[Discuss] [OT] unions

[invalid at pizzashack.org (Derek Martin)]

On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 08:23:21AM -0400, Mark Woodward wrote:
> Statistically and historically, as unions flourish so do industries.
> Is this a cause and effect relationship? 

It seems much more likely that as industries flourish, so do their
respective unions.  If an industry is new, it will not yet have a
union, and formation of a union will not bear fruit until the industry
is large enough for unionized workers to gain actual power from doing
so.  As the industry dies or weakens, so too must its union, for lack
of membership.  

The more members a union has, the more union dues it brings in, and
the more its management benefits.  And if you work at a unionized
shop, you generally don't have a choice but to participate, even if
you happen to think that the union does not represent your interests.

> [industrialists and venture capitalists] have no vested interest in
> working conditions or jobs.

I believe that this also, FWIW, is false, at least in our industry.
Good companies want the best talent, and it's to their benefit to
provide good working conditions to attract them.  Truly good companies
tend to realize this.  They tend to always be hiring too, so if you
have talent, it should not be impossible for you to land a gig at one
of them.  I suspect it will be more productive for you to spend your
energies pursuing employment at such a place.


-- 
Derek D. Martin    http://www.pizzashack.org/   GPG Key ID: 0xDFBEAD02
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