From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Mon Mar 26 2001 - 11:42:35 MST
From: Spudboy100@aol.com
>talon57@well.com writes:
>I don't see you as such. As I stated the companies are seeking to
>maximize their bottom lines, I suggest you do whatever is in
>accordance with your values to maximize yours. >>
>There's the rub, Brian. What is in my interest may not be in the
>long-term interest of my countrymen, or myself. My short-term
>interest would be to have IT Guilds, which would effectively,
>choke out competition, and drive inflation in a demand-push style.
>My own little mafia. I also note that the importers of foreign IT
>folk are never subject to 'foreign' management teams, competing
>with them, on their own soil. That ultimately, might be the most
>satisfying, for me. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander. Ah
>well, consider it demented musings.
If you want to call your union a guild, go ahead, after all unions
were originally patterned on them.
It's funny how everyone tries to point at unions and yell
"monopoly" (single seller) and rarely point at the businesses that
spawn them and yell "monopsony" (single buyer) In fact unless I'm
spelling it wrong, my "college" dictionary doesn't even contain the
word!
Most unions always face competition, from of course non-union
outfits, rarely is the monopoly ever complete. Professional sports
unions are the most complete examples I can think of.
As to the long-term interest of your/mine countrymen, I know of no
such negative impact. Union pay raises are usually between the
inflation index and the general increase of a companies stock, and
95% of the time closer to the former.
The stock market since inception averages 11% a year, no union
contract with the possible exception of the sports unions has ever
approached that.
We have a large contingent of programmers from India here in my
building, from talks with individuals I know they make considerably
less than there american counterparts, but much more than "back
home". When they originally came the programmers here were
sufficently upset that the company explained that they were only
here to do COBOL and provided some new training opportunities for
the existing people. This successfully ended an early attempt at
these people becoming organized.
Guess what? There are more of them then ever, and they don't just
do COBOL anymore.....
Brian
p.s. That's more of then now then ever....
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