From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Wed Aug 29 2001 - 08:25:18 MDT
>From: "Mitchell, Jerry (3337)" <Jerry.Mitchell@esavio.com>
>> Every benefit modern workers enjoy was earned for them by Union
>>labor.
>Really? I dont remember my stock options being paid for in blood,
>or the extra vacation days above the minimum either.
The operative words here are "I don't remember", that's because
these rights and a whole bunch of others you probably take for
granted were earned by the efforts of union members long before you
were born.
8 hour work days, 40 hour work weeks, sick time, vacation time,
overtime pay, health benefits.... The list goes on and on.
>You need to learn that supply and demand work for LABOR as well as
>products. If labor is short, they HAVE to up pay and benefits to
>keep workers. Yeah, it was tough at first, but I put forth that if
>the labor movement had just let the industries grow until there
>was a labor shortage, you would have had the same result and
>probably the workers would have had far MORE benefits then today.
>By artificially extracting resources from the buisnesses, they
>caused an aberation in the market that caused buisnesses to grow
>more slowly, thereby preventing them from producing jobs as
>quckly. This resulted in the balance of supply and demand of labor
>taking even longer to come into balance. They cut their own
>throats.
Actually you'll find I understand supply and demand as well as a
host of macro/microeconomic theory as well.
Tough? People were starving to death while others made millions.
Businesses didn't start handing out benefits from the goodness of
their hearts, these rights had to be earned by struggle, our
predecessors fought and died for each and every one.
Their is no labor shortage if you are the only business in town
(monopsony) think West Virginia mining town, think Hershey
Pennsylvania, think Flint Michigan.
Labor shortages are a modern problem, although skilled labor
probably always has been, especially labor willing to work for what
you're willing to pay. Note the surge in H-1(a) visas to allow high
tech workers from other countries to displace high tech workers
here, holding down the cost.
Early unions forced business to be competitive for labor, not the
other way around.
>I never said that all the old buisness owners were angels, but I
>dont hear you telling the story of how teamsters were gentle
>non-violent protestors either. How many people did they kill or
>maim for crossing picket lines (when those people crossing were
>just trying to make enough to feed their kids)?
What do you think was happening to the children of those on the
picket line? Steak and lobster every night? These people were and
are fighting for survival.
>Everone that wants to slam these "Evil Capitalists" need to be
>kissing their feet for providing jobs for all those people that
>would have otherwise starved. Buisnesses no more set the price of
>labor then they do for sneakers.
I'm not condemning capitalists or capitalism, I AM a capitalist.
But I refuse to ignore the past or current excesses of individuals
or corporations, or the technical shortcomings of capitalism
itself, and I continue to successfully negotiate for a fair share
of the profits.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
Disclosure notice: currently "plonked"
"Joe Dees" <joedees@addall.com>
"Party of Citizens"<citizens@vcn.bc.ca>
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