Are these US protests significant?

[No Contest]

Everyone thinks unions are some kind of White Knights or something...They don't really go with the Capitalism theme though do they? Alot of people in unions tend to work less and get paid more, which is also in correlation to the amount of dues they have paid. The best workers don't get the job, senority does. Some unions are good, the ones that go against big corporations to get better working conditions/pay when it's necessary. Some just milk their members and even try to influence them politically as to how they should vote etc..... alot of corruption. It's not always standing up for the little guy.

[Gandalf]

I should have done what I usually do when I want to find out something....turn to Chomsky. That's how busy I have been, I haven't even seen this and I usually listen to everything the great man says! Shame on me.

[No Contest]

I should have done what I usually do when I want to find out something....turn to Chomsky. That's how busy I have been, I haven't even seen this and I usually listen to everything the great man says! Shame on me.

All i have to say to Noam Chomsky is calm the fuck down ...jeez quit yelling so much...hehe, he's about to keel over, then what are you gonna do Miles, where will you go for validation?

[CFH]

Everyone thinks unions are some kind of White Knights or something...They don't really go with the Capitalism theme though do they? Alot of people in unions tend to work less and get paid more, which is also in correlation to the amount of dues they have paid. The best workers don't get the job, senority does. Some unions are good, the ones that go against big corporations to get better working conditions/pay when it's necessary. Some just milk their members and even try to influence them politically as to how they should vote etc..... alot of corruption. It's not always standing up for the little guy.

That's the point of unions though, isn't it (or at least the ostensible reason for their existence)? They are supposed to serve as a buffer against the inherently exploitative nature of capitalism. Now, I would certainly agree that many (perhaps even most?) unions don't serve that purpose anymore and are - as VictorCharlie describes - basically a racket, but I think their original purpose was noble and necessary.

I can't really speak to the current situation in the States, but here in B.C. there are basically two powers which enslave our politicians: big labour and big business, and neither have the best interests of the citizenry at heart.