Replying to a message of Bob Klahn to Tom Walker:

 BK>>> The problem is with your management, not Union contractors.

 TW>> BS Bob. UNION workers overall are the poorest in
 TW>> craftsmanship in the WORLD. You get Crappy Work at a Higher
 TW>> Cost!!

 BK>  On the contrary, you get better work from union workers. If
 BK>  non-union workers are better why aren't you willing to pay them
 BK>  more? That's all you have to do. That and treat them better. The 
 BK> only reason to hire non-union workers is to pay less and treat  them
 BK> like slaves.

That depends on the situation.  Overall it costs approximately 10% more
to run a union shop than a non-union shop when the pay scales for the help
are *identical*.  It therefore is worth it for management to pay the help up
to 10% above union scale and not have to deal with a union and its various
rules and demands.  Of course, in a mixed shop management can't do that
because by law they have to pay workers in the same job with the same
seniority at the same rate - a union-sponsored law, BTW.  Of course, in
that same mixed shop if the union negotiates a pay hike or a raise in
benefits those same non-union workers get it too; unions call that free-riding,
I say it's their law, the unions got it passed and they can get it repealed
instead of trying to extort money from non-members.  Of course, if the
labor unions get their law repealed then in fairly short order employers will be
paying their non-union help up to 10% above union scale to keep them non-union.

--- FleetStreet 1.19+