Re: [vox] [OT] unions

[Christine Scobee <cdscobee@uMAPScdavis.edu>]

Unions:

1) I read these posts, but I don't quite get what the "computer" union is.
Does anyone want to have a shot at explaining it to a non-technical
person?

2) The "labor" union discussion reminds me of a recent trip to Safeway.  I
wanted to grab a sandwich, soda, and banana at the deli.  I chose a soda
from the main part of the store, which the deli was able to ring up.  They
were also able ring up the sandwich they'd made for me, of course.  But
they couldn't ring up the banana.  I had to pay for it at the front of the
store.

It turns out that the union job classification for a deli worker is "less
skilled" than the check-out clerks in the front of the store.  The
deli worker is not considered skilled enough to sell me a banana
because:  the price per pound for the banana is determined by entering a
4-digit code that the clerk has to look up (or have memorized), whereas
the deli clerk, when selling some food item by the pound,  looks at the
price on the item and punches it into the keypad directly.

In addition to "silly" job distinctions, I don't think most union jobs pay
"reasonable" wages these days ... I think they're responsible for highly
inflated wages, given the skill involved in some of those jobs.  Non-union
workers (as consumers) don't have much of a choice but to send mail via
union postal workers, purchase food at union grocery stores, etc.  All of
us pay the overhead so that certain categories of workers can make high wages.

Christine