The Bar Towel

First of all, lets drop the political posturing and emotions.

In this day and age unions are really just HR outsourcing agencies. Employers turn to them (unfortunately without choice) for a labour pool. The union staffs, manages wages, benefits etc. They are a business unto themselves. The only real difference is that their operation is financed by the worker not the employer (the employer funds the programs through payroll and other plans, but the worker pays the union salaries).

So, if you want real free enterprise then let employers choose the outsourcing companies (unions) they want to deal with and let the workers choose the HR departments (unions) they fund.

This really is not about workers rights. That can be dealt with under labour law. It's about one more form of monopoly that employers, workers and consumers are stuck with.

velovampire wrote:I couldn't believe how much people were buying. Literally every person in the massive line had a shopping cart overflowing with cases of wine, beer and various bottles of liquor. It was like the opening scene in Leaving Las Vegas, multiplied by 70-80. I put down the single bottle of rum I had intended to buy and walked out. Seriously, how long do these people think the strike is going to last, if it even happens at all?

I suspect that the vast majority of the people buying cases and cases of booze were bar and restaurant owners. They're the ones that are going to be really fucked over if the strike happens and lasts more than a few days, so I can't blame them for buying as much as they can get their hands on.

jethro796 wrote:Let's remember that private sector and/or non union employees enjoy many rights and freedoms on the coat tails of unionized employees.
Our society as a whole benefits from a 5 day work week (some only working 37.5 hours a week), benefits for most full time employees, and their families as well as paid vacations.
If it weren't for unions we would still be working 6 day weeks - 12 hours a day for far less than minimum wage.

Bullshit.
If it wasn't for unions most of us would be working 25 hours a week because goods and services would be cheaper and workers more efficient.

You have no right to tell an employer he must only let his workers work X amount of hours a week, pay for vacations and provide benefits. You have no right to tell and employer that they must hire someone at a minimum wage. You have no right to tell a worker the same either. If I am willing to work 50 hours a week at $1/hour it is no one's concern.

This is the same attitude that gives us government monopolies, garbage strikes, endless debt and higher taxes with no increase in the value supposedly provided.

$
Are you kidding me?

Do you seriously believe that,

"Bullshit.
If it wasn't for unions most of us would be working 25 hours a week because goods and services would be cheaper and workers more efficient."

Have you studied 20th century History at all? How about the Industrial revolution in during the 19th century in Britain?

Sigh...I guess every forum needs a troll.

LCBO shelves @ Yonge & Davenport http://twitpic.com/88gan

Garthicus wrote:LCBO shelves @ Yonge & Davenport http://twitpic.com/88gan

Seriously?

Insane.

Garthicus wrote:LCBO shelves @ Yonge & Davenport http://twitpic.com/88gan

Hopefully this will help the LCBO figure out that won't buy crappy box wine, even as a last resort

$ wrote:... If I am willing to work 50 hours a week at $1/hour it is no one's concern...

Go for it.

wilco wrote:Hopefully this will help the LCBO figure out that won't buy crappy box wine, even as a last resort

Actually, my mother-in-law will drink that boxed wine. Hell, she'd probably drink whatever's in those cups.

dutchcanuck wrote:$
Are you kidding me?

Do you seriously believe that,

"Bullshit.
If it wasn't for unions most of us would be working 25 hours a week because goods and services would be cheaper and workers more efficient."

Have you studied 20th century History at all? How about the Industrial revolution in during the 19th century in Britain?

Sigh...I guess every forum needs a troll.

We've got a couple around these parts.

Nothing like a craft beer forum for insightful and reality based social and political commentary.

Anyone want anything from Vancouver!?

Big surprise.

http://www.opseu.org/news/press2009/jun-23a-2009.htm

The strike has been averted for the time being, and the deadline has been extended. My sources tell me this is to clean up some language issues, so basically the major issues have already been put to rest.

Based on what I have heard, things are looking quite positive for our members at this time, and I think we may have even obtained a 5 year contract this time around.

Well that's disappointing.

DragonOfBlood wrote:Big surprise.

http://www.opseu.org/news/press2009/jun-23a-2009.htm

so much for last call!

SteelbackGuy wrote: Voting in favor of a strike is a simple bargaining tactic. You can vote yes, but still not actually want to go out.

I am aware of that - my point is that the union encourages it's use as a tactic in order to say publicly "our members want a strike" when, in your own words, they don't.