* unions: nepotism and racism
Topics: Unions
14 Oct 1993
From: ervan
As I noted sometime ago, the fundamental tool that trade
unions have is artificial restriction of the laber supply to keep
prices up. Since demand for jobs (in the form of people willing
to work) exceeds the supply of jobs and price mechanisms are not
allowed to resolve the difference, arbitrary mechanisms must
be substituted. Racism & nepotism are two common ones. In
this month's Reason, the following appeared in the cover article
(now posted on my bulletin board):
"I was about 20, working in a furniture store, and I saw these
ads in the paper for carpentry jobs on construction projects," he
recalls. "It seemed like a good opportunity, so I went over to the
carpenters' union. they told me I had to take a test. I paid 20
bucks, and they gave me this test that was completely in English.
I only spoke a little bit of English [Cuban immigrant], but I tried
to fill it out.
The guy came out of his office, took my paper, and went back
inside. A minute later he comes out, tosses it at me, and says,
'You failed.' 'Where did I fall down?' I asked him. 'I don't have
time for you,' he said, and walked away.
I went home, but I kept seeing these ads. It was obvious they
really needed people. So I went back again. The took another
$20 from me, gave me another test in English, and failed me
again. I couldn't believe it. I mean, nobody was interested in see-
ing whether I could do the work. It was like the test was just an
instrument to keep me out.
I had just recently gotten married to an American girl. And
one night I was telling her father what had happened, and he said,
'Jeez, why didn't you tell me? I'm a member of the carpenters'
union.'; so I went back again, this time with my American father-
in-law, and guess what? I was hired."
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