Free Republic

Last year represented the second-least-active period for strikes and lockouts on record, in a sign of just how troubled the labor market has been, a U.S. government report Tuesday said. Over the course of 2010, there were only 11 major strikes or lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The lowest year for work stoppages was 2009. Last year’s work stoppages “idled 45,000 workers for 302,000 lost workdays, a large increase compared to 2009 record lows, with 5 stoppages idling 13,000 workers for 124,000 lost workdays,” the report noted. The Labor Department report tracks...

UNIONS; THE HIDDEN COSTS MARK A SITY 9/8/02 This is being prompted by the recent demise of an industry giant. A company with a glorious past, one of innovation and a history of ignoring those who say '…it can't be done'. I am referring to the Labor Day closing of Consolidated Freightways (CF). It was an industry leader for the vast majority of its existence. Early in its history the company decided that the available tractors for pulling its trailers were not acceptable. For those of you unfamiliar with the industry, the unit that pulls the trailer or trailers down...