NC has lowest percentage of unionized workers ...

[Dreamliner]

Thought this was interesting. Unions are nearly irrelevant in the state. Only 2.9% of work force. Only 1.8% of private sector. Only 8.8% of public sector, also lowest in nation:

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2013/02/25/nc-has-fewest-unionized-workers-of.html

[108]

why is it interesting other than being the lowest?

[gator421]

I believe unionized workers only amount to 11% of the totatl workforce.

[Dreamliner]

why is it interesting other than being the lowest?

For me, 'interesting' means "Aww, yeah!!!"

[wgbgator]

I believe unionized workers only amount to 11% of the totatl workforce.

Yup, and that includes public sector unions. Nationwide I would suspect that the rest of the South, long hostile to labor power, is pretty low too.

[Dreamliner]

Yep, SC, AK and MS are the next lowest. I think that California is the only state actually going in the other direction, a key reason why it has become virtually ungovernable. Or, put it another way, the unions are governing the state.

[G8trGr8t]

Unions govern Illinois, NJ, and NY too. Gee, I think there may be a trend and a correlation there if somebody looked at it with open eyes.

[wgbgator]

I see we've gotten to the point in this thread where dubious, unsupported assertions are made. Unions are tiny percentage of the labor force, but somehow they "govern" some of our largest states.

[Dreamliner]

I see we've gotten to the point in this thread where dubious, unsupported assertions are made. Unions are tiny percentage of the labor force, but somehow they "govern" some of our largest states.

I see that we've gotten to the point where unions do, in effect, govern some states. Ex: they've got a hammerlock on California.

[wgbgator]

They do govern some states. Ex: they've got a hammerlock on California.

Yeah, yeah, and being fat is actually good for you. :laugh:

[Dreamliner]

Yeah, yeah, and being fat is actually good for you. :laugh:

I know, you're not big on anything other than predigested tractarianism. :laugh:

[ncgatr1]

One reason is that there are less union workers here is that our State is so friendly to corporations that produce manufacturing plants associated with union workers. In fact, NC is so friendly that companies relocate and head to places like South Carolina and our taxing system, which includes the fuel tax, is one of the highest in the Southeast. Things are changing though, we have finally pushed out the parasitic government which has ran NC for decades. That could change though because now we have the parasitic Libs infesting us from Florida and the N.E.

[Dreamliner]

One reason is that there are less union workers here is that our State is so friendly to corporations that produce manufacturing plants associated with union workers. In fact, NC is so friendly that companies relocate and head to places like South Carolina and our taxing system, which includes the fuel tax, is one of the highest in the Southeast. Things are changing though, we have finally pushed out the parasitic government which has ran NC for decades. That could change though because now we have the parasitic Libs infesting us from Florida and the N.E.

Actually, I saw just yesterday that NC's state and local taxes are among the lowest in the nation, in the bottom 20 states. It actually surprised me a little.

[ncgatr1]

Well we are not friendly to companies, we just lost another plant here in Wilmington, DuPont is closing resulting 600 jobs lost, the excuse, operating costs. We have lost countless companies to places like South Carolina. I pay fed, State, a county, and City taxes. They maybe the lowest but we have more of them.

[Dreamliner]

Well we are not friendly to companies, we just lost another plant here in Wilmington, DuPont is closing resulting 600 jobs lost, the excuse, operating costs. We have lost countless companies to places like South Carolina. I pay fed, State, a county, and City taxes. They maybe the lowest but we have more of them.

Well, maybe it's just more accurate to say that NC has the dubious honor of being parked next to SC. Maybe that's why taxes don't seem to be hurting Charlotte since half its metro area is in SC. People are flocking to Charlotte. As of last year it was the fastest growing urbanized area in the US and its job growth is at historical highs.

[ncgatr1]

Our corporate tax rate is one of the highest in the Southeast, I believe our personal income tax rate is the highest in the S.E. Our sales tax is in the upper tax rate of the S.E. Hopefilly McCrory can get the spending under control. Perdue was a blooming economic idiot. The problem this State will face is the shift in political demographics. We have had huge influxes from Florida and the N.E., not to mention the large increase in the Hispanic population due to the housing boom. This demographic shift will surely put us on the road to a more blue state, which means everything will turn to sh$& eventually.

[Dreamliner]

Our corporate tax rate is one of the highest in the Southeast, I believe our personal income tax rate is the highest in the S.E. Our sales tax is in the upper tax rate of the S.E. Hopefilly McCrory can get the spending under control. Perdue was a blooming economic idiot. The problem this State will face is the shift in political demographics. We have had huge influxes from Florida and the N.E., not to mention the large increase in the Hispanic population due to the housing boom. This demographic shift will surely put us on the road to a more blue state, which means everything will turn to sh$& eventually.

But given the recent events, this seems an odd fear to express. Yankees and Hispanics have been flocking to NC for decades now. But for a state that was thought to be turning blue: (A) self-proclaimed fiscal conservatives acquired a hammerlock on state government and (B) the libertarian candidate for governor got an unprecedented 2.1% of the vote. I doubt anything like that has happened in any other state.

[ncgatr1]

Romney barely won this state despite the horrible economic conditions here, this state has aways been close, that should tell you something.

[Dreamliner]

Romney barely won this state despite the horrible economic conditions here, this state has aways been close, that should tell you something.

You're making my point, given that NC has been considered a swing state for some time. It's moving away from fiscal profligacy, or at least seems to be. In any case, it certainly seems to be safer than, say, Florida in that regard.

[ncgatr1]

This state has had a Dem controlled government for 98 years. The fact that we now have a Repub controlled House and Senate is an anomaly. The independents broke in huge favor for the Repubs. This offsetted the Lib areas like Raleigh/Durham and Asheville. If you look at Wilmington's district, despite the bad economic conditions here, the Repubs barely won here, McIntyre won this district because he carried the blue dog senior citizens and the minorities .Wilmington is a bedroom community which is very heavily dependent on the housing market. The Repubs should have taken this district by at Least 4 to 6 points. Under normal economic conditions , the Dems would have retained the Senate and House, and
Obama would have won this state by at least 3 to 4 points IMO. NC will go blue again, maybe as early as 2016. They are increasing their numbers at a higher rate. Eventually we will all succumb to the Parasite Party.

[Dreamliner]

This state has had a Dem controlled government for 98 years. The fact that we now have a Repub controlled House and Senate is an anomaly. The independents broke in huge favor for the Repubs. This offsetted the Lib areas like Raleigh/Durham and Asheville. If you look at Wilmington's district, despite the bad economic conditions here, the Repubs barely won here, McIntyre won this district because he carried the blue dog senior citizens and the minorities .Wilmington is a bedroom community which is very heavily dependent on the housing market. The Repubs should have taken this district by at Least 4 to 6 points. Under normal economic conditions , the Dems would have retained the Senate and House, and
Obama would have won this state by at least 3 to 4 points IMO. NC will go blue again, maybe as early as 2016. They are increasing their numbers at a higher rate. Eventually we will all succumb to the Parasite Party.

You continue to make my point. NC is heading in the opposite direction of what you fear. You should be elated. It is a stunning development that the GOP has a hammerlock on the state. Remember that there was much handwringing that NC had gone permanently blue. Not the Republicans have a stranglehold on the state and are feeling their oats. It's precisely the opposite of what pubs are experiencing on the national level. In NC, it's the dems who are feeling disenfranchised and out in the wilderness.

[HALLGATOR]

30+ years ago NC had lots of industry. I believe lots of it was lost to China.

[mdgator05]

30+ years ago NC had lots of industry. I believe lots of it was lost to China.

Yep. You can't out low-cost a country with a much lower cost of living than even rural North Carolina, no matter how hard you try. So you either set up tariffs, deal with the massive unemployment through transfer payments and hope it only lasts 1 generation, or start allowing workers to ignore legal barriers between countries and hope that the cultural barriers won't exist for too long.

I guess you could try to throw them out of your state and make them another state's problem too. But that doesn't really solve the problem on a national level.

[Dreamliner]

Are you saying that NC should throw out the dwindling number of unionists that remain ?

Hmm, I think I like it.