field. If you can be trained on the job within a week or two, you have no power to negotiate with the employer. Unions fix that, as they have enough leverage to negotiate. Unions have lots of drawbacks, but the only alternative to them is government legislation, which is something the market economy should only accept as a last resort.
This is not really an issue for people who have unique or exceptional skills and/or require extensive training, so I find it strange that airline pilots are unionized, and I never supported any attempts to organize the telecom industry. I also think that nurses unions are detrimental to the healthcare here in BC, and so are the teachers' unions to education, and I've seen plenty of examples proving this. That said, I'm all for unionized Walmart, K-mart, Safeway... No, wait, Safeway is already unionized :). |
