@ISIDEWITHQuestionseconomyStarted 11yrs agoActive 5mos ago

Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?

In 2015 the German Cabinet Thursday approved a draft labour relations law that would simplify negotiations between corporations and unions. The draft law specified that for any corporation, only a single union would be recognised as the official wage-bargaining partner, and the resulting agreement would hold for all the company's employees. The law restricts union representation in a company and just one union will be allowed to represent a group of employees.

Answer Overview

Response rates from 6.1k Left voters.

88%
Help
12%
Hurt
70%
Help
10%
Hurt
10%
Help, but ban their ability to make political donations
2%
Hurt, I support some private unions but am strongly against public unions
8%
Help, in theory but have recently become corrupt and should have their powers limited

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 6.1k Left voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 6.1k Left voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Left voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @B34PBVKanswered…5mos5MO

The job of labor unions is to give workplace representation to workers, not to help or hurt the economy. Of course, there will be consequences on that front as well, but it is not the point of their existence. Therefore, I think discussing unions in these terms is pointless.

 @9HLJV4Nanswered…2yrs2Y

Neither, they are a necessary Body oft society aimed at protecting worker's rights thus not to be evaluated on the basis of economical output.

 @8LSW2WVanswered…5yrs5Y

Hurt, labor unions must be banned

 @8CM6DHCanswered…5yrs5Y

Hurt, and labour unions should be abolished

 @8V6RSLManswered…4yrs4Y

The current combative labor unionism and out-of-control laissez faire capitalism both hurt the economy. A more fruitful model like that of Germany, where labor unions have a seat at the corporate board, will be better.

 @99LZNH3answered…2yrs2Y

Even though they may sometimes hurt the economy, they protect the weaker people (workers) in our society and therefpre should be strengthened.

 @99D45WHfrom Illinois  answered…2yrs2Y

Both, it depends upon the strength of labour unions.

 @986YYN9answered…3yrs3Y

Hurt, if their powers are not limited.

Latest News

Stay up-to-date on the most recent “Labor Unions” news articles, updated frequently.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…7mos7MO

Volkswagen Faces Explosive Strikes Over Plant Closures and Job Cuts

Tens of thousands of Volkswagen workers will participate Monday in strikes at plants across Germany, labor union IG Metall said, marking the largest walkouts at the carmaker’s domestic operations since 2018.The walkouts, which are planned to last several hours, follow weeks of collective bargaining negotiations during which VW refused to rule out mass layoffs and potential plant closures in its home market — drastic measures the company says are necessary to prop up its fortunes amid competition from China and weaker European demand.A so-called “peace obligation” between workers and the company, which prohibited industrial action, expired on Saturday, allowing strikes to take place from Sunday at virtually all of Volkswagen’s German factories.“If necessary, this will become the toughest wage dispute Volkswagen has ever seen,” IG Metall’s chief negotiator Thorsten Groeger said in a statement Sunday. “How long and intense this dispute will be is Volkswagen’s responsibility at the negotiating table.”“Volkswagen has set our collective bargaining agreements on fire, and instead of extinguishing this fire during three rounds of negotiations, the management board keeps throwing open barrels of gasoline onto it,” he added.The walkouts will be the first large-scale strikes that Volkswagen has faced since 2018, according to IG Metall, when 50,000 workers idled plants over pay. Although the work stoppages will last only a few hours, it is possible that 24-hour warning strikes could be called later this year. Indefinite strikes could also be called as a last resort, but only after members have been consulted again, IG Metall said.The strikes represent a fresh headache for Europe’s largest automaker, which saw operating profit for the first nine months of the year tumble by a fifth from the previous year, as its flagship brand struggled. Vehicle sales also slipped on particularly weak demand in China, where it is losing market share to Chinese electric vehicle brands.