Home
>
Political
>
How Small Business Benefits From Supporting Labor Unions

How Small Business Benefits From Supporting Labor Unions

For a short time I worked as a union officer for the office workers' union at Walt Disney studios. It was a very educational experience and one thing I learned is that people have a strange attitude about the relationship between unions and business management. All too many business managers think of the union as their enemy, and unfortunately too many union members think the same thing about management. The sad part of it is, both sides are working toward the same goals. Employees need to be working for a successful and prosperous company and the company needs to be a place where employees can be happy and productive.

In today's business climate this partnership is even more crucial. We have a problem in this nation - too many gigantic corporations are hogging all of the business, putting smaller business owners out of business. And these corporations don't hire the union employees. Instead they outsource the jobs to foreign countries where they can get labor for pennies on the dollar.

Unions were originally formed to protect employees from the abuses of large companies. It is beneficial, I believe, for small business owners to support this fair play because in the process of promoting fair play for labor, they are also promoting fair play for business in general. Without mentioning names, the largest retailer in the nation has been accused of busting unions so they could continue to pay lower wages and less benefits. This same company sells products which are manufactured largely in China and this practice has cost a large number of American jobs. When this company moves into a new locality, small business owners go out of business. Small business and labor are both victims of the same corporate greed.

If small business owners could team up with labor, they could fight this evil together. It requires some sense of responsibility on both sides. Union members cannot expect a local furniture store, for example, to pay the same wages as they would expect somebody like GMC to pay. And the small business owner has to realize that it is this employee who is helping him to make a success of his venture. That employee cannot do his best work if he is worrying about foreclosure or eviction because his wages don't cover the basic cost of housing. The trick is for both labor and management to make small business's prosperous and then share that prosperity.

If you are a small business owner and your employees express a desire to form a union, my suggestion is, talk to them and to the union officials and see how you can make it into a mutually satisfactory partnership. If an employee comes to you with a grievance, don't think of it as a personal attack. Think of it as an invitation to open up a dialogue to resolve small problems before they escalate. On the same token, if you are an employee, don't think of the union as your way to stick it to your boss. Think of them as a tool to help you to help your boss become more prosperous and share his success with you.

Sure, unions have had their problems. There have been instances of corruption and abuses toward business. But for the most part, they are a good thing - not only for employees, but for the business community as a whole. Let's use them as the beneficial tool they were designed to be.

Ron Coleman is retired and spends most of his time working as a freelance cartoonist and writer. He has served as a union officer in the office workers union at Disney Studios and has sold several pro-union cartoons to labor publications. His work can be seen on his website: http://www.coleman-cartoons.com

car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a malware app called SpyLend is posing as a financial tool, hitting 100,000-plus downloads.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Clone Robotics’ Protoclone mimics humans with 1,000 muscles – too human for comfort.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson urges you to use Apple’s App Privacy Report to see what your apps are really up to.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how to smoothly transfer your data from an old laptop to a new one using cloud storage or external drives.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips to safeguard your personal information as scammers become more sophisticated with scam texts and other methods.

WeRide's unmanned electric delivery van, the Robovan W5, has 194 cubic feet of cargo space and can carry payloads up to about 2,205 pounds

Kurt the CyberGuy recommends deleting 16 browser extensions immediately in response to a report saying more than 3.2 million web users were affected by a security breach.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A robotics firm in China claims a robot has performed the world's first humanoid robot front flip, which is significantly more difficult than a backflip.

A digital ID may be even more secure than a physical ID. Storing your driver's license in your Apple Wallet is an ideal solution for commuters.

A cybersecurity firm has shed some light on just how common tax scams have become. Kurt the CyberGuy offers his advice for how to protect your refund.

Lifesize Plans offers immersive walk-throughs that allow customers the opportunity to tour a home's design before construction actually begins.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A man invested $4 million in bitcoin and lost it all with a single click when he was targeted by a vishing scam, which uses phone calls to trick people.

Expandable's Touchdown is a designer trailer that promises a luxury off-grid living experience and unfolds into a home in about 15 minutes.

Major employee screening company data breach affects 3.3 million people. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains what happened and gives five ways to protect your data.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals mind-blowing tech that gives you sunlight on demand.

New malware "FrigidStealer" targets Mac computers. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how lab-grown muscles power a biohybrid hand for scalable prosthetics and research.

Reports of task scams have significantly risen in the past four years, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some red flags.

iPhones have a hidden folder that eats up storage without you knowing it. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some tricks to free up storage on your device.

A recent ransomeware attack targeted Zacks, an American investment firm, and a cybercriminal claimed to have stolen records for millions of customers.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Researchers unveiled a new soft prosthetic hand that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.

Accidentally deleting a text message on your iPhone or iPad is not a problem if you still need the message. Apple has a built-in way to recover it.

How Small Business Benefits From Supporting Labor Unions

Political