From Fawlty Towers, after Fawlty pays his cook overtime:

"I get it. I pay you for an hour-and-a-half; you clear out after half-an-hour. That's socialism."

"No, no Mr. Fawlty. That's the free market!"


HUCK'S THIRTY-SECOND EXPLANATION OF UNIONS v. THE FREE-MARKET


A. The free market consists of bargained-for exchanges, written down as contracts.


B. A "contract" is a legal document that requires five things to be valid:

- Offer
- Acceptance
- Consideration
- Capacity to contract
- Comparable standing

( "Comparable Standing" means both parties have relatively equal power; that the contract is not coercive. Someone can hold a gun to your head and make you sign a document, but that document is not a binding contract.)


C. Unions provide comparable standing between labor and management.

If I went in to negotiate a better deal by myself, the company would laugh - they could fire me and have a guy in my seat in 20 minutes. Likewise, they could call me and cut my pay 50% and I'd have to take it - I cannot threaten them with anything.

BUT - if every pilot goes in together - suddenly we have COMPARABLE STANDING - they can lock us out, we can shut the place down.


D. THEREFORE, unions are the only way for large companies to have a valid, enforceable contract with their workers, i.e. the free market's "bargained-for exchange." Anything else is simple coercion.


QED.