Unions: Where did the U.S.A. go wrong?

[a completely inoffensive name]

Fair trade is hogwash. Forcing foreign companies to pay higher wages just takes away from the main economic advantage those foreign workers have; the willingness to work for lower wages. Using law to force those wages up to parity with western workers will just result in those foreign workers not being employed at all. It's got nothing to do with helping foreign workers from the union's viewpoint, and everything to do with helping themselves. (Note: by foreign workers I'm refering to third world workers as in China, Asia, etc.)

Seamus, as usual, makes very good and eloquent points. I'll expand a bit on the fact that unions, unlike engineering associations (for example), don't try to increase the skills of their members in order to respond and adapt to a changing world. They just try to prevent the world from changing.

Oh, and as a prime example of US unions being messed up; Here we have a vide detailing what choice various California unions made between more money and power and epeleptic schoolchildren in danger of dying. The unions chose money and power, of course:





Stay classy scumbags.

CR

It's stuff like that which makes lean toward your position CR. Out of all the unions, the teachers union is the worst, I have learned that from what little experience I have from talking with my high school teachers. Unions have become a business, and their business is workers so all they want is more union due paying workers.

EDIT: Also, I agree fair trade is backwards, don't ruin the free market by taking away what it does best, finding the best way to maximize capital gains through competitive advantages.