OK Greg:
I will agree with all the way back to FDR. But you must admit the impact that Pres. Reagan made with the unions undercut the wages of all americans. When the unions work for less the entire work force is affected. I am not pro union but higher union wages require non union companies to raise their pay scale or not be able to compete for a better work force.
Results= A middle class
That I sort of agree with you, the premise that the result was the middle class is where I depart.
There always have been a middle class in our society, going back to the founding of the country. The middle class at that time was the people in the cities who for what ever reason decided to make a living being cobblers, haberdashers, brewers, printers and tailors to name a few.
Some claim that Henry Ford created the middle class but in realty he elevated it to a more predominate footing within the class structure. The unions (auto workers) on the other hand in the 30's through the 50's further forced improvements and had a more equalizing factor. But that all fell apart during the big expansion in '64 and '65 where the union protected anyone that the company hired and there was such a need for bodies that the companies were hiring anyone that could put an X on the dotted line.
The departure from the world and the US with unions was the problem that there was a false friction between the two here where as Europe ended up working with the companies through the government. The issue for me is the propaganda that we have been fed for a long time, like the middle class thing still deflects people from the truth of our past and what the differences are between the past where we needed some changes and the present where we need to redo the entire system.
I also don't think that the union was busted by just the government under Reagan, it goes back to Robert Kennedy. Overall during Kennedy's administration we seen an assault on the unions and organized crime and union connections. For some odd reason it seemed to me really stupid to bite the hand that got you into office and hope we never ever see another Kennedy in office and hope we never see another relative in an appointed position.
But with that said, I think the unions have dug their own hole by supporting a party, the democrats, 100% without questioning anything they do or have done. I remember when Clinton was pushing NAFTA, here is a democratic president who really got into office because of the union vote and screwed the union and everyone else for that matter. What is really troublesome is the people crying that they lost their jobs and they still voted for Clinton for his second term.
The sad things is the unions don't represent the people that are called their rank and file anymore, they represent the companies and political parties.
If it was so important for unions to keep the American way of life alive and flourishing, then they would not vote democrat or for that matter republican but start using their political power to recall senators, congressman and governors who believe in open borders. Don't expect the American people to back unions until they do something when you have the teamsters going to court to prevent Homeland security from enforcing the laws, it makes more disbelievers out of the common people that unions do good for America and the sympathy is all gone for the union worker.
