Folks at Harvard support labor unions… everywhere except at Harvard | Hacker News Reader

Folks at Harvard support labor unions… everywhere except at Harvard

blogs.harvard.edu

30 pointsjseliger9 comments

As with many arguments that hinge on a perceived hypocrisy or an interpretation of someone else's motives, this is all a little lacking.

The only exception that these folks allow is that workers (other than themselves; the AAUP functions as a union to some extent) should not be unionized at their own university and/or that the university should not have to pay what already-unionized workers are demanding.

It'd be pretty inauthentic if people who support the existence of labor unions believe their workers or community members shouldn't unionize.

On the other hand, nobody is under obligation to automatically pay whatever unionized workers are demanding. That wouldn't even be a negotiation, and negotiation is what unions are for. That some strikes are overreach and won't receive universal support isn't some kind of argument against the existence of labor unions. The reality tends to be a lot more subtle.

Greenspun makes broad assertions without giving any evidence.

Look at articles in the student newspaper:

"More than 100 Harvard Faculty Signed Petition to Support Strike" http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/10/25/faculty-letter-...

"Hundreds of Students Leave Class to Support HUDS Strike" http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/10/18/huds-supporters...

When you have some skin in the game, things look a bit different.

So if you vote democrat, you have to pay your workers whatever they ask for?

You should act in a way that is consistent with your purported values regardless of how you vote. Otherwise you have no values.

Kind of like how everyone's favorite evil GMO company only serves non-GMO organic food in their company cafeteria.

That is a myth

It only took Greenspun's commentariat three comments to get to talking about child support.

This seems odd due to the fact that the Great Father in Washington already gave us all affordable health care via the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), signed into law by President Obama in 2010.

Greenspun's rhetoric is an embarrassment.

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