Letter: Unions do more for us than Uncle Sam

Talk about it

I would like to rebut the letter “Unions do more harm than good.” (Jan. 29 Daily Globe.)

As for its writer saying he’s not a disgruntled ex-worker, I guess we all have our own opinions. Toro does push its workers, just like any other company that is trying to make a profit. As for the plant that was built in Mexico, that was Toro’s choice. They pay lower wages there, and the company makes a bigger profit. I wonder how far the money it took to build that facility would have gone in our own country. Many companies that are trying to make a profit in this economy have moved their businesses to the south of the border.

As far as union dues are concerned — yes, we pay them, and we do have someone to help us when we need help. This is unlike the temp agencies that a lot of companies are using these days, who hire employees for these companies and make a major profit on each person they hire out. The company pays them a decent wage, and they pay the agency a portion of it. I wonder: Is that percentage that they keep equal to the percentage that we pay for dues? The company makes its money hourly, just like the workers do, but the workers have no security and can be without a job at any time. So, paying someone to hire you out may not be the answer, either. At least with my union behind me, my employer needs a decent reason to let me go and I can get help when needed.

As for my holiday pay — well, I haven’t had trouble getting it to this point. We are taxed on it, so why not have union dues taken out if they are due? Uncle Sam gets his share, and I believe the union has done more for me than he has at this point.

Tags: opinion, letters, business