My Sentiments

There is a great article from Labor Notes entitled, No-Strike Clauses Hold Back Unions. While you may disagree with the Occupy Movement shutting down the West Coast Ports this article outlines the weakness of current labor contract, "no strike" clauses. 


Some highlights are:


"For more than 75 years, the labor movement has been enclosed by law and custom by collective bargaining, whose goal is to achieve a contract that seals in wages, benefits, a grievance procedure, and work rules. In return, workers and their union agree, crucially, to surrender their right to withhold their labor.The penalties for violation are often severe: stiff fines and imprisonment of union officials."


and


"...Of course, management regularly bypasses or brazenly violates the contract. To remedy these infractions, the union can grieve and finally arbitrate. Although arbitration is heavily weighted on the employers’ side, workers have no other recourse, under the law of the contract.."

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