greatwhitehunter, it doesn't require a union to create a demarcation issue. PP management allows stilted informal powerbases to be created at quite junior levels, especially in complex technical areas such as IT who notoriously work to the narrow rule of the specification and who rarely are properly motivated to be interested in the purpose or success of the overall project. You end up with the typical management dilemma of 'can't live with them / can't live without them' and then the weak management conclusion 'better live with them' and all that ensues.