Hi Archie, I agree with your assessments of the affects of unions early on in this century, they were necessary to keep management from taking advantage of their work force. In today's economy, the unions have become large enough to trigger a nation-wide recession by striking for any length of time, so a sinking tide sinks all boats also. They also tend to raise the price of goods out of reach of many people in lower or middle income brackets. When inside industry wage and benefit pressures fuel inflated pricing for an needed end product, it hurts us all. Inflation is fueled by many things, unions being just one of them, but when there is what we've had for most of this decade, i.e., almost no inflation, striking union workers who affect other people can expect to be looked at with disdain.

I happen to try to make my stockholder-ME, happy with the investments made by the company. I pay myself the same salary that I paid myself 7 years ago. I give my staff raises as I can, and put the rest of any profit into growth. The UPS strike affected all of these areas. I'd like to make more money for working just as hard as I have been for 21 years. Sometimes I write checks for everyone BUT the boss. Try it sometime.....it ain't easy.

....and yer right, Gene started it! ...and he's right. I'd rather have Miss July bringing me a cocktail in a non-union shop than William Bendix as my waitress in a union shop casino. <G>
Bob