Quote:
Originally Posted by spoonfedmonkey
At great economic cost. That may be the single biggest economic problem in Germany.
A real job means guaranteed benefits which go beyond what Americans expect. But hey, this thread ain't about Germany. Still, it's quite interesting.
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It comes down to power and corruption in the human condition. If the unions get powerful, they get corrupt. If the corporations get powerful, they corrupt. If the government gets powerful, it gets corrupt.
Right now in the U.S. only about 7% of the private sector is unionized. The lower the number sinks, the worse the lot of American workers is. When we had closer to 35% or 40% of private sector workers unionized back in 1930s -- 1960s, wages and job security improved all around because of the influence of unions. Yes, the big unions were corrupt. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was certainly wrapped up in organized crime; however, even corrupt unions turned out to be much better for securing a middle class than "at will" employment
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A New England colloquialism for carbonated beverages is "tonic." However, we always called it soda in my family.
