<< This being the point where I come out of the shadows and let people know
the little known fact (and, trust me, this surprises most people) that I
actually have a degree in, of all things, Industrial and Labor Relations,
which required a whole slew of courses on labor history and a bunch of
electives in collective bargaining and international industrial and labor
relations... >>
Robert S. Thau writes:
<<Most of the people on this mailing list have highly
sought-after skills, which give us a nontrivial amount of power in the
relationships we have with our employers.>>
Interesting you say this. I would love to see how many members of this
group actually belong to labor unions. "Sought after skills" and union
membership are not exclusive of each other. The combination of union
membership and prized skills is good for both workers and management and I can
assure you that it exists in our society. My union is a very good example of
this. Our workers are not easily replaced. We are paid fairly for what we do
with appropriate penalties for management when the bounds of a realistic
workday are exceeded. They need us for our skills and we need them for the
actual gig.
If the computer wizards of the world want to know why they have to work
80 hours a week to complete their appointed tasks and are still considered
"freelance employees" perhaps they should take a look at how the industrial
revolution evolved into the success of organized labor in this country. Trust
me, Mr. contract employee, you are still getting ripped off no matter how much
money you make.
Unions are based on very sound principles, but have many poor
incarnations in this country. It would give me great pride to see the most
intelligent people in our society adopt these principles and make them work
for themselves and everyone else who is driving the economy right now, because
a lot of people are falling through the cracks.
Steve Leif
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.) Local#499
www.iatse.lm.com