Lateefah Simon: “What we know from studies, and particularly the Harvard study, is that union workers by and large are more satisfied…”

“What we know from studies, and particularly the Harvard study, is that union workers by and large are more satisfied, and more satisfied workers produce quality work, and that union workers stay at a job longer. This moves us in the opposite direction. What we need in our society is balance. Frankly, when there is a Republican President, the National Labor Relations Board tilts a little bit in the direction of management, and when there is a Democratic President, it tilts a little bit in the direction of labor. But when President Reagan came in--and he did many good things--the balance was lost. And while, for example, at one point Canada and the United States both had about 33 percent of our work force belonging to labor unions, Canada has gone up to 36 percent, and in the United States, we are down to 16 percent. And if you exclude the governmental unions, it is down to 11.8 percent.”