Re: What am I worth?

["Meek, DavidX L" <davidx -dot- l -dot- meek -at- INTEL -dot- COM>]

Eric L. Dunn wrote many things, including:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Closed Shop: "You must be in the Union."
Closed Shop: "You can choose not to be in the union but still must pay
dues."
Closed Shop; "You don't have to join or pay, but Bob wants to talk to you
out back."
...
Any
group should stand on its' merits and advantages offered to its' members.
No person should be forced to belong (or pay dues). Freedom of association
includes the freedom from association.
...
I have yet to talk to a friend,
acquaintance, or contact who has worked in a unionised setting where the
choice was truly open.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A friend of mine is a head librarian at a university in Detroit.  The people
who work for him are in the--get this--United Auto Workers (UAW) Union.  He
has spoken to me many times about this subject, and I think he would agree
with every word Eric wrote above--at least, I've heard him voice the same
sentiments as Eric did.

I have no problems with unions, per se.  Indeed, there are times when a
union is the best means of countering management's excesses.  But a union
can become a monstrosity just like any other entity (including management,
government, etc.).  And by necessity, a union will directly limit to some
degree the freedom of its members, and indirectly limit the freedom of
non-members.  The most important question to answer, then, is whether the
anticipated benefits outweigh the sacrificed freedoms.  Given the
independent nature of our listmembers, I can't imagine that any such union
would survive for very long.

Just my pre-tax $0.02.

-Dave

(Any statements made above are mine, and mine alone.)


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=