Reply #12: I Would Join In A Heartbeat [View All]

[MannyGoldstein]

There are no unions in my profession, but I wish there were.

Here's the way I look at it - adjusted for inflation, the average wage of a non-supervisory worker (e.g., average Joe or Jane) peaked in the early 1970s, and has dropped pretty steadily since then. At the same time, the wealthy have gotten far wealthier.

Why?

The wealthy take money out of our pockets because they can. Unions are essentially the only thing in their way. Unions began to decline in the 1970s, so the wealthy could get away with cutting wages.

If we want to get back to where we were in the early 1970s - where a family could live a middle-class existence on a single working-person's salary (remember that?!) - we need unions back, and we need them with claws and sharp teeth.