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>You won't understand this argument, Bruce, but I will lay it before you,
anyway. If I have a grievance, I know how to go to my boss and lay out the
grievance. If going to my boss doesn't work, I kniow how to escalate my
grievance to HR. If I still don't get satisfaction, I can usually go to the
GM or CEO and express my grievance to them. And I know how to go higher if
I have a legitimate complaint that working inside the company doesn't
resolve.
I have no problem understanding your argument; I simply think you're rash.
Naturally, I could be wrong. I know nothing of your background. For all
I know, you're an experienced negotiator with an encylopedic knowledge
of labor law in your area and of your contract. However, if you lack any
of these skills, then it is rash to assume you can replace an expert.
>Let me ask you. When you buy a car, do you need an inter,eidary to
negotiate the deal for you? When you take it to be repaired, do you have
someone to interpret you concerns about the car to the service manager? How
about when you buy clothes, groceries, talk to your landlord or mortgage
company, do you need someone to speak for you to these people or can you
handle that yourself?
No, but, at the same time, I don't doubt that an expert negotiator could
handle affairs better than I can. Car dealers, for example, make a
living from their negotiation skills, and can out-finesse most of their
customers. Very few people are on a level-playing field when they go up
against someone who negotiates for a living.
> That is a union mentality, Bruce. Why
should I work harder than someone else in the department when we are both
going to see the same $0.32/hr increase whether we all earned it or not?
I don't know: Interest in your job? Pride in your work? The chance of
promotion? I don't know about you, but, beyond a very limited point,
these are bigger motivations for me than a small increase in pay.
Anyway, some union contracts do have merit clauses in them, although
possibly not any unions that you happened to belong to.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"What will I say when my children ask me,
'Where were you flying on that day?'
With trembling voice, I gave the order
To the bombardier of Enola Gay."
-Utah Phillips, "Enola Gay"
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