SNIP
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>What seems” correct” today is interpreted differently in different places for political and other reasons. There is no one-way of thinking that is acceptable which will rule the minds and hearts of mankind. You may think that all people should be treated with kindness and respect while someone else thinks the opposite. Who is correct? Who is not correct? Is this a value judgment? What means is being used to make such a decision?

Tom,
There was a time - and I know because I was there in those days - that "productivity" did NOT include, at least directly, the cost of (human) labour.
In those days you looked for ways to make the same thing faster (or more things in the same amount of time) or the same thing with fewer parts or the same thing with less expensive materials and variations on that theme.
Once the MBAs came up with labour as a direct factor, our goose began to be cooked. You simply cannot compete with near free labour in China and environs or $5. per day in Mexico or Bangladesh or Iraq or India or...

People have traditionally crapped all over the unions for their "excessive demands" and squirrely grievance practises. Well, let me tell you, those workers in China or wherever will be crying for unions, but of course they won't get them. That's part of the deal cooked up with the signed-on businesses, in side-'agreements' (graft).
Unions have NEVER signed a contract on their own - there was always another party that had to agree with the terms. Executive management must be a wonderful thing when you can claim having no backbone/conviction as the reason for signing a labour agreement (they held a gun to our heads and we had no choice) and then get a nice fat juicy bonus and raise for doing so.
Just look at the situation today in countless NON-union workplaces. Longer hours and more other demands accompanied by LESS PAY. Oddly, same as the unions. And not because companies aren't profitable, but because they aren't profitable ENOUGH.
This trend really is no way to live, but unfortunately the media have us all convinced that it it the good and proper way and that anyone who suggests differently is a slackard. With the new laws you have, maybe even espousing terrorist sentiments and worthy of cooling off in some cell somewhere.

I'd sure like to see the idea that looks like it could turn things around for us, but right now people work too hard/long to have time to do much about it and the unemployed are either too busy looking for work or are discounted (by the media) if they try to get something going on the subject.

It should be real interesting when we're all each working in 2 or 3 $5.50 per hour jobs just to keep the roof over our heads.



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>Tom