Unions and the Collapse

Unions and the Collapse

Matthew Yglesias debunking the conservative meme about how unions are responsible for bringing down the auto industry:

I would add that it’s hardly as if German carmakers are operating in the conservotopia of unregulated, union-free labor markets where cars are made by eleven year-olds earning minimum wage. IG Metall is a powerful union, and German autoworkers are well-compensated. What’s more, if you go back a few decades to a time when the “Big Three” were more successful, you’ll see that the UAW contract was actually more generous to the workers back then. The reason for all this is that the car business is, by its nature, a promising field for union activity.

Check out the rest of the post for more info.