[lbo-talk] Graber on consensus

[Gar Lipow]

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 9:46 PM, Bill Bartlett <william7 at aapt.net.au> wrote:
> At 4:59 PM -0800 26/2/13, Gar Lipow wrote:
>
>> Just to be absolutely clear - If an overwhelming majority of a 10,000
>> member union want to go on strike, and all but one of the rest are not
>> willing to block, you think that one person out of 10,000 should be
>> able to block the strike?
>
>
> Yes. The answer is conditional on some of the other things I've mentioned
> though.
>
> But how about the other extreme, Lets say out of the 10,000, only 5001
> members cast a ballot on the question and 2500 vote against the strike
> compared to 2501 voting for. Do you think it makes sense for the 2501 who
> voted for a strike to be able to conscript the 7499 who are unconvinced its
> a good idea?

Well you don't know where the non-voters stand. In consensus parlance
they have chosen to step aside. But ignoring non voters, 2501 for to
2500 against is such a weak hand that most unions would choose not to
strike in those circumstances.   A strike authorization vote usually
leaves the leadership the choice to strike or not. And with that
little support the choice likely would be "not".  The thing is though
such close votes are not common in strike votes. Whereas a tiny
percentage of scabs amid  large support for a strike is pretty common.
So your example is rare in the real world whereas mine has  a pretty
common counterpart in the real world., Again someone who scabs in a
majority rule system would be likely to block in a consensus system.
And scabs (even from within the union) do often exist in real strikes.
Whereas votes that close are rare. Normally strike authorizations come
with an overwhelming majority or they fail. (In the USA I mean).


>
>
> Bill Bartlett
> Bracknell Tas
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk

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