Regarding (political) conservatives and unions:
I regard myself as both a political and business conservative yet feel strongly that union representation is important and beneficial, yet suffer no cognitive dissonance in the process. How?
In a completely free and unregulated market, all wealth naturally tends to the few owners of large businesses. This is how we got the robber barons of the late 1800's. High barriers to entry, large capitalization requirements, and the ability to monopolize all lead to this natural outcome. This is not good for the vast majority of the American population.
There's two ways to fix this for the benefit of all: support free & open unions, or tax the living sh!t out of the corporations and/or their owners and hand out the money as welfare like a socialist state. By permitting the unions to negotiate the cost of labor inputs just like steel and rubber producers negotiate the cost of their input and the relatively free market works to the benefit of those in the population willing to take the steps to make themselves qualified to compete for the work.
This is what gives Americans upward mobility instead of creating a socialist welfare state. THAT is the motivation that continues to make this country the most productive, successful, and wealthiest in the world. I'll take unions over socialist revolts any day!
Yes, Flying the Line Vol II lambastes the Republican presidents of the 80's for not supporting the pilots' unions well enough, but in reality we are talking about where to draw the line - not whether or not there should be a line at all.
What Senator McCain is talking about in doing away with the Railway Labor Act is certainly alarming, but that's why ALPA and APA have lobbies just like the airline industry (ATA I believe). We are free to bargain for our rights just as those large, evil corporations, unlike most other countries in the world.
What I find interesting is that airline unions very closely align themselves with their companies, and it is in their best interests (because they are bribed into agreement w/higher pay) to shoot other airlines in the foot, unfortunately including their pilot brothers. Side letter agreements, permissive scope, etc. all are examples of airline unions helping one airline undercut another.
Who is the final arbiter in all this? The market. It's still a relatively free market and the costs of labor inputs can push a company into the hole. When it does, that airline will lose value, and should be able to be absorbed into another or simply go kaput to make room for new competitors.
I personally wonder why the pilot group (all of us) aren't in a single trade union like carpenters, plumbers, etc. that set minimum wages industry-wide. We would all truly benefit from that.
In any event, Unions do push a huge chunk of corporate wealth down into the hands of those who work to create it, in a much more efficient and motivational manner than would a socialist system. That is how I remain a conservative and pro-union w/out developing a split personality. Sure, some unions will suffer from corruption or pushing wages too high, but limited regulation and appropriate levels of government involvement in the market will correct it over time.
