<story><title>As unions decline, inequality rises</title><url>https://www.epi.org/publication/unions-decline-inequality-rises/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Zeyka</author><text>I will never understand how some working class Americans can be against unions, maybe they just see themselves as embarrassed millionaires that would want to crush their workers to squeeze money out of them? It&amp;#x27;s probably my European brain, but I cannot understand how someone, say Jerry, 60 year old factory worker from idaho, can be against unions...</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>wallawe</author><text>If this is your take, you&amp;#x27;re not being honest about the downsides of unions.&lt;p&gt;Here is a list of reasons for not wanting a union[1]:&lt;p&gt;- I want my underperforming colleagues to be fired quickly. It&amp;#x27;s unfair and annoying that laggards are protected and free riding off their colleagues&amp;#x27; (my) effort, and it leads to ineffective orgs.&lt;p&gt;- I don&amp;#x27;t want seniority or rank to be rewarded. It&amp;#x27;s unfair to young people (me) who are more competent and ambitious, and it leads to ineffective orgs.&lt;p&gt;- I want to negotiate individually because I believe I will make more money as an outperformer. I don&amp;#x27;t want a centralized handicapper to blunt my compensation.&lt;p&gt;- I don&amp;#x27;t like that unions are rent seeking in nature.&lt;p&gt;- I don&amp;#x27;t like that unions often are exploited by organized crime.&lt;p&gt;- I don&amp;#x27;t like that unions interfere in the broader political process and democracy via activism and political pressure (e.g look at the fact that the new EV subsidies will be going to everyone except Tesla, it&amp;#x27;s a perversion).&lt;p&gt;- I think people should be free to organize, but I don&amp;#x27;t like that the state grants special asymmetric powers to unions.&lt;p&gt;- I don&amp;#x27;t like especially public sector unions that I believe are doing significant damage to society broadly. For example police unions that shielded Chauvin after a large number of complaints.&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=28958674&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=28958674&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>As unions decline, inequality rises</title><url>https://www.epi.org/publication/unions-decline-inequality-rises/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Zeyka</author><text>I will never understand how some working class Americans can be against unions, maybe they just see themselves as embarrassed millionaires that would want to crush their workers to squeeze money out of them? It&amp;#x27;s probably my European brain, but I cannot understand how someone, say Jerry, 60 year old factory worker from idaho, can be against unions...</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>jasode</author><text>&lt;i&gt;&amp;gt;It&amp;#x27;s probably my European brain, but I cannot understand how someone [...] can be against unions...&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;America unions are structured differently from Europe and some can become as distrusted by the workers as the corporation.&lt;p&gt;Your viewpoint is common but it&amp;#x27;s based on the mental model of &lt;i&gt;&amp;quot;Unions are good.  Period end of story.&amp;quot;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;But for voters like your proverbial Jerry against unions, the mental model is more about &lt;i&gt;tradeoffs&lt;/i&gt; like this, &lt;i&gt;&amp;quot;the proposed union by these particular set of organizers has made some promises and wants to charge me $$$ per year to negotiate with the company.  Things may turn out better -- or they may turn out worse (e.g. no job).&amp;quot;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an example, the Amazon union vote in Alabama failed and many blamed Amazon propaganda.  No doubt that Amazon crafted many negative messages about unions.  But outsiders forget that many voters &lt;i&gt;had older relatives from Alabama coal mines&lt;/i&gt; telling them that &lt;i&gt;&amp;quot;the union just took our dues money and didn&amp;#x27;t do shit for us&amp;quot;&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;p&gt;How can pro-union advocates counter those disillusioned union coal miners spreading negative information like that?  These are the kinds of scenarios Europeans are unfamiliar with.</text></comment>