Boy do I have mixed feeling on this one. I'm for the innovative engine of capitalism, but also for restraining/regulating capitalism's worst aspects (as was Adam Smith, BTW). I'm for living wages and unions supporting workers' rights, but as a union member, I've also seen the suffocating rules it can dictate hurting innovation (and in my case, student learning). Then there's (some) corrupt union leaders.
I'm a "socialist" in that I believe in progressive taxation to support all types of social programs for a fairer and more humane society. But how do you create rules without causing future harm? As an example, I've been deeply following the development of EV (electric vehicles) which take far fewer workers to produce than ICE (combustion) cars. And even current ICE cars need far fewer workers than back in the '50's and '60's. So while the Detroit 3 are flush with cash now, they will soon be swamped by the tsunami of EVs from around the world. The recently won increased union wages are only going to make the D3 even less competitive than they currently are. Will even half the union member jobs be around in 10 years? I doubt it. Should they have gotten their increase wages? I don't know; life evolves.
Boy do I have mixed feeling on this one. I'm for the innovative engine of capitalism, but also for restraining/regulating capitalism's worst aspects (as was Adam Smith, BTW). I'm for living wages and unions supporting workers' rights, but as a union member, I've also seen the suffocating rules it can dictate hurting innovation (and in my case, student learning). Then there's (some) corrupt union leaders.
I'm a "socialist" in that I believe in progressive taxation to support all types of social programs for a fairer and more humane society. But how do you create rules without causing future harm? As an example, I've been deeply following the development of EV (electric vehicles) which take far fewer workers to produce than ICE (combustion) cars. And even current ICE cars need far fewer workers than back in the '50's and '60's. So while the Detroit 3 are flush with cash now, they will soon be swamped by the tsunami of EVs from around the world. The recently won increased union wages are only going to make the D3 even less competitive than they currently are. Will even half the union member jobs be around in 10 years? I doubt it. Should they have gotten their increase wages? I don't know; life evolves.
Senator, do you support repealing Taft-Hartley?