Item — HN Reader

> Thanks to unions we have things like 8 hours work day, it used to be 16 hours during 19th century. Thanks to unions we have things like job safety so industrial machinery won't rip you apart. Thanks to unions, company will give you tools for doing your job. I can go on and on.

This is the March of Dimes syndrome. Unions had noble goals at first, which they've fully accomplished (things like occupational safety rules are now the law for all employees, union or non-union), so they no longer have any useful purpose and their continued existence is now a net negative.

2 comments

Unions in America are not like unions in other places.

The negative aspects of unions in America are by legislative design, too. Laws have been passed to make unions work more poorly for workers and increase their unpopularity.

> their continued existence is now a net negative.

Like collective bargaining power for higher wages and benefits is net negative? I don't think so.

There is no such thing as higher wages without a corresponding increase in price or decrease in profits. Amazon could handle a delivery drivers' union - but on the other end you have groups like the ILWU who are single handedly responsible for the US coming last in any measure of port efficiency in the developed world.

Then, when the ILWU strikes, they get to hold the entire economy for ransom and extract concessions for a job that all of America would benefit from automating.

How is that not a net negative?