BA> Replying to a message of Bob Klahn to Tom Walker:

 BK>>  However, the great majority of energetic and competent and
 BK>>  enlightened union workers are the ones carrying what remains of
 BK>>  this economy.

 BA> Not true.  Less than 20% of the non-government work force
 BA> is unionized.

 And look at how the economy has been going downhill. The average
 hourly wage peaked in 1973... that was 35 years ago.
 Productivity has increased drastically since then, but hourly
 wages have not gotten ahead of inflation, and have even fallen
 behind.

 BA> Almost *nobody* in the Information Technology
 BA> field is unionized (one exception being the computer people
 BA> at the Union Pacific Railroad, they are really railway

 Ever notice how much contempt IT people are held in? They really
 ain't all that bright. And they are much overworked, in a great
 many cases, for what they are paid.

 Aside from which, IT does little to carry the economy.

 Even with their small numbers, the union still drags the rest of
 the workforce along with them, keeping wages from dropping and
 benefits from dissappearing completely.

BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

... The advantage of pessimisim, if you are wrong you are pleasantly surprised.
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