Thursday, August 19, 2010

Unions Gone Wild

It seems like every day you read in the paper another story showing how unions are ruining America. Either outrageous pay, lavish pensions or outright pig-headedness involving memebers it is growing increasingly clear labor unions have outlived their usefulness in America as ways to police employer abuse.
But no union is more drunk on power than the Major League Baseball Players' Association.

I can honestly see the union putting up a fight about the Mets trying to void K-Rod's cotnract. That somewhat makes sense, because it has to protect other members. But the MLBPA insisting K-Rod should be paid for the rest of this season is ludicrous.

The player was injured in the commission of a crime. During that criminal act he suffered an injury preventing him from fulfilling his duties as set forth in his contract. And yet he still deserves to be paid?

I can't see how they can possibly defend this unless they make him retract his confession that the injury was suffered during the fight.

Could you imagine if he had robbed a liquor store and gotten shot in the leg and been unable to pitch? Would that disqualify him from receiving the money he was entitled?

Note: Do people rob liquor stores anymore? Is it still called "knocking over" a liquor store?

Note: Paying big contracts to closers is foolish. More foolish than paying big contracts to other players. Closers' success is to fickle. The guy has been pretty good over two years for the Mets, but unless he's Gagne-esque there's no reason to pay him $12-$13 million a year.

1 comment:

Damino said...

Agree 100% re: modern day unions. Look at the MTA - why in the hell are they always in the red and having to raise prices? Mrs. Damino and I pay $5,000 a year to commute from Westchester and that figure is apparently going up this winter. Absurd.