Re:Union Is Formed at Los Angeles Times and Publisher Put on...
by JoshTriplett on Friday January 19, 2018 @05:46PM
(#16190638)
Not necessarily true. If enough people find the union valuable, believe in its aims, and want to participate in it, then the employer can't afford to lose or alienate the union employees, so the union has negotiating power (proportional to the employees that participate). If enough people don't find the union valuable, don't believe in its aims, and don't want to participate in it, then the union will correctly have less negotiating power because it represents fewer people.
People should be free to voluntarily associate with groups that represent them and their interests.
Re:Union Is Formed at Los Angeles Times and Publisher Put on...
by frgtpsswrdlame on Saturday January 20, 2018 @08:17AM
(#16193223)
Any corporation can break any union simply by refusing to negotiate only for union members. So say the union is fighting for a $1 raise and more pto. The corporation just says "okay, everyone, including non union members, gets a $1 raise and more pto." At that point why would you pay union dues? You can just freeride. To think that corporations won't behave this way is naive, they want to maximize free-riding benefit so that the union crumbles.
Re:Union Is Formed at Los Angeles Times and Publisher Put on...
by neuland on Friday January 19, 2018 @07:12PM
(#16191132)
Absolutely. And an employer can choose to only hire union workers, too. I've seen a couple digital agencies that enthusiastically support unionization of their employees. They market to clients that they are a "union shop" and get business from people who support unionization. That's cool! People get to stand up for what they believe in and support businesses that operate according to their beliefs.
Re:Union Is Formed at Los Angeles Times and Publisher Put on...
by JoshTriplett on Friday January 19, 2018 @08:07PM
(#16191394)
Agreed, that's completely reasonable. I just don't support enshrining that in law; that's the point at which it becomes rent-seeking.
If a group of people wish to collectively bargain with their employer, that's wonderful. But, they can leave me out of it, and I can do without whatever pay schedule and benefits they manage to extract from the employer.
Well you can't really 'opt out' of the benefits of their negotiation in that way, and for the same reason you can't opt out of the union. You're not talking about a future with some unions where people can also choose to go it alone, you're talking about a future with no unions at all. At least be honest about that.