> On Aug 22, 2008, at 3:41 PM, Mark Rickling wrote:
>
>> Why do workers join unions in the first place? To go on strike? To say
>> unkind things about the boss? Or to change the conditions of their
>> employment?
>
> How can the change the conditions of their employment without at least
> the threat of striking?
Well, many contracts have no-strike clauses, the but you can still improve conditions through a grievance process and arbitration. There's always renegotiation at contract renewal time. Personally, I am against no-strike clauses in the main, however, I would prefer that they not be used at all, and I believe that in the SEIU case, many shops are organized with the agreement that they'll have no strike without a contract being signed at all. Bad scene, that.