I agree with what is being said about how worthwhile it is for any workforce being unionised.
I sometimes wonder though about the thoughts of the union hiararchy and if they really have the interests of the workers in their minds.
Have a look at this article from todays New York Times. The union never even put the decision on rejecting the management ideas to stave off bankruptcy to the vote. How many will now loose their jobs.
The chairman of the pilots' union at US Airways said yesterday that a proposal to cut $295 million from pilots' wages and benefits might not have saved the airline from bankruptcy but should have been put to a vote anyway.
In a broadcast on the pilots' Web site, Bill Pollock said the union would now be "at the mercy of the courts" if US Airways follows through on its threat to seek Chapter 11 protection.
His comments came a day after rebel pilots on the union's master executive council blocked other union leaders from sending the company's last offer to its 3,000 pilots. No negotiations are scheduled.
US Airways has been trying to persuade its unions to grant $800 million in concessions so it can avoid a bankruptcy filing, which would be its second in two years.
But unions, which gave the airline two sets of cuts worth $1.9 billion before it emerged from bankruptcy in April 2003, have resisted. Without the cuts, the airline has said it will most likely seek court protection, a move some analysts speculate could happen as early as Sunday