#46 Chee – You are operating under a flase assumption that both sides are interested in “common-sense” and “justice”. Unions are not interested in what’s best for the workers. They are a political enterprise. This is the best job they can get, and they get fat at the trough. The more members they have, the more money they can justify for themselves.
Compromise is good for the company and for the employees, but it is not good for the unions. Unless they can show that they got more than what’s fair, of what use are they? They are the equivalent of a sports agent. If he gets no more for you than you could have gotten for yourself, why bother to pay him 10%?
What workers need is union-lite. Just enough to keep employers honest, with very low cost to the employees. However, there is never any such thing. It’s like being a bit pregnant. Eventually, you become more pregnant.
Arbitration is also not the answer, as it’s too inflexible. Unfortunately, there is a need for unions, as some employers just never get it. They get short-sighted and greedy, and shoot themselves in the foot, taking the workers down with them. Only intense and numerous competition among businesses for labor remedies the situation for workers. A booming economy is the only answer.
