File this under the heading of "nothing good can come of this!" So since the TSA cant seem to steer clear of trouble and have a horrendous track record with talent, now POTUS wants to let TSA workers unionize.
Let's see... our track record with allowing critical transit safety folks has gotten us such memorable moments as the Air Traffic Controllers strike debacle. Who are we kidding with this move? These people don't need a union to protect them, they need decent management, supervision and training. In a Presidency which is heavily beholden to organized labor, this is just another move aimed to placate the Unions who counted on Obama to ring in a new era of Union power, when union membership is fading. I guess his stacking the deck at the NLRB with pro-labor appointees wasn't enough to satisfy them when they could not get the hallucinogenically named "Employee Free Choice Act past even the super majority honeymoon of the first part of his administration.
I could (and have already) climb up my stump and vent for hours about this, but let's take a more pragmatic, historical perspective - because "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it"
Let's look at how well most "big union" industries have done so far:
Big Steel - rusted and barely breathing
Automotive - saved only be massive concessions and billions of our tax dollars
Textiles - crushed by cheaper imports....
The list goes on and on. I am NOT anti-union, but I am pro-business and when you don't have a truly compelling reason to bring a union in to protect workers and ensure a reasonable wage, you are just adding complication and cost to the equation. Leave the TSA off the labor unions menu and let them get on with their jobs!
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I could not agree more. In 1981, just before Reagan terminated the PATCO air traffic controllers, almost 27% of US workers were union members - now the non-government number is less than 11%. Government is the fastest growing sector because it is a captive audience. Why the decline? We now have multiple state and federal agencies to address workplace issues without the need to pay dues. In this environment, it would be closer to "mandating" union membership v "allowing" it. I think we have more important problems we can address.
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