3 ms·

Unions are far more than the people they represent. They often are run by non-workers. They are supposed to run it for the workers benefit, but they have their

Unions are far more than the people they represent. They often are run by non-workers. They are supposed to run it for the workers benefit, but they have their own interests which conflict.

mattmanser 10y ago
So the logic is: 1. Union becomes big, needs full-time administrators 2. Union immediately becomes utterly self-serving and no longer has worker interests at heart You can make the same argument about governments. It's like the old joke about democracy. Unions the worst form of worker advocates, except for all the others.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > You can make the same argument about governments. Or corporations, and it's flawed in all three cases, even though the principal-agent problem [0] is a real thing that should not be ignored, and does come into play in all three scenarios. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal–agent_problem https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal–agent_problem
- rhino369 10y ago
  The government absolutely has the same issue, even moreso. That's why public unions are horrible. You've got the government negotiating with unions. And the negotiators get political donations and votes from the unions. Some unions have their workers best interests in mind. Others don't. When I was in high school, I worked at a union store. I had to join the union. But I made less than walmart workers in the same job category and seniority. The union cut a deal with my old employer that got old workers a sweat deal (some cashiers were making 25 dollars if they worked there since the 70s). I made 7.5. And it wasn't just seniority. I could work there my entire career and I'd never make over 9.5 for part time work. They had different contracts for new employees than old. And I was forced to pay 10 bucks a week for that bullcrap.

3 ms·

Unions are far more than the people they represent. They often are run by non-workers. They are supposed to run it for the workers benefit, but they have their

by rhino369 10y ago

Unions are far more than the people they represent. They often are run by non-workers. They are supposed to run it for the workers benefit, but they have their own interests which conflict.

mattmanser 10y ago
So the logic is: 1. Union becomes big, needs full-time administrators 2. Union immediately becomes utterly self-serving and no longer has worker interests at heart You can make the same argument about governments. It's like the old joke about democracy. Unions the worst form of worker advocates, except for all the others.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > You can make the same argument about governments. Or corporations, and it's flawed in all three cases, even though the principal-agent problem [0] is a real thing that should not be ignored, and does come into play in all three scenarios. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal–agent_problem https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal–agent_problem
- rhino369 10y ago
  The government absolutely has the same issue, even moreso. That's why public unions are horrible. You've got the government negotiating with unions. And the negotiators get political donations and votes from the unions. Some unions have their workers best interests in mind. Others don't. When I was in high school, I worked at a union store. I had to join the union. But I made less than walmart workers in the same job category and seniority. The union cut a deal with my old employer that got old workers a sweat deal (some cashiers were making 25 dollars if they worked there since the 70s). I made 7.5. And it wasn't just seniority. I could work there my entire career and I'd never make over 9.5 for part time work. They had different contracts for new employees than old. And I was forced to pay 10 bucks a week for that bullcrap.