Egregious Self-Service

Competition is For Other Stiffs, Not Us

Unions are largely about protection--protecting themselves and their jobs against competition.  Unions are pretty happy about competition in general, as long as it is the "other guy" that is having to compete.  When competition lowers food prices and supermarket goodies, unionists approve.  When competition brings a flood of cheap, reasonable quality imports such as furniture, TV's, computers, and mobile phones into the country so that they become affordable, thereby raising living standards generally, unions applaud.

But when labour is overpriced and competition beckons, unionists protest with all the righteous indignation they can muster.  Competition is for the other guy, not our guys.