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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (34236)	9/2/2000 1:49:41 AM
From: Mr. Whist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

A quick response before I also retire: I think it's interesting that a number of start-up, high-tech companies (non-union, of course) are implementing employee benefits that far surpass what most union shops or offices receive or even are asking for: on-premises day care, generous 401(k) matches and profit sharing (both denied to me by my employer because I am a union member); flexible hours/days; the option to work at home; even bring your damn dog to work! Enlightened management, not unions, is making this a reality. Very interesting. If the Beck decision were implemented, I think only a very small percentage of union members would exercise this option. Just a wild guess on my part, but I would think 4% would be a high figure. At my place of employment, only about 70 percent of the hourly workforce is in the union. In other words, those that are members of the local are committed to the cause. Unions, no doubt, are opposing this for the same reason that the NRA opposes any added restrictions on the sale of firearms: It would set a precedent. Obviously, unions have abused pension funds in the past. No denyng that. However, the record over the past 20 years shows that the vast majority of abuse has come about because management too often has seen pension funds as a way to bolster the bottom line. Actually, I was wrong. Government did play a role in our contracts of the '90s, because they were negotiated with the help of a federal mediator. And believe me, those guys earn every buck they make (and also have some wonderful stories to tell).