@ISIDEWITHQuestionseconomyStarted 10yrs agoActive 1 day ago

Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?

Union membership in the UK began declining steeply in the 1980s and 1990s, falling from 13 million in 1979 to around 7.3 million in 2000. In September 2012 union membership dropped below 6 million for the first time since the 1940s. Union members include nurses, school meals staff, hospital cleaners, professional footballers, shop assistants, teaching assistants, bus drivers, engineers and apprentices.

70%
Help
30%
Hurt
48%
Help
28%
Hurt
14%
Help, in theory but have recently become corrupt and should have their powers limited
2%
Hurt, I support some private unions but am strongly against public unions
8%
Help, but ban their ability to make political donations

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 @8PC66MZanswered…3yrs3Y

don’t understand

 @9J3G7WJanswered…4mos4MO

Help, when they're all under control by the government and can't organise strikes and instead take the role of bargaining members.

 @9HR8Y5Tanswered…4mos4MO

Largely they are helpful, but some clearly have other motivations other than their members (such as the railway unions).

 @9G65FTBanswered…7mos7MO

It depends. Short term, I can see some damage potentially being done, but nothing that isn't temporary. Long term I think that having them around can be of benefit, even if it isn't a straight line to get there.

 @9FQCNSJanswered…7mos7MO

Hurt, but that’s what they’re designed to do.

 @9FKMJVKanswered…7mos7MO

They hurt it in the short term but help in the long term if they work successfully for their members

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…3wks3W

DOJ opens formal investigation of U.S. Steel takeover by Japanese company

The Justice Department has opened up an in-depth antitrust investigation of Nippon Steel’s $14.1 billion takeover of U.S. Steel, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.The move escalates U.S. government scrutiny of the controversial deal, which has drawn fire from lawmakers, labor unions and others who argue the storied U.S. industrial titan should not be owned by a foreign company — even one based in Japan, one of America’s closest allies. It also follows a preliminary antitrust review previously reported by POLITICO.Last month President Joe Biden highlighted those concerns in a highly unusual statement, saying it must “remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated.”The United Steelworkers union — whom Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are both courting on the campaign trail — opposes the deal, saying it puts U.S. jobs at risk.It couldn’t be learned exactly when the DOJ officially opened up the in-depth review, but it happened recently according to the people, who are not authorized to speak publicly.A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. Spokespeople for Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel did not immediately respond for comment. The opening of the antitrust probe roughly coincides with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s official White House visit this week. The Japanese leader said he hoped the proposed deal would proceed in a positive direction but did not criticize U.S. scrutiny of the transaction.“Japan believes that appropriate procedures based on law is being implemented by the US government,” Kishida said Wednesday at a joint press conference with Biden.

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