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From: cliff@unmvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Wage Rates: Unions, Minimum Wage Laws, and Employer Oligopoly
Message-ID: <632@unmvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Feb-85 16:51:22 EST
Article-I.D.: unmvax.632
Posted: Fri Feb  1 16:51:22 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 6-Feb-85 03:35:48 EST
References: <811@ratex.UUCP> <593@tty3b.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Lines: 35

> You may economically "prove" to your own satisfaction that unions are bad.
> The reality is that workers must organize because management is already
> organized.  An employee does not have the freedom, within a company, to go
> from manager to manager and gain bids on wages or working conditions.

What is so special about seeing different managers within a company.  An
employee *does* have the freedom to go from manager to manager of different
companies and gain bids on wages and working conditions.  What is the problem?

> These
> are set on a company-wide level.  If individual workers are bargaining with
> a corporation  -- well, it is rather obvious who holds the power in that
> relationship.

Please tell me why it is rather obvious who holds the power in such a situation.
Why is it that unions are on the decline?  Why is it that computer professionals
have not unionized?  Quite simply it is because workers obviously hold the
power when they are in demand (let me guess, I can't mention supply and demand
because this is the real world :-(.  What you really mean is that the workers
who can be replaced by unemployed people that would love to have *any* job
should be given special status because they are already employed!  Long Live
The Status Quo!

> Only when workers are able to *collectively* negotiate with
> the already collective management are the power relationships brought more
> into
> parity.  That is simple reality in the real economy in which we live.

If you don't like your boss, quit!  If you can't get another job, complain
about unemployment.  If you get a job that pays so little that you can't
feed yourelf, complain about inflation.

> Mike Kelly

--Cliff