The unions fight for a $15 minimum wage but then they don’t want it. So, they help bring on this disastrous policy and then they walk away from it. Well, that’s what unions do best anyway.
What are we talking about? Well, first let’s go back to the summer of 2015. We reported at the time that unions had attempted to become exempt from the $15 minimum wage (SEE: 2 reasons why unions are dangerous proponents of ‘Fight for $15’). This escape clause, which is found in the West Coast, Illinois and Wisconsin, would benefit unions greatly because then they could grow their numbers in companies everywhere.
A union head would approach a business and say he’ll get the staff to work for lower than $15 an hour as long as the company unionizes. A business owner, who would want to lower his labor costs, would cave into this coercion. The unions then have more workers who can pay a membership when they sign up. As we said at the time, it’s all rather sleazy.
Fast forward to April 2016, and unions in Los Angeles are demanding to be exempt from the $15 minimum wage.
This week, Los Angeles city council heard a proposal from union members asking to be exempt from a higher minimum wage. These union leaders present the case that businesses and unions would have the freedom to discuss improved agreements. For example, in exchange for lower wages, they could negotiate better health benefits. They also believe that they could make businesses more unionized.
After California Governor Jerry Brown signed a $15 minimum wage into law, union workers would see their wages grow two years later than non-union workers.
Of course, as expected, the proposal has come under heavy criticism from both workers and businesses.
“It’s pretty hypocritical for unions to push a $15 wage law and then exempt themselves from the policy,” said Matt Haller, senior vice-president of communications and public affairs at the International Franchise Association, in a statement.
“There is a reason union membership continues to decline – they’ve failed to provide a value proposition for joining to employees at the retail level. Employees see right through the millions of dollars unions are spending on [public relations] campaigns to attack employers who pay good wages and provide opportunities for advancement.”
It’s too bad that the “brothers and sisters” of unions everywhere never stand up to their inept and corrupt leaders.
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