Picket Lines
This morning, I happened to be driving through downtown Boise to make a stop at my bank. I noticed that the new high rise next to the bank had a picket line. People in the line were holding signs and chanting something like “CCI does not pay area standard wages and benefits”.
I thought more about that and realized that I really don’t get what strikes and picket lines are all about. These people knew what the wage and benefit package was when they signed on. I’m positive that this was not kept secret from them. They made a decision to go to work for this company for a set wage and benefit plan.
Now, if the picketers are dissatisfied by the pay or benefit package they are receiving, why wouldn’t they go find a different organization to work for. Wouldn’t that punish the offending company in the same way? As more people find out that this company doesn’t pay area standard wages and benefits, and more people leave said company, they would have to either adjust their wages or go out of business since they wouldn’t be able to find any employees.
If these people are upset by their wages, they should go find another company to work for instead of marching and chanting in front of a job site. Picketing seems like so much wasted effort.
Martin,
What an eloquent comment to my obviously one-sided post… Thank you for helping me see the other side. :)
This story came through our local paper the other day…
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/119082.html
It seems that the union is paying homeless people up to $12.50/hour to walk the picket lines. Something about this practice seems borderline unethical.
While I very rarely see the point in striking myself either - I suspect that you are taking your own perception of job mobility to a different demographic. When was the last time that you saw a bunch of nerds picketing an office in downtown San Jose complaining that they wanted Mountain Dew in the Soda fridges or minimum of two widescreen monitors for all developers? In our industry we have desirable skill sets which allow us to generally pick and chose our employers - not the other way around.
If you struggled for several years to find employment or if you are in a job where the skill sets (or total lack of any skill required) mean that you would not be able to get another job locally then I could see myself wondering what else to do.
The people striking are going without pay and are risking the wrath of their managment, so you’d think it would be about something they feel very strongly about if they are willing to be poorer to make a point. If you are prepared for you and your family to go to bed hungry over something then it must be very important.
The problem I have with a lot of strike action is that sometimes it is purely extortion - i.e. an group of people that have a critical job function demanding more money (London Undergroud drivers are a case in point).
That said, I always find it amusing when here in the UK some local council paper shufflers will take a day on strike to campaign for more pay or something saying that what they do is so important that they should be better rewarded. I find it funny because often nobody at all notices…
Anyway, I’ve no idea who CCI are or what the typical worker on the picket line is. I’ve seen both sides of a strike and they are like a divorce - nobody wins.