Re: Sabbatical replacement and Dollars

["Dr. William Newbolt" <NewboltW@madison.acad.wlu.edu>]

> Date:          Wed, 20 May 1998 12:03:52 -0500
> Reply-to:      phys-l@mailer.uwf.edu
> From:          "Richard W. Tarara" <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>
> To:            <phys-l@atlantis.UWF.edu>
> Subject:       Re: Sabbatical replacement and Dollars

> What's your point here?  Unionize?  I've got a good
> viewpoint to see what unionization does for teachers (my
> wife is a principal) and it primarily produces a
> blue-collar mentality that ultimately is
> counter-productive to the purpose of educating our
> children.  That's not to say that administrations don't
> abuse their power in ways that invite unionization, only
> that this cure may well be worse than the disease.
>
> rick
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Herbert H. Gottlieb <herbgottlieb@juno.com>
>
> > When I was in college studying economics, I was taught
> > that market forces consist of two factors, supply and
> > demand. But market forces consist of several additional
> > factors that must also be taken into account. Two of the
> > most important are government labor laws and union
> > activity.
> >
> > Laws and regulations by the government set salary scales
> > for civil service jobs and  minimum wages for private
> > industry. Over the years, minimum wages have constantly
> > been increased regardless of supply and demand.
> >
> > Unions and labor organizations have been instrumental in
> > raising the salaries of garbage collectors,
> > transportation workers, truck drivers, and high school
> > teachers regardless of supply and demand.
> >
> > Meanwhile the highly skilled  tool and die makers of the
> > country refused to organize because they considered
> > themselves "professionals" and like college professors, 
> > loved their work and  felt that it was beneath them to
> > organize into labor unions for higher salaries and
> > benefits. As a result, the wages of unskilled labor soon
> > outdistanced those of the tool and die makers.  Today,
> > tool and die makers are becoming scarcer and scarcer.
> > When new ones are needed by industry, rather than offer
> > increased wages to attract them,   we import them from
> > overseas where wages are even lower than they are here.
> > Will the same thing happen to the jobs of college physics
> > professors in the USA?
> >
> > Herb Gottlieb from New York City
> > (Where salaries of physics teachers are subject to
> > "updated" market forces)
> >
> >
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I am sympathetic with what Herb has to say.  I don't think 
he would try to tell us he has a complete solution.  
Certainly labor unions are not the solution in many parts 
of the country.  That said, I think it is true that we have 
a problem and Herb's analogy gets close to the heart of 
it.                                         WBN
Barlow Newbolt
Department of Physics and Engineering
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA 24450
Telephone and Phone Mail:  540-463-8881
Fax: 540-463-8884
e-mail: NewboltW@madison.acad.wlu.edu

"Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."
                                          
                                          Neils Bohr