage closet. He was told it wasn’t his job. It was the job of an electrician. He quit. He couldn’t work in that nonsensical environment).
6) Job assignments are based on seniority, not merit, discouraging workers to improve themselves…further contributing to poor productivity.
7) Most unions have become political, self serving institutions interested more in their own self preservation than the good of their members.
8) And finally, most union leaders and their tactics are not very professional…they’re generally more childish, intimidating and bullish in nature. It doesn’t do much for their stature. In fact, many states are passing laws eliminating bullying in schools…Strange they don’t go after unions.
Look it up…
Look it up where? Cut the “look it up,” anonymous. I’ll look it up when you identify yourself.
You hate unions. Thanks for the chamber talking points. Unions are one side of a system that ensures that workers are protected from the social impact of capitalism, which is in all other aspects a superior system. Some of your points might be relevant to some situations, but are certainly not universal truths and are, indeed, untrue in many other situations.
No Aaron…I don’t hate unions (nor any person for that matter).
Also, I’m not a member of the Chamber of Commerce nor have I ever studied them or their principles. Sounds like you really hate these guys though!
I was simply pointing out the universal downside of unions impact on individuals, businesses and eventually jobs…which Tom Bakk didn’t in his monologue.
Aaron, if you don’t like anonymous comments, can you delete that option? Or is that set in stone now?
I guess people would just start posting under fake names like “Heywood Jablome,” but at least that would add to the entertainment value. 😉
My comments are too logical and thought provoking for Aaron to delete…plus they’re the truth.
If he did, his site would revert to nothing more than a Balsam CNN…
Aaron, associating too much with Grace “9/11 troofer” Kelly is not good for your reputation.
I seriously hope you don’t think Bush took down the WTC and Pawlenty took down the I-35 bridge.
As for unions:
We, as a country owe a lot to unions. There was a time when they were of great importance.
TRUE
“1) Unions provide higher-than-market wages and below-market productivity for its members eventually killing the very business they work for. Wages are kept artificially high, rather than based on merit.”
TRUE
“2) Production rates go down when unionization occurs.”
TRUE
“3) Managements ability to fire known (to the union workers as well) troublesome, incompetent workers is difficult, no impossible…further contributing to poor productivity.”
TRUE
“4) Its difficult, no impossible, to reward people who perform exceptionally well…
discouraging personal satisfaction and productivity.”
TRUE
“5) Every new task becomes a big, drawn-out affair via numerous frivolous grievances…further contributing to poor productivity. (My father, like most Rangers worked numerous jobs during his life. He worked in the mines for three months. He was a new union employee hired as a common laborer, a “helper”. One day, he was chastised by a more senior union employee for changing a light bulb in a storage closet. He was told it wasn’t his job. It was the job of an electrician. He quit. He couldn’t work in that nonsensical environment).”
TRUE
“6) Job assignments are based on seniority, not merit, discouraging workers to improve themselves…further contributing to poor productivity.”
TRUE
“7) Most unions have become political, self serving institutions interested more in their own self preservation than the good of their members.”
TRUE
” 8) And finally, most union leaders and their tactics are not very professional… they’re generally more childish, intimidating and bullish in nature. It doesn’t do much for their stature. In fact, many states are passing laws eliminating bullying in schools… Strange they don’t go after unions.”
TRUE
Unions love minimum wage increases even if they don’t pay minimum wage.
TRUE