Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
I said union zealot. That word has a specific meaning.
You, for instance, are a union member. And one who has been quite reasonable throughout this thread. Resurrection demonstrates the attitude of the zealot. While the two of you are on the same side of the overall debate, I am quite certain you see the differences between you two, particularly in attitude and combativeness, that the rest of us do.
Edit: I would add that what the union movement was about is not really what it is about today. IMNSHO, modern unions tend to display many behavioural traits similar to that of the employers they view as being enemies. One aspect in particular that I was actually talking about elsewhere today being the trend of consolidation and concentration of power and control that has occurred over the years. One has to ask how unions with literally millions of members representing diverse groups in differing industries can hope to operate in the best interest of all members. That concentration of power also results in another change - one of a union being about pride and unity being replaced with being about entitlement and selfishness. Again, character traits demonstrated by your erstwhile companion.
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That word can be used in many contexts with definitions varying in extremity, you may not have meant for it to come off that way but sarcasm in text can be tough to gauge, I found it offensive not so much towards myself or my sociopolitical beliefs, but because it can be misread as insinuating that someone who strongly believes in unions and the labour movement is wrong and thinks this way. Many people labeled union "zealots" were killed or suffered in other ways fighting for social justice and labour "rights" that society takes all too often for granted.
As for the labour movement in the modern day, while unions have grown and structured themselves, they still are still able to fight for their members because locals are set up to cover certain jurisdictions and industries. They can use their expansive network to gain insight on what is going in other areas and industries to provide better representation for their members.
If you are in a legal battle, a lawyer working at a law firm has far more resources at their disposal to help you win your case. The same is true for a union that has multiple locals working together. Solidarity amongst the members from various industries and geographical locations is built on the principles those members are representing: fighting for workers rights. Doesn't matter what industry someone works in, the supporting members have the same goals and values as one another and they know the fight to achieve it is one that is fought on many levels, so a win for any membership group is a win for them, even a win for a different union is a win for them.
The growing size and scale can have its downsides, corruption is one of the biggest worries, fortunately with every case of this comes higher scrutiny and stricter regulations and transparency laws from the labour board and other levels
of government, so while it is always a concern it's not something I worry about because I know if it does happen and someone wants to follows the steps to address it, that person is protected to do so, and there will be an investigation. Given the strict transparency laws surrounding union funds, there will be nowhere to hide the truth and those convicted of wrong doing are held accountable for their actions.