----- Original Message ----- From: "John D. Giorgis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, September 17, 2004 10:56 PM Subject: Re: What are the real rules? and a bit on unions
> At 10:52 PM 9/17/2004 -0500 Dan Minette wrote: > >> That is a false statement. Kroeger's is union, and pays less than > >> Randall's which is not. > >thinking about it, I'd be more comfortable with claiming HEB pays better. > >I'm pretty sure about Randall's.. > > >From a recent David Broder column: > > In 2003 the average blue-collar union job paid $30.76 an hour > in wages and benefits, compared with $18.11 for the nonunion job. > A separate study, also released last week, by David Kamin and Isaac Shapiro > of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, I wouldn't doubt that overall. But, in retail, its a different story. Here in Texas, at least, retail routinely pays under $10.00/hour....even when there is a union. I know in Texas, most unions do not offer their workers very much leverage....the exceptions are those things that are unionized nationally. The South is open shop. For example, Texas is a right to work state. As a result, unions have virtually no power to improve the life of their members. They can strike, their non-union co-workers can keep their jobs, and get all the benefits obtained in the strike. In Texas, scab is not a dirty word. If you were to argue that open shop laws hurts workers, then I'd agree with you. I'd also argue that the national governments reinterpretation of labor laws to look at union busting far more benignly in the '80s had a lot to do with it. The reality that I see, in the South and in retail, is that unions have no power. Where they exist, the workers make no more. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
