I was a union member most of my working days. I know how important they were to my employment. I didn't really think about how important they are to this country until the Republicans began their all out assault on them.
It's not everyday that you see a political pundit admit their error. Yet last week Nicholas Kristof did just that. In an OP-ED in THE NEW YORK TIMES, Kristof said that he was wrong about unions. While never denying the abuses done in the name of unions, he outlines the economic impact related to the recent decline in them. Astoundingly, he cites a study that asserts the decline as leading to at least 1/3 rise in the income inequality we have today.
Kristhof says there's clearly more abuse in the corporate suite than within the unions. He states, "One of the things you learn as a journalist is that when there’s no accountability, we humans are capable of tremendous avarice and venality. That’s true of union bosses — and of corporate tycoons. Unions, even flawed ones, can provide checks and balances for flawed corporations."
He goes on to show that unions, rather than being a drag on the economy as some assert, are actually a means to help boost the economy.
The article is linked here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/nicholas-kristof-the-cost-of-a-decline-in-unions.html?_r=1
I hope you will take a look at this OP-ED and then do what you can to support and strengthen unions in your state.
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