California union members assaulting Arnold supporter in 2005
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When it comes to pointing fingers at who’s to blame for the continuing exodus of manufacturing jobs to China and other such places, I have long believed that the hardcore union types should look in the mirror for a glimpse of at least one of the many culprits. After years of mind-numbingly high salaries and benefits (for what one must admit were, in some cases, mundane tasks) far beyond what might otherwise have been deemed reasonable, you can’t really blame big companies for looking elsewhere for labor when given the opportunity.
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Consider this story about an 1854 strike action by the forerunners to my "favorite" local batch of unionized employees, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers as recounted by Ray Brighton. You’ll note the forward thinking warning about pushing employers over the brink:
The Portsmouth Journal noted that… the cost of the three-week strike was estimated at $15,000. The money came out of the pockets of the workers, and the newspaper moralized that such aggressive action by workers tended only to harm the workers themselves. Had the Secretary of the Navy not been forgiving and restored the original wages, the paper noted, workers who were unhappy with the wage cut could certainly move on and find work elsewhere. A major strike by workers, the newspaper warned, might cause the employer to pack up and go to a distance place where the workforce was more cooperative.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think that employees can and should be valued assets to any business or organization. I believe that workers should be paid fairly and treated with dignity and respect. If an employer violates the laws, I want them appropriately dealt with. I think there is a balance that can be reached that is equitable to all in the business world– all of which is ultimately driven by market forces. It’s how things work in America. But, might it be that some manufacturers, having had enough of the heavy handed tactics of labor unions, gave up and moved to better situations?
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Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the "Keep it Made in America" town hall style meeting in Manchester hosted by John Ratzenberger. While I agreed with much of the sentiment, and generally try to buy American whenever possible, I did note an element of unionism woven throughout the entire evening. Recognizing the fragile makeup of the Alliance for American Manufacturing that I much admire– management and unions working together in common cause– I overlooked most of the standard union anti-corporate references peppering the evening’s discussion… Except for the end-of the event tirade we heard from panelist, Gail Kinney.
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According to the event press kit, Ms. Kinney is a "Consultant to workers and labor organizations on high-road economic strategies" from Canaan, NH. She went on a rant that made me, as an employer and former corporate employee, uncomfortable, to say the least. Her blanket claims of employee abuse bordered on ridiculous– something that on balance with the rest of the evening, we all could have done without. Check it out:
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[FYI–The definition of "hack", from Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary: 3 a : a person who works solely for mercenary reasons : HIRELING <party hacks>]