| part of the problem with unions is the people that need them the least, have them the most. the people that really need unions are exploited workers working minimum wage or forced to go under the radar to scrape by on a few bucks to raise a family. the big union jobs now pay upper middle class dollars and squeeze business for every penny.
i am NOT anti-union, in a matter of fact i think there is not enough of a labor movement any more. rather i think unions, as ctenidae put it so well "exist soley to purpetuate themselves" and grow the wealth of it's paying members instead of growing the labor movement (what movement actually).
though i disagree that expecting a raise every year should put company's out of business. you acquire skills and knowledge through your years with a company and should be rewarded for your commitment which should mean better productivity and performance compared to joe shmoe off the street. also, they need to keep the pay at level with experience lest the worker take their knowledge somewhere else and the compnay actually wastes more money training someone from scratch rather than paying a little extra to hold on to someone. |