Unfortunately, Balzano’s shocking lack of common sense is all too common in today’s mentally ossified union movement. Imagine the impact on your local small business if the Democrats succeed in implementing their forced unionization schemes such as card check, with Balzano knock-offs imposing soaring costs with similarly rigid union work rules.
The problem with today’s labor unions is that they follow an outdated model arising from the industrialization battles at the end of the 19th century. That model is closer to piracy in aiming to take from others, rather than productive modern capitalism. Basic economics will tell you that any higher wages that unions achieve for their members come at the expense of lower wages for others excluded from the market, with even volunteer labor from Boy Scouts working on their Eagle projects to be rejected.
There would be a role for modern, free market labor unions that approached employers with the proposition, “How could we be more productive so that you can pay us more?” Such unions would be welcomed by employers as promoting good communication and cooperation with the company’s work force, and adding to rather than subtracting from the company’s bottom line and survival prospects.
But unions persist with their pirate model, thinking they can achieve more by taking as much as possible from the employer and the company. That is why union-dominated industries such as steel and now autos have fallen into steep decline. Glenn Beck calls SEIU a “thugocracy,” meaning precisely rule by thugs. That is precisely how SEIU local President Balzano behaved in Allentown.
Hitler had his brown shirts to intimidate and beat up the opposition. Mussolini had his black shirts to do the same. SEUI’s apparel features purple shirts, from which you should interpret that they pursue the same approach. And if Obama’s Democrats have their way, those purple shirts will be coming to a job site near you, asking you ever so politely to sign a little card asking for a union from your employer.