UAW member, Terry Bowman, was fed up with his union dues being spent in support of leftist causes. The tipping point was when his local union declared in a newsletter that Jesus would have supported Obamacare. In 2010, Bowman founded Union Conservatives, a group for union members who are pro-union but want their unions to be “grounded in truth and reality,” the main truth being that socialism doesn’t work and the reality that unions need to work with both political parties for the benefits of workers, not just kiss up to one.
In his op-ed piece in the Detroit News, Bowman relates how the unions still spend members’ money on political causes that are blatantly anti-conservative even though a large number of them vote Republican:
“A recent Harris poll shows that 60 percent of union households say that unions are too involved in politics, and we know that 40 percent or more of union households vote Republican. Unfortunately, union members who disagree with these partisan political attacks are forced, as a condition of employment, to financially support this message.”
He goes on to make to briefly make the case for right-to-work laws. From the comments I’ve seen on the Facebook page and elsewhere, Bowman has received the kind of treatment you’d expect from union members who oppose such laws. According to them, he’s a corporate shill or just too stupid to understand how the unions are saving the world. He was derided on the group’s Facebook page for asking people to be civil. Oh the horror of having to engage in intelligent debate! But we know that radicals can’t abide by rules of civility especially when a member of their own tribe gets uppity.
Bowman and the Union Conservatives have got an uphill battle in front of them against the extreme leftist union leadership in Michigan. But the group is moving on with two promising events this month that will hopefully gain it more recognition. The first is at the Michigan Prosperity Forum in Traverse City featuring Michelle Malkin and Andrew Breitbart. Bowman will be heading a panel discussion there. The group also will be hosting along with the University of Michigan Dearborn College Republicans a debate of the Republican candidates for the Michigan Senate. Event info and details about the group can be found at the Union Conservatives website.
It must be remembered that a union is a business like any other and like any other business provides goods and/or services for customers. In return for union dues the primary service a union provides for it’s membership is protection from arbitrary treatmemt, a form of insurance against dismissal other than for cause for example. Promoting socialst agenda such as expanding government, raising taxes, imposing stiffling regulations on businesses and individuals does not, other than in government service, help working people.
Michael, thanks for chiming in. That’s exactly why I think this is a worthwhile group. They are actually pro-union but want to bring the unions back in line with what their actual job is.