I have the utmost respect for our firefighters and policemen. One of my brother's is a firefighter and the other is a deputy sheriff. The unions seem to work well for them.

Having said that; IMO unions were a great thing ages ago. The US has basically outgrown the need for them. I have other family members and in-laws who are union, steel workers and construction types. To me the union is a front for them to hide behind. I listen to these guys talk about how when the blast furnace goes down they all run and find a place to hide and sleep. Why, cause they can't be fired. I see morons who don't deserve a job making great pay and the union keeps them employed. These are the same people who wonder why our steel industry is in such bad shape.

I have never been in a union and have absolutely no desire to have one. Your job should not be a right. No group is going to tell me how to vote or what products I am allowed to buy.

JMO

No matter the profession, if a person works hard I have respect for them. Likewise, I have no patience for slackers be they friends, family or coworkers.

I don't fault the individuals who work for unions but I do dislike the vehicle which allows complacency. Excuse me, it ENCOURAGES complanceny.

Citing examples of how the union makes it possible to get high pay and superior working conditions doesn't convince me. It's like the Inner-City youths who carry a gun because they gain "respect".

In one sense, they are correct: others treat them with "respect".

And no matter how hard you try to teach them otherwise they feel they need that gun for the respect.

When all along they should have simply EARNED it...