Trade Unions have ruined Canada and the United States. They continue to ruin more.

The role of unions today is being questioned. They have hindered all things doing business in Canada and the United States. It is appropriate to use the Latin term Bi-Pedus Union Memberus. They are dinosaurs.

Today, many successful corporations offer better salary packages than unionized firms. The added load that management is forced to deal with in terms of collective agreements and bureaucracy hinders their abilities to remain competitive in these fast-paced days of corporate trimming.??

These days, the power wielded by the money of these unscrupulous teamsters is enough to scare any prospective business away. A productive economy must drive a service sector. We need to encourage the growth of manufacturing and production to?be able to support our lifestyles. Just as some addicts support their habits by stealing, governments do the same under the guise of?"deficit financing".?

Unions are one of the critical?tumors in this cancerous economy. The increased labor cost?in North America has made producing goods in many jurisdictions worldwide less expensive. The labor cost?also includes the prohibitive?and resource-consuming expenses associated with labor grievances. Employees are encouraged to file complaints?to?justify the union's existence.?

Employers of unionized firms are mummified in bureaucratic tape and must?catch up on?what managing is all about. Collective agreements are designed to tie the hands of businesses by limiting flexibility. In an era where market responsiveness is crucial to competitiveness and survival, a company can?maintain amicable employee relationships and incentive programs without unions.?

Union behemoths change direction more like large and bulky freight ships. By the time they have made the adjustments necessary to compete, the rest of the pack has a considerable advantage. Those employees who can?learn, adapt, and produce more quickly and efficiently than others deserve more of what the company offers. Unions, however, view advancement on a seniority basis. Although seniority seems noble, business is no place for nobility. The merit principle should be the first study in any consideration of advancement, not the only one, but the first. Seniority-based advancement breeds apathy in workers,?and once apathy spreads, it spreads like the plague.?Corruption is nothing new to the UAW and other unions. The Canadian Unifor group has?had its?fair share of alleged corruption. Liuna ."has closed down the construction industry.?

With unions, employer costs increase in administrative, legal,?and production, which cost companies contracts. Contracts mean jobs; fewer?jobs increase the burden of government support and unemployment,?and so goes the vicious cycle of economic disaster. The headaches associated with being a union member have become apparent. Global trends of self-determination and individualist market-oriented economies have forced many to rethink their societal position. Recent economic theories stress the emphasis NOT on labor or capital. Our emphasis should be on creating?real wealth from the value of innovation. This theory posits that neither labor?nor?capital, as was previously held to be true, drives the economy by creating real wealth. Real wealth, which comes from our ability to commercialize and develop new and exportable technologies, creates jobs and allows governments to foster those socially necessary programs.

The rearranging, manipulating,?and accumulating of capital do not provide us with any new taxable income. Unions are not about change. They are about maintaining the status quo indefinitely while the industry worldwide?is sprinting past us by leaps and bounds. No one is suggesting that we eliminate all of our coveted benefits; however, maintaining the degree of luxury to which we have become accustomed is becoming impossible. Unions have become oblivious to the facts. North America is on the verge of a disastrous economic state. Cries of "More! More! More! It must?humbly turn into apologies and ask?for forgiveness.?

North Americans need to desire a competitive economy. Current governments have fostered an attitude that more services for less work is?a viable practice in daily life. Well, someone has to pay for these services,?which will eventually come from the workers in tax revenues. The time to end this shuffling of capital is now.?

Unions are a roadblock to change and North America needs to alter its position desperately, president of Mercantile Mergers & Acquisitions Corporation,. Those who adapt survive! Those who cannot die a thousand deaths.

Mark Borkowski is president of Mercantile Mergers & Acquisitions Corporation, ?a mid-market mergers & acquisitions brokerage firm based in Toronto. Mark can be reached at (416) 531-4759 or www.mercantilemergersacquisitions.com .