Public Labor Unions Are Beneficial to Society

I. Labor EfficiencyI. i. Worker's Contentment My opponent is basically trying to say that labor unions are beneficial because they gain collective bargaining rights to the individual worker, and that this makes them happier and more productive. However, this falls apart quickly. One, labor unions are extremely undemocratic. In this startling statistic: "After all, less than 10 percent of America’s current union members have voted to have a union in their workplace—in many cases the union was already established and the worker had to join as a condition of employment. "[1] If workers want to leave this environment: "Moreover, most union constitutions consider any attempt by a member to secede from the union—including on an individual basis—a punishable offense that can result in steep fines and even termination of employment. "[1] Therefore, unions are undemocratic and do not necessarily protect the wants of the worker. Second, labor unions reward for membership, not hard work. Not only does this encourage sloth, but this also is unfair to all the hardworking workers out there. Consequently, union contracts compress wages: They suppress the wages of more productive workers and raise the wages of the less competent. Unions redistribute wealth between workers. Everyone gets the same seniority-based raise regardless of how much or little he contributes, and this reduces wage inequality in unionized companies. [2] But this increased equality comes at a cost to employers. Often, the best workers will not work under union contracts that put a cap on their wages, so union firms have difficulty attracting and retaining top employees. [3][4]Finally and most importantly, if unions put strains on workers, there is a more viable option for employers:"Recently, Boeing was sued by the National Labor Relations Board because the company tried to move factories from the heavily unionized state of Washington to South Carolina, a right-to-work state. In this economic environment, unions aren't protecting their workers against evil corporations. Instead, they are protecting them from the droves of unemployed citizens looking for work. Boeing has no moral obligation to keep jobs in the U. S. If the government tries to restrict Boeing's flow of capital, Boeing can just as easily take the jobs to China. In a global economy, a state that allows powerful private-sector unions will lose jobs and experience slow economic growth. "[5]I already stated in Round 2 that labor unions cause unemployment, and I just reaffirmed that unions tend to be unfair in wage distribution. This certainly does not promote happiness among workers. I. ii. Working Time ". .. Labor unions promote laziness and apathy. Laziness and apathy cause businesses to go bankrupt. "[6]Labor unions tend to promote laziness (note I already explained why earlier), and wasted hours shouldn't count as worked hours:"As a result of the high wage rates, employers can afford to hire fewer workers; as a result of curtailed production, employers need fewer workers. Thus, one group of workers obtains unjustifiably high wages at the expense of other workers who are unable to find jobs at all. "[7] The same thing applies. Unions also tend to increase the amount of strikes and lockdowns. [8] "Besides raising compensation costs, unions reduce government efficiency in other ways. Unions tend to protect poorly performing workers, they often push for larger staffing levels than required, and they discourage the use of volunteers in government activities. Further, they tend to resist the introduction of new technologies and they create a more rule-laden workplace. In the private sector, businesses can mitigate such union-caused inefficiencies. Unfortunately, public-sector managers have little incentive or flexibility to make such changes. A final type of inefficiency created by public-sector unions is the cost of strikes. "[8] This is also a hinderance on total work time and especially on potential work time (i. e. time that could have been spent on business expansion and R&D that is now wasted). I ask my opponent, is there any evidence to his claims? II. Benefits to Societal Values and EconomyII. i. Societal Values I have already countered most of this (especially the part about employment), but I will touch on my opponent's claims that unions give workers rights and protects them (note I have already countered some of this in I. i. ). "It was the economic self-interest of employers, that led them to raise wages and shorten working hours – not the pressure of labor unions. The eight-hour day was established in most American industries long before unions acquired any significant size or economic power. "[7]"The laissez-faire ideology and its offshoot, the "Industrial Revolution," blasted the ideological and institutional barriers to progress and welfare. They demolished the social order in which a constantly increasing number of people were doomed to abject need and destitution. "[9]It has not really been the unions that have helped workers' plights. Capitalism has given the workers the rights they deserve. Also, "As a result of allegedly “pro-labor” legislation and of the monopolistic power that labor unions enjoy, unemployed workers are not free to compete in the labor market by offering their services for less than the prevailing wage rates; employers are not free to hire them. In the case of strikes, if unemployed workers attempted to obtain the jobs vacated by union strikers, by offering to work for a lower wage, they often would be subjected to threats and physical violence at the hands of union members. These facts are as notorious as they are evaded in most current discussions of the unemployment problem – particularly by government officials. "[7]II. ii. Economic BenefitsOn marginal productivity: "Further ambiguity is occasioned by Allen's (1984a) finding that absenteeism is at least 30% higher among union worker. "[10] "As a consequence, productivity growth tends to be slower in unionized firms and industries. Increased management opposition to unions, and declining union coverage and employment within most sectors of the U. S. economy, appear to be predictable responses to the relatively poor performance of highly unionized companies during the 1970s. "[10] Unions lower productivity. On tariffs: ". .. the underlying truth about protectionist tariffs is that they aid domestic producers who've failed to meet the needs of domestic consumers. "[11] Tariffs are bad, so the fact that unions are encouraging them is bad in itself. Finally, my opponent brings up two graphs that show the "popularity" of labor unions. Not only does my opponent commit an Ad Populum fallacy, it's also wrong; it's old. Look at this graph: [12] This newer graph shows 20% declines in union approval. Therefore, the public seems to be split on them. Sources:[1]: . http://www.forbes.com...[2]: Freeman, "Union Wage Practices and Wage Dispersion Within Establishments"[3]: David Card, "The Effect of Unions on the Structure of Wages: A Longitudinal Analysis," Econometrica, Vol. 64, No. 4 (July 1996), pp. 957-979[4]: . http://www.heritage.org...[5]: . http://www.alligator.org...[6]: . http://www.broowaha.com...[7]: . http://www.nathanielbranden.com...[8]: . http://www.cato.org...[9]: . http://mises.org...[10]: Addison, John T. Hirsch, Barry T. , "Union Effects on Productivity, Profits, and Growth - Has the Long Run Arrived? "[11]: . http://www.forbes.com...[12]: . http://www.gallup.com...