Time for the Unions to Fade Away

The Hollywood Writers Strike - - - BOGUS !!!

Professional Sports Players Union - - - DOUBLE BOGUS !!!!!

TEACHERS UNIONS (NEA) - - - SOCIALISM INDOCTRINATION ORGANIZATION !!!!!

When the Unions, and I mean ALL true Labor Unions were developed, they were needed. Workers were underpaid, overworked and had NO protection from the Government. The Unions were a good thing. In today's glut of Federal and State Regulatory Oversight, Unions NO LONGER SERVE A USEFUL PURPOSE.

Let's start with the Hollywood Writers. As a Professional Photographer/Videographer, I work in a medium that relies heavily on Copyright Laws and Protections. I am NOT a member of a Photographers Union and would NOT join one if it were available. Why????? Because I don't feel I need to pay extravagant Union Dues for protections I already have available for free from the Copyright Laws.

When I am hired by a business or corporate entity, like the TV Networks, Studios, etc., my contract with them falls under the "Work For Hire" clause which, simply stated means that I agree with the company hiring me on a price for my work and the specifications for the product I will provide. I produce the work, they pay me and they own the work. Any future profits or residuals belong to them. This is fair because as an artist, that is the contract I agreed to.

When I am not being paid for "Work For Hire", I go out on speculative , or "spec" projects. I do the work without pay, speculating that someone will be interested in the work and will pay me for the rights to publish my work. When I sell a "spec" piece, I will normally charge more for it simply because all of my spec work just doesn't sell. Sign a contract, and get what you order for the agreed price and get a bargain or fall in love with a "spec" piece and pay more for the limited publishing rights on a piece that I will still own.

For some reason, these Hollywood writers who produce "Work For Hire" think they should be able to come back later and get another check because the Network, Studio, etc. through additional investment and/or just plain good business practices are able to come up with an additional revenue stream for the work that they should by law own outright anyway. These writers who sit down at their computers and write an original script on their own time on speculation deserve to sell the script for big bucks and residuals, etc. Work For Hire for Leno, take your weekly paycheck, be happy and write tomorrow nights monologue and quit crying about the Networks and Studios being "unfair".

Sports Players Unions are just plain wrong. Baseball announced an increase in ticket prices for next season. Supposedly, a field level ticket for the Yankees will be $400 next year. That is just insane and the Players Union is at fault for commanding outrageous salaries for the players. OOPS, maybe I'm wrong, HOW MUCH ARE THE PLAYERS PAYING FOR THEIR STEROID FIXES!!!! Maybe they do need the ridiculous pay checks to pay for their drugs. MAY THEY ALL SUFFER LIVER FAILURE AND NOT GET TO ENJOY THE BLOOD MONEY THEY ARE STEALING FROM THE FANS. This paragraph, although using baseball as an example applies in various degrees to Football, Basketball, Hockey and probably Soccer as well. I used baseball as an example simply because it is the hot news item right now.

Last, but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, the teachers unions. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM TODAY IS THE TEACHERS' UNIONS. The Teacher's Unions, in particular the NEA, are the primary link to promoting Socialism in the United States. Although we have MANY FINE, DEDICATED TEACHERS in our public schools, too often their hands are tied by the teachers unions in developing Socialist curriculum and administrative procedures. I am so glad that my "children" are really adults now and I don't personally have to deal with the public school system anymore.

The first time my child's belongings, pens, pencils, paper, etc. (which would ALL be labeled with my child's name) was confiscated and put in the "community supplies box", I would be in the classroom giving the teacher a lesson in "personal property". YES, a COMMUNITY SUPPLIES BOX is a lesson in SOCIALISM and is NOT appropriate for our public schools. It is time for the NEA and like unions to be BANNED from our public schools.