Is Closed Union Shops Unconstitutional and Un-American? ?

Watching Wisconsin State Workers and Teachers protesting the state prohibiting collective bargaining rights bill, I started thinking about the American worker. I would think that each worker has his own rights that are actually being violated by Union shops and requirements to join the Union to work in a company. Joining a union could be an option, but not a requirement. An employer has to do what is best for the company, by hiring the best possible worker for the job at the lowest possible price. It is a matter of business.

Having been unemployed for some time, I need a job. I would not want be turned down for a job I qualified for because I refuse to join a union. If I am the best qualified, most experienced and skilled person for the job I should be the one hired, not because I carry a union card. That is bad for the company and America. If America hopes to compete in the "global market", companies should not be forced to pay top dollar for less than top employees just because they carry a union card.

It is even more important in our schools, where our children need the best teachers. The unions no longer concern themselves with the quality of their members, but more with the number of "due paying members". Once again we are rewarding incompetence and greed like we saw on Wall Street. Can our Nation afford to sacrifice our children’s future for the sake of Union greed and corruption? Asking union workers to make sacrifices during these difficult financial times is like asking the Wall Street executives to give back their bonuses. Hire and pay workers based on performance, not on union membership. The other option is lay-offs and higher taxes.

I believe our economy has changed. It is no longer a labor force where people racks up experience and credentials to put them to use for someone else's profits. Each worker needs see themselves as a company and brand of their own. There needs to be a more direct connection between the individual worker and the services he provides.

Back in the 19th, a time of great expansion and growth in America, there were no unions. Workers represented themselves, offering their skills, labor, and time. Often they bartered their time and labor for food and shelter.