The Editor, "Labouring through the ages," News, Aug. 30. In my 45 years of business, I was never once in a union, but every company I worked for had a union. Whenever the union reached a settlement on a new contract, whether it was pay, working conditions or benefits, we non-negotiated employees were immediately granted the same conditions.
Because the unions were IWA, CPU or CPPW (forest industry unions), the contracts were the best in North America. Consequently, everybody benefited, as disposable income kept on circulating around and around.
These are the reasons the U.S. and Canada had by far the best standard of living anywhere in the world, but since then, major corporations have taken to exporting the very good paying jobs and thereby eliminating the middle class, replacing them with low-or minimum-paying jobs.
There are many "prophets of doom" who love to predict the end of civilization whenever the minimum wage is raised by 25 or 50 cents per hour, but neglect to mention a country of low earners has very little disposable income and therefore small-to medium-size businesses struggle continually to survive.
Anybody who thinks unions are a problem should read the history books about the Industrial Revolution and they will have a sober second thought. There were times when I shook my head at the posturing of some union leaders, but that was all it was, posturing, until the serious negotiations were to begin.
Alan Halliday
Richmond
