If striking workers wish to strike, there should be absolutely no welfare, food stamp or free medical aid for these people. No gov't assistance at all.

Let the unions pay their way, not the American taxpayer

but let the american taxpayer give millions of dollars in subsidies to corporate scum, which they can use to hire union busting law firms.

fuck off ruling class scum

000

To give assistance to striking workers?

You'd think so, wouldn't you?

20 years ago, my father-in-law's union went on strike. The union gave the workers just barely enough to buy food....and that was chicken, mostly; the cheapest meat at the time. Lots of beans and potatoes. All they could afford.

Unions at one time served a purpose, a good and necessary purpose. However, over time the focus of the unions have shifted from the workers to the unions themselves.

The fact is, now the unions are a business, in it for the profit. I never got anything out of any union I ever belonged to. I made minimum wage (from which my union dues were conveniently automatically deducted, thatnk you very much). I worked in a shoe factory in a one-deep position. Every pair of shoes came through my station, yet I was paid based on production. Not mine; everyone else's. If there were no cases of shoes to seal, I didn't do anything. If they backed up, it was my fault, and I cleared them out. I had no impact on production, yet my pay was based on it. Tell me the sense in that. The Shop Steward didn't give a crap; couldn't be bothered to disturb her little empire for just a kid.

In another job I had, as a construction laborer, the boss hired a laid-off coal miner. Union man. Kept pissing and moaning about actually having to work in return for his paycheck. Kept threatening to "get the union to shut down the job site" if he didn't get an hour. I was getting ; the superintendent (and part owner) was only getting . But Union Boy thought he ought to get more than the boss...and threatened to shut it all down if he didn't get his way (as if the UMWA cared about a construction site).

Yeah, I've had bad experiences with unions.

Their time is past.

The problem isn't the unions - it's the membership. A whiner and bum is going to be one, union or not. A good person doesn't stop being one because of a union. It's up to the membership to keep the union honest. Today, American unions need to grow more balls, because they're chasing after the low-hanging fruit, and making a big deal out of holding onto benefits they got back in the 60s. They get little support, because grifters and bums got into it and corrupted them, and the rank and file let them.

Sometimes, I think the problem really boils down to morals. We respect assholes like Schwartzenegger and greedy bastards like Warren Buffet. We applaud when someone gets away with something "bad" and give little credit to the bleeding hearts who do something good. They get called idealistic and naive.

And even if we get "moral," we're quick to heap abuse on the people who are easist to pick on instead of the biggest assholes. People point fingers and say "lazy bum" or "slut" at the broke kids, but give our new Governer a pass. They let off the Milkens and Soroses off with a little "community service" just because they're rich. This is fucking *abusive* behavior, to kick the suckers when they're down. People need to be more like David fighting Goliath, and pitch rocks at the gigantors.

PS - I dis the unions, but, don't cross the pickets!

PS - The union workers have paid into unemployment and welfare, and should use it if they need it. Davi, you're a stooge for the boss.