Ah, a fellow traveler.

I was thrown out of public school and missed 7th, 8th and 9th grade. At 16 I got a break and landed a UNION job at a grocery store.

For the next ten years, between the age of 16 and 26, my union enabled me to support myself (I lived alone) pay tuition at a private high school and complete 6 years of college. I also had health insurance (including dental, vision, hearing and psychiatric), paid vacations, paid holidays, and paid sick leave. It had taken me five years to save enough money, but when I finally bought a car I'd paid cash.

When I left the grocery store, I had two degrees and several certifications, great credit, zero debts, and $5,000.0 in savings (about $19,000.00 in today's dollars).

I was just one of dozens of kids in my neighborhood saved by union jobs. Two drop-outs in my neighborhood alone, got union jobs and went to law school.

Jobs did not save us. Employers did not save us.

We were pulled out of the gutter by unions. Unions that got us into the habit of saving money, staying healthy, taking care of our teeth, eyes and ears, getting regular check ups, getting annual breast exams and going to therapy when we needed help. Unions taught us self-respect, our value and self-worth. Unions taught us how to work together in common cause, negotiate and compromise. Unions taught us things schools never even mentioned.

These are the reasons, I have never able to understand why American workers hate unions. If we had more union jobs, kids would have a far better chance in life.