[Superman]

Rick, I have to agree with you. Except for a nuance, I suppose. I don't so much want to tip the scales in favor of the worker...I want to tip them so they are level. A huge part of the labor movement (more correctly termed "collective bargaining") is the recognition that if workers are not permitted to pool their clout, then it is a "divide and conquer" game for management. Management has centralized clout. Lots more than any individual worker. Where workers can pool their clout, it becomes a fair fight.

Yes, the relationship is symbiotic. More than that. It can be synergistic! The unfortunate stories of greed and mishandling by either Labor or Management sadden me. Mercifully, in the Labor community I work with, the companies are very much respected. In fact, a big part of what the labor representatives do is accommodating management needs. In construction, management sometimes needs extraordinary performance from workers. Long shifts. 'Round the clock work. Special skills. Union representatives work toward these goals on behalf of management. That's the way it ought to be.

Right now, I have a funny situation. It is not a contract I handle, so I am watching from the outside. The contractor is in a jam. Contractor is ignoring the union reps. That's flatly illegal and can get the contractor in a LOT of trouble. Meanwhile, this contractor, which as been a PITA to work for anyway, asks for 12-hour shifts. Three twelves. New crews come in for the second half of the week, and they work three twelves also. Shifts contain only one lunch. This contractor might get stung financially, if the unions get fed up enough. In the meantime, the contractor will get some of the area's poorest workers. Working very inefficient 12-hour shifts. If the contractor would turn and engage with Labor, they could get MORE work done (they're in a time crunch) by bringing in super-crew guys for six-ten work weeks. Six ten-hour days. They could get the best of the best (the guys who will ONLY work these kinds of shifts), get caught up on schedule, and pay less money in wages to do so. Then they would go back to regular shifts (5x8 or 4x10). The super-guys would go on to another project. Instead, management has taken the shove-this-down-their-throat approach.

Sad.