> be asking for. And let me go a little further on the limb. What's the point
> of winning better conditions for what are basically shitty jobs? In the short
> term, yes, better conditions are worth striking for, but in the end, who
> wants to spend their lives working in a customer service center?
Not all jobs in the service economy are crappy, and part of the point of union activism is to transform shitty jobs into ones worthy of human beings. Compared to breathing toxic fumes on some Nike sneaker farm, those air-conditioned desk jobs with coffee machines, health insurance benefits and lunch breaks look pretty good. On an Jamesonian note, I'd also argue that since we're all consumers nowadays, decent customer service ought to be viewed as a human right, enshrined in legislation and stuff. Customer service is the soul of service-sector unionism.
-- Dennis