Unions had their place. There's no question that fortunes in railroads, steel and such were built on the underpaid workers. But unions were specifically designed to protect the breadwinners. And as such, they organized much in the same way as street gangs who intimidated neighborhoods or companies into compliance. The racial issues have been the elephant in the room in many areas. Try to get a job as a master electrician or a master plumber in certain areas of New York and New Jersey and you will find race, family connections and kickbacks have more to do with getting contracts than skill. Of course now when you go to Las Vegas for a show, you have to pay two electricians upwards of $200 to plug in an electrical cord into an outlet. I have to think that greed will ultimately get them in the end as it is hitting auto workers now.
Unions had their place. There's no question that fortunes in railroads, steel and such were built on the underpaid workers. But unions were specifically designed to protect the breadwinners. And as such, they organized much in the same way as street gangs who intimidated neighborhoods or companies into compliance. The racial issues have been the elephant in the room in many areas. Try to get a job as a master electrician or a master plumber in certain areas of New York and New Jersey and you will find race, family connections and kickbacks have more to do with getting contracts than skill. Of course now when you go to Las Vegas for a show, you have to pay two electricians upwards of $200 to plug in an electrical cord into an outlet. I have to think that greed will ultimately get them in the end as it is hitting auto workers now.
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