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What sheer drivel. >But, I’m neither a historian nor an economist. I’m an entrepreneur, so I’m not going to wax on about the historical imperative of unions a

What sheer drivel. >But, I’m neither a historian nor an economist. I’m an entrepreneur, so I’m not going to wax on about the historical imperative of unions and why they do or don’t serve a role in our modern economy. I will, however, tell you what I know, and I know about starting and growing businesses. I don't think we need much explanation on why an entrepreneur would prefer to dictate terms rather than negotiate with an organized workforce. >I believe unions promote a corrosive us-against-them dynamic that destroys the esprit de corps businesses need to succeed. Might you be mistaking the thrill of total obesiance for esprit de corps? You wouldn't be the first to... >That’s why the type of company that interests me is one where ownership and the employees are truly in it together, without interference from a third-party union that has its own agenda and priorities. Um, that nefarious third party agenda is the organized voice of your employees. Heck, we all appreciate being able to dictate terms, but not all of us are intellectually dishonest enough to come up with spin like that. >It is my observation that unions exert efforts that tend to destroy the Free Enterprise system. You haven't mentioned a single observation, just breathless, self-serving opinion. Were the shoe on the other foot, I'd expect to see you writing for Pravda. *edit: I'm beside myself with that Pravda comment. JR posted this literally today: "Attacks on President Trump Show the Political Class Has Learned Nothing" http://blog.joericketts.com/?p=581 http://blog.joericketts.com/?p=581

TAForObvReasons 9y ago
I'm genuinely amazed that this drivel made the front page of HN. It's not well articulated, not substantiated by any evidence, and succumbs to common fallacies like appeal to authority.
- marak830 9y ago
  Perhaps made it to highlight said drivel? I upvoted for that reason.
  - flunhat 9y ago
    The context here is super important - Joe Ricketts, who owns DNAInfo and Gothamist, just shut them down today entirely, firing everyone and taking all their content offline. Worth noting that this happened after employees voted to unionize. I think that's why this is getting upvoted now.
    - marak830 9y ago
      Huh I missed that (on day 4 of a road trip atm), thanks, that makes this even more interesting.
- mercer 9y ago
  I think many articles make the front page not because they're good, nor because they represent a 'HN consensus', but because the discussion is interesting. I at least often find myself upvoting a link because I thought the discussion was worth upvoting. Judging by the predominantly negative comments in this thread, I think that's the case here.
  - kelukelugames 9y ago
    For the record, I didn't submit this because I agree with him.
_dps 9y ago
I'm generally in favor of unions as private associations (i.e. without government-enshrined powers, or the ability to mandate participation) ... BUT I think we have to accept that there's a Principal-Agent problem with unions that is inherent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_proble... The Union is just another hierarchy. That's partly what makes it effective in negotiating with management and capital. It gains its power initially by persuading workers that it represents their interests, but it is easily corrupted over time by people who benefit from institutional positions within the union -- just like every other hierarchy.

TAForObvReasons 9y ago

I'm genuinely amazed that this drivel made the front page of HN. It's not well articulated, not substantiated by any evidence, and succumbs to common fallacies like appeal to authority.

marak830 9y ago
Perhaps made it to highlight said drivel? I upvoted for that reason.
- flunhat 9y ago
  The context here is super important - Joe Ricketts, who owns DNAInfo and Gothamist, just shut them down today entirely, firing everyone and taking all their content offline. Worth noting that this happened after employees voted to unionize. I think that's why this is getting upvoted now.
  - marak830 9y ago
    Huh I missed that (on day 4 of a road trip atm), thanks, that makes this even more interesting.
mercer 9y ago
I think many articles make the front page not because they're good, nor because they represent a 'HN consensus', but because the discussion is interesting. I at least often find myself upvoting a link because I thought the discussion was worth upvoting. Judging by the predominantly negative comments in this thread, I think that's the case here.
- kelukelugames 9y ago
  For the record, I didn't submit this because I agree with him.

_dps 9y ago

I'm generally in favor of unions as private associations (i.e. without government-enshrined powers, or the ability to mandate participation) ... BUT I think we have to accept that there's a Principal-Agent problem with unions that is inherent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_proble... The Union is just another hierarchy. That's partly what makes it effective in negotiating with management and capital. It gains its power initially by persuading workers that it represents their interests, but it is easily corrupted over time by people who benefit from institutional positions within the union -- just like every other hierarchy.