You aren't talking about unionized jobs. The dock workers in California just had a union walkout. It's been resolved and the AVERAGE dockworker in California makes SIX FIGURES. Gee...I sure am glad they have a union so they can stop work and cause the economy to lose $1 BILLION a day so they can fight for that six figure salary.
Because there are some corrupt unions (and there are, I'm sure) doesn't mean that unions themselves shouldn't exist. Retail workers, for example, *should* have a union. Waiters and waitresses should have a union so they don't depend entirely on tips. Etcetera.
MOST unions are corrupt. As for retail workers and those in the hospitality industry, all that would accomplish is inflation on a large scale. That means that most families would have their dollars buy LESS...thus an effective pay cut. So they would all need raises, thus those goods and services would cost more...ad infinitum. When you take the labor market out of economic equilibrium it becomes an economic nightmare. A couple more labor union examples... 1) A friend in the auto industry told me that the average STARTING wage for a factory worker is $36 an hour. That's $15,000 more than I made as a lawyer out of school. 2) Several years ago American Airlines pilots walked out right at Christmas. People were stuck all over the place. Some had to spend Christmas at home without their loved ones. others were waiting for connecting flights when they walked out. Those people had to spend Christmas in an airport in a strange town. Nice tactic, eh?
I'm part of a union here in New Zealand called the PSA (Public Service Association). It's the largest union in New Zealand, for those in public service, health services, local government, crown agencies, and private business. Not corrupt, not causing rampant inflation... I mean, just because most of *your* unions are corrupt (figures?) doesn't mean that unions everywhere a) don't work and b) aren't worthwhile for workers. How about fixing unions rather than scrapping them? Oh, and we don't have to add 20% tips to all our meals out, either.
I didn't know you were from New Zealand dimsie, beautiful country from what I've seen. I wanted to go there as part of the World Learning program before my senior year in highschool a couple of years back, but because I was recieving a scholarship, I had to go to the country that they picked for me, which was Australia. I'd like to go back there someday and visit New Zealand. By the way, has anybody here asked you a bunch of Peter Jackson questions as if you knew him personally. . . what's he like in person??? Anyways, I agree with you, unions shouldn't be scrapped, they should be fixed. Think about where we'd be right now if it wasn't for Unions. This country wouldn't be as great IMHO, if so many people were trampled on continously without the help of the Unions. I think we would either have an aristocracy where the big business owners of the past and their families ruled this country, or we would have ended up being a Socialist, i.e. communist country because the workers would have revolted eventually. By the way, Trader_jorge, for once you are right, that is why I am going to follow your advice and call you a jackass.
The two funniest things people asked me while I was living in Texas were a) 'do you know the guy who owns this car dealership in Sydney?' (as if Sydney was just a little town over a bridge or something rather than a huge city in a different country four hours' flight away) and b) 'why are you putting on that English accent?' More than one person asked me that, if you can believe it. Both of them were quite resentful, as if I was talking this way to be pretentious or something. (My friend Alex actually *is* English and lives in Austin. His parents were once asked if they had electricity in London. Heeheehee.) Did you like Australia? I haven't met Peter Jackson but I've been in the same theatre with him - I went to the premiere of Heavenly Creatures when it came out, and he spoke before and after the screening. Seemed like a sweet guy.
