
Originally Posted by
BanginJimmy
But what does it cost us to phase them out? I read that if the Big 3 collapse it will cost more than 10 million US jobs within 5 years. Its not just the actual GM plants that will shut down. It is also the dealships and component suppliers that will fold or at least cut back dramaticly. The US as a whole cannot afford to simply let them collapse.
I dont know that unions stagnate the economy, but they, along with unfair trade practices, drive up the cost of American made products, making them uncompetitive compared to foreign made products in the same price range. Again, look at American made cars. People always complain that they are made like shit, yet cost the same as a foreign car. The reason for this is simple, the foreign companies can afford to use high quality parts in their vehicles while American manufacturers are forced to use lower quality parts to stay in the same price range.
The enviroment where unions thrive is always among minimally skilled laborers like the construction and manufacturing industries. Because those industries will always exist there will always be an enviroment in which someone with education can convince the uneducated that unionizing would benefit everyone.