Sources: Unions Target South Carolina
Two of America’s most aggressive, influential labor unions are reportedly targeting South Carolina in the wake of the state landing global aircraft manufacturer Boeing last month.
Sources tell FITS that both the International Association of Machinists and the United Steelworkers of America – two powerful unions with a history of collaborative efforts against Boeing – have set their sights on the Palmetto State. The unions have also reportedly received some inspiration in their efforts thanks to comments made by Otis “Otie” Rawl, head of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.
If true, this would be the second time Rawl’s tongue has gotten him into trouble recently, as Sen. Hugh Leatherman is said to have administered a stinging rebuke to the Chamber after Rawl spilled the beans about South Carolina’s deal with Boeing to a newspaper in Seattle, Washington.
One business leader specifically remarked how some of Rawl’s more aggressive “anti-union” comments had “put South Carolina on (organized labor’s) radar.”
That would certainly explain why Boeing was so adamant that state officials not reference “unions” or “union-related” considerations in the hoopla that followed the company’s decision to come to the Palmetto State. After all, it was trouble with the Machinists’ union in particular that many in Washington State blame for that state losing out on the project.
Boeing announced on October 28 that it would locate its second 787 Dreamliner final assembly facility in North Charleston, S.C. – a decision that could be worth as many as 12,000 jobs to the South Carolina economy.
The state offered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of incentives to land the company, a package some critics have blasted as a “Bailout for Boeing.”
One of the primary reasons behind Boeing’s decision was South Carolina’s right-to-work laws, which prevent agreements between organized labor groups and employers to make membership in a union – or payment of union dues – a condition of employment.
Comments
By Jon on November 5th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Lindsey Graham will help them out. He will call is compromise.
By Hilary on November 5th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Employers prefer workers with no rights. They can’t stand it when the peons demand an equitable share of the wealth they create. Employers want you to stay in your place, they want to make sure you continue to be expendable. So corporations move their factories to states or countries where workers are ignorant of their shared class interests or are prevented by law from uniting. It’s great for profits when you can keep the rabble divided. With a little class-consciousness, we could implement laws that would actually punish, and not encourage, the kind of union-busting that Boeing is getting away with.
By larry on November 5th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Just wait’n for the doctors and nurses to unionize and then go on strike…
By Union Free SC on November 5th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Of course the unions are pissed. They just got their a$$ whooped in the decertification by their own employees!!!
At least SC is open for business now that the unions are gone. We just need to keep them gone.
Keep fighting for freedom Odie.
By Darkseid616 on November 5th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Hilary, your comments:
“Employers prefer workers with no rights. They can’t stand it when the peons demand an equitable share of the wealth they create. Employers want you to stay in your place, they want to make sure you continue to be expendable. So corporations move their factories to states or countries where workers are ignorant of their shared class interests or are prevented by law from uniting. It’s great for profits when you can keep the rabble divided. With a little class-consciousness, we could implement laws that would actually punish, and not encourage, the kind of union-busting that Boeing is getting away with.”
This reads as though you spent one to many years at the University of Moscow getting your degreee in Marxism. Please see your way back over mother Russia, if you need help with airfare I think arrangements can be made…
By Ynot on November 5th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
famous words, Bring em on.
Hooray go unions.
By Seymour Glass on November 5th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
@ Hilary,
Free market be damned, right? There are unions in SC, genius, it’s just that workers here aren’t brainwashed to think that they are entitled to anything, and they have a choice in the matter.
@ Ynot,
They have been “brought on” before, and they have lost almost every time. Keep ‘em coming, suckas.
By Huhhh??? on November 5th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Right On, Hilary!!
By CNSYD on November 5th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Unions exist due to management failure. Having been in management in an organized (union) environment (which included IAM) it always amazed me that managers would make situations into us vs. them. Most of the time any concessions sought by the unions were nickel/dime work issues. Some managers would fight to the death over issues that were small but became large due to management stubborness. After getting a CEO who understood that we are all in this effort together, relations improved greatly. All it took was both sides sitting down and listening to each other. I have known of factories where the white collar employees secretly support blue collar (union) benefit negotiations because they knew that whatever the unions won would be applied to the white collar employees also.
By countryboy on November 5th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Unions are the number 1 reason a high percentage of all the products we use in the USA are manufactured or grown in foreign countries and China is fast becoming the world’s economic powerhouse, while our economy goes to hell. All the union loving socialist thinking a$$holes in this country are too F’ing stupid to realize this fact. American companies don’t want to be forced to move to right to work states, or to move over seas. They are forced to. This from a retired member of management in non-union manufacturing companies. Damn proud to be strongly non-union. Think unions are great? Go visit the rust belt. PA, Ohio, Michigan, etc. See all the closed plants the wonderful unions have brought to those states and a lot more.
By No Way! on November 5th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Unions are just a way for lazy, no count workers to keep their jobs when they want time off. Look at Georgetown, the steel mill is really successful with Union labor. I was told once that it cost more to employ a union steel worker than to sell the product he produced. That is how upside down the union employment is in America. Look at Obama Motors! They are really successful! The president is just another pitiful union worker if you ask me. He’s about as successful.
By lilly on November 5th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
What if taxpayers “unionized” and decided to “go on strike” by not paying income taxes?
Seventy five percent of Americans are opposed to government-sponsored abortion.
What if 4o million taxpayers protested by refusing to pay income taxes?
What will Bambi do?
By CNSYD on November 5th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
countryboy, the number 1 reason that so many things we use in this country are manufactured in China is that the COMMUNIST gevernment of China uses slave labor in sweatshops to produce them. Further this COMMUNIST government is probably the biggest polluter on the planet. So this is the fault of US labor unions? Is your proposal to replicate the same working conditions in the US?
By Hilary on November 6th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Unions give working-class people power over their own lives. If you think that’s a bad thing, you’re wrong.
By Spartacus on November 6th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Calling the Steelworkers and Machinists unions the “most aggressive and influential” is a gross overstatement. The Steelworkers in particular are a pathetic excuse for a union. Their membership numbers, which fall steadily, are only propped up by mergers with other failing unions and they are in such bad shape financially that if they were a business they would be bankrupt.
America Works Best Union Free!
By Madison on November 6th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Hillary,
Here in the US, our Constitution affirms the fact that each individual has sovereign power over his own life, and guarantees limits to which the federal government can infringe upon that sovereignty. Our country was founded on the idea of each persons right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (Nostalgic adide: this used to be toaght in the public schools.)
Unions do not give working-class people power over their own lives – in fact it is just the opposite. Union members relinquish the power they inherently possess to the union bosses who aggressively seek an adversarial relationship with the employers. This keeps the union members convinced that the people who are providing the jobs are the enemy while the parasitic union bosses live in high style on the dues they take out of each members paycheck.
It is amazing to me how someone can see the one who is providing him a job as the enemy while seeing the one taking money from his paycheck as his friend.
By Sicster on November 6th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Will, let the free market work. if unions want to come fight, we’ll fight. Business will most likely win. SC workers are smart enough to figure out that unions are a bad deal and will most likely cost them their job down the road.
of all people, i thought you were an anti-union guy.
By SCFolly on November 6th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Georgetown Steele, anyone? Unions at there best… right, Hilary? Unions gave those employees the power to be unemployed.
By CNSYD on November 7th, 2009 at 10:54 am
SCFolly, SC has a better example of non union industry. Take a look at the former textile industry in the upstate. Non union workers were paid poverty wages, lived in company housing, bought goods at the company store, etc. “I owe my soul to the company store” was more than just a song lyric. Working conditions were such that job related injuries were the norm. Latent disease such as brown lung appeared late in life. So any surprise that unions gain footholds?
By baker on November 7th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
My understanding is that UPS workers in SC are part of a union….and that they get very good pay and terrific benefits. And that’s a pretty successful company, it would seem.
Of course, there may be other examples of unions being as terrible as so many on the right say. I suppose it’s not an issue that I know just a great deal about.
By mt on November 9th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Unions served their purpose once. ONCE! Now they are nothing more than what they ‘claim’ they fight against. If you think Unions are not in it for the money, then please go back to school and educate yourself a little more. Why do you think Unions are trying so hard to eliminate secret ballot elections? Its the almighty buck! Its because they know that when the truth has a chance to be shown in the spotlight, people will understand that unions really cannot compete in this world where employment law is so far more advanced than it used to be in the Union hayday. Oh yeah by the way – please look and see how the Unions have devestated Deerborn, Michigan; Detroit; Ohio; Buffalo; They weave their way into the political structure and pretty soon if you want to see progress in infrastructure – you won’t because the union won’t let honest hard working people get ahead without giving them a BIG cut of the pie!
By Mr. Union on November 11th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
From my experience the people who dont want the union are either not well informed on what EXACTLY being union means. Or are wealthy buisness owner’s who got rich of their worker’s and would rather not pay the benifit’s so their workers can have a FAIR living and goo retirement,