OPINION:
At one time or another, everyone has been unhappy with a holiday gift. Luckily, it’s easier now than ever before to exchange the item. But what about workers who are unhappy with their union?
As union members often discover, problems within the organizations are not quickly remedied. Leaving or getting your dues money back is not so easy. Unions with friends in Congress have set up legal hurdles that are worse than any retailer “no returns” policy. Yet, the situation has become so dire that the numbers successfully finding the exit door are increasing.
Compared to 1983, private union membership, which accounted for more than 20 percent of the working population, has nearly been cut in half. And in 2018 alone, United Auto Workers (UAW) membership, the pre-eminent union for car manufacturers, dropped by 9 percent. While some of that was related to plant closings, recently passed right-to-work laws have provided a new escape hatch for members wanting to keep their job without having to pay for corrupt representation.
As an additional blow, the UAW recently failed to gain enough worker support at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee to form a union. The kicker? It was the second time in five years the union failed to win a secret ballot vote at the factory. Perhaps those being solicited to pay dues witnessed a unionized General Motors factory nearby where they could see the benefits versus the baggage of membership.
In parallel to falling membership, public approval for unions puzzlingly hit a 50-year high in 2019. It seems that although Americans approve of the idea of unions, they don’t feel like they need to be a part of one. It could be for a number of reasons.
For one, high-profile scandals have always haunted organized labor. But current leadership has taken their already poor reputation to a new low.
Exhibit A is UAW leadership. Federal investigations have resulted in nine guilty pleas with a likelihood of more to come. Notably, former union Vice President Norwood Jewell solicited or accepted a waterfall of illegal gifts from car manufacturer executives — including a $2,182 shotgun, nearly $9,000 for a villa in California and more than $25,000 on an over-the-top party featuring cigars and wine bottles with the union leader’s name on the labels.
If UAW leaders are receiving gifts from the companies they are negotiating with, how can their members be certain their representatives are honestly advocating for their interests? Answer: They can’t.
Two former union presidents have also been caught up in the scandals.
Beyond the seemingly illegal bribes, UAW officials frequently spend union funds to live like multi-millionaires. Between 2013 and 2018, more than $43 million was spent at upscale hotels and resorts. Nearly $20 million was spent during the same time period on travel, including the use of private jets, limousines and boat rentals. And $5 million was shelled out at high-end steak houses, sporting arenas and other entertainment venues.
In one specific instance, the UAW built a house for an ex-union president funded by the union’s strike fund. Comically, it was constructed by non-union labor. And the scandals don’t stop there.
Last year, an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune penned by a union member chronicled the failure of the union when sexual abuse was reported in the workplace. Her own UAW representative allegedly threatened and harassed her — even trying to run her off the road.
It’s not an isolated incident. A similar case involving the UAW has been reported in Indianapolis and other unions — including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — have also been caught up in sexual harassment scandals.
If endless scandals aren’t reason enough to leave a union, political spending could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Although union membership is bipartisan — split somewhat evenly between the two major political parties — political contributions by unions are heavily slanted. Since 2010, 99 percent of labor union political spending — accounting for $1.6 billion in dues money — has been allocated to left-leaning advocacy groups, including America Votes, the Democratic Governors Alliance and Center for American Progress.
Why would workers be interested in paying dues to unions that, on average, spend $178 million a year of their dues money on advocacy efforts they don’t support?
In the past, the reality of labor unions was not unlike the old advertisement for the Roach Motel: “You can check-in, but you can’t check-out.” Nowadays, it seems workers are more motivated to pay the bill and split.
• Richard Berman is the president of Berman and Co., a public relations firm in Washington, D.C.
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