No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

American Airlines is going to have to have a new union vote on whether the unions will accept salary and pension cutbacks and extensive layoffs to keep AA out of bankruptcy. All three major unions (Pilots, Mechanics, and Flight Attendants) had approved the rather drastic cutbacks, which included reductions in their pensions. Then they learned that the top 45 Executives had previously made arrangements to protect their multimillion dollar pensions and to get bonuses of double their salaries if they stayed through about 2005. This information was kept hidden until after the unions voted to accept the cutbacks. See this Dallas Morning News article.

I have seen people write that this is not as bad as what the management of Enron, Global Crossing, or Worldcom did, but this is another example of very much the same attitude. Management in the US has zero respect for the labor that earns the money that supports their income. People who don't think that workers need unions to protect them from mangement should look carefully at the recent history of management malfeasance.

I have heard conservatives complain about unions that abuse their members and are in bed withorganized crime, but that is a problem that was last common in the 1950's. The management abuse of workers has been growing for the last twenty or more years, and is getting much worse. It is time to start rebuilding unions in the country. We all need them to keep management honest. Obviously the managers won't do it on their own.