Unions v. Professional Societies

I read several articles lamenting the failure of the Wisconsin recall vote as a great blow to unions.

I don't lament the election. I rejoice.

As you see, my life experience has shown unions as a force or oppression. Unions are highly centralized and corrupt structures that exploit the needs of the workers for political gain.

Because unions place their grubbing for political power over the needs of their members, unions have become a net negative.

This problem is not unique to unions. When any group puts the grubbing of power over its primary function, the group becomes a negative. This same problem applies to corporations, schools, the media and even churches.

The central feature of unions is collective bargaining. Collective bargaining is a process in which a few insiders of the union, in conjunction with the employers, make the decisions for the collective.

Unions essentially have the same model as pooled insurance.

Pooled insurance is, by nature, a collective bargaining process. We place all of our health care resources into a pool. The small group of people who control the pool bargain for our health care on a collective basis. In both cases, the people who do the collective bargaining make out like bandits and the rest diminish.

Just as unions seek to lock out scabs. People who don't have insurance are effectively locked out of health care.

I dislike the political structure of unions; however, I realize that there is a need for organizations that directly help in the professional development of workers. A better model is the professional society.

A union is a centralized structure that uses the needs of workers to consolidate political power. This political power is not necessarily used for the benefit of the workers.

The ideal professional society is a distributed structure, in which people work one-on-one with workers in their professional development.

Do you see the contrast I am trying to draw? Both unions and professional societies are organizations in the field of worker enhancement. A union is a centralized political entity that uses the needs of the workers to gain power. A professional society is a distributed system helping develop people on a one to one basis.

Unions, of course, engage in professional development and professional societies engage in politics. The question is where one places the emphasis.when the emphasis is about developing people, it is a force for good, when it is about centralizing power, it becomes a force for tyranny.

The heart of the free market is the free mind. To thrive as a society, we need organizations dedicated to helping develop people.

A political win against a corrupt union is all fine and wonderful, but to succeed as a society, we need to find ways to fill the unmet needs that unions exploit.

Dare, I mention? The goal of the Medical Savings and Loan is to replace insurance with self-funded care. The heart of this program is a new position called The Health Care Advocate. This advocate is an advocate for the individual.

It is a departure from the model of group think that places the collective over the individual mind. It would be worth pursuing.

If you know of anyone interested in free market concepts who would enjoy a discussion on the differences between unions and professional societies and how it is the same as the difference between pooled insurance and self funded care, contact me.