4 ms·

Union acts in it's member's interests: "Terrible, we shouldn't allow this". Corporation acts in it's own interests: "Well you can't blame them for that".

• andrewflnr 10y ago
  The difference is when either the union or a corporation successfully hijacks law enforcement to promote its members' interests over those of the public.
  • wahern 10y ago
    When a corporation does it we blame the government. When a union does it we blame the union. It's a double standard. Worse, theoretically rent seeking by unions should be more tolerated than by corporations. We should minimize all forms of rent seeking, but some forms are worse than others. The rent seeking profits of unions are distributed to many more workers than of corporations, notwithstanding the fanciful image we have of the corrupt union boss. Except for those on the far left, people generally perceive corporations as amoral. But almost all Americans, right and left, not only judge unions by a different standard, they're typically cynical about unions. Even well paid union members are cynical! It's... incredible.
• imgabe 10y ago
  There are plenty of people saying the former when corporations act in their own interests.
• a_puppy 10y ago
  I tend to think that monopolies are bad, whether corporations or unions. Local 14 is trying to be a monopoly. One of the best arguments I've heard for unions [0] is that a negotiation between workers and companies is usually very lopsided: a company can afford for an employee to quit, but a worker often cannot afford to get fired. A union is powerful enough to negotiate equally with companies. But in the case of Local 14, it seems like the power is actually lopsided in the other direction: Local 14 can afford to boycott one particular construction project, but the building developers can't afford to go without cranes. [0] https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/22/repost-the-non-libertarian-faq/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/22/repost-the-non-liberta... (see section 2.5)
  • hinkley 10y ago
    > For decades, the local has had control over the training of new crane operators—and therefore who can work on a job site. That's a monopoly practice, right there.
• JBReefer 10y ago
  This is whataboutism. Both are bad, and holding the opinion that rent seeking is bad is logically consistent with condemning both action classes.
• CamperBob2 10y ago
  One of these organizations produces goods and services. The other is, more often than not, just another parasitic middleman.
  • ahoy 10y ago
    Yes, the union members produce the goods and services.