Unions: Useful or Useless?
January 23rd, 2008 Posted in Opinion
The writer’s strike is still on. In fact at the time of this post they’re not even talking. But the fact remains that TV as we know it, is on the ropes.
It’s hard to decide who to side with, at least for me. I have grown to dislike the idea of unions because of the way the UAW carries itself. Saddling the American auto industry with so much debt is not good business acumen. It’s one side maximizing its own interests at the expense of the other party. It just wreaks of self-centered and close minded leadership.
But if you think about it, we are all part of a union in some respect.
When we start a new job, we are negotiating on behalf of a union, even if it is a union of one. You never want to leave anything on the table (ex. $$$) because you may never see it again. The goal for many is to maintain the standard of living they have achieved thus far and not descend back down the corporate ladder. My father once took me to a meeting where the man he was hiring asked for an hourly rate that was above what my father made at the time (he’s the CEO). While he initially came across as greedy, he was only trying to maintain the standard of living to which he had become accustomed. From that prospective, he was justified in his actions.
As for the WGA, they just want to be paid for what they have already earned. The big entertainment companies are making money hand over fist off the internet and DVD sales after all.
Please come to an agreement, we all need a little more humour in our lives.
Update: If you want more information on the WGA Strike, just watch The Daily Show with John Stewart.
