T A B L E__T A L K What's it worth to make a buck? Tell your horror stories and read those of others in Table Talk   Search for business, personal finance and more at barnesandnoble.com Search by:  Keyword Title Author     R E C E N T L Y In defense of James Cramer By Ken Kurson The big mouth of stock market punditry deserves more praise than punishment (03/12/99) Big apple pickpocket By Heather Chaplin Big apple pickpocket: For newcomers, New York City is a glittering, thieving con artist that we only notice after we get home and realize we're broke (03/05/99) Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome ... the Grateful Capitalists! By Larry Kanter Taking their cue from counterculture success stories like the Grateful Dead, radical marketers are building brand loyalty from the ground up (02/26/99) Epidemic of extravagance By Heather Chaplin Economist Robert H. Frank has written a painstakingly researched new book offering a cure to our destructive love of luxury, but will anybody listen? (02/19/98) Van Gogh Inc. By Larry Kanter You've seen the paintings. Now buy the lunch box (02/12/99) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Reluctant Capitalist archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Salon Columnists		SINGING THE UNION BLUES | PAGE 1, 2 - - - - - - - - - - According to the most recent Gallup poll on the subject, 60 percent of the country approve of labor unions and 31 percent don't, as of August 1997. Nine percent had no opinion. Previous polls in 1991 and 1986 show roughly equivalent sentiments. A more recent study, released by the Labor Research Association, asked a slightly tougher question but got a similar response. That survey found about 56 percent of likely voters think labor unions have a positive effect on the country, compared with 28.5 percent who think the opposite. In 1995, when the association last did the poll, only 49 percent responded positively. The labor movement considers these numbers encouraging. And bearing in mind that 10 years ago, many were pronouncing organized labor dead, and that 20 years ago approval ratings had fallen to an all-time low of 55 percent, according to Gallup, this is undoubtedly true. On the other hand, Gallup has been doing the same poll since 1936, and approval ratings never dipped as low as 60 percent until 1972. In the 1950s, approval ratings ran to 75 percent. So I worry. In this time of growing corporate power, we need organized protection. And that's not just the rambling of a Pete Seeger-addled brain. The primarily goals of these entities is making money, not treating people fairly, let alone nicely. I don't think anyone on either end of the spectrum would argue with that. Sometimes, in a happy coincidence, the two come together and it makes financial sense to treat employees well. These new workplaces we read about, where graphic designers create corporate images sitting on Day-Glo beanbag office furniture and computer geniuses get shiatsu massages while creating new ways to shop online, for example, sound fun. Don't kid yourself, though, if it stopped serving the employer's financial interest to treat its employees this way, it would stop doing so. History shows this to be true. Hell, the present shows this to be true. Why do you think companies like Nike move operations to third world countries? For the weather? Because they don't have child labor laws there, because there's no organized labor movement to say, "Um, excuse me ..." Whatever your problems might be with the AFL-CIO, or a particular local -- too radical, too conservative, whatever -- a cursory glance through 20th century American history and a quick comparative scan around the globe reminds us of the good organized labor has done those of us who don't own the ol' means of production. The eight-hour work day, the 40-hour work week, child labor laws, the minimum wage, pensions, workplace safety regulations, insurance, vacations, workers comp, the weekend. We assume these things are our innate rights, but they are all the results of hard-fought battles between organized labor and employers. And some of these things are national standards but are not federally mandated, which means they could disappear any time we let them. So let the champagne flow, let the numbers dazzling our business pages shine. But somewhere in the back of our minds, let's remember the less glamorous flip side of this world of business and money. And let's remember that while our skyrocketing stocks make us feel rich, we don't really control the company, and as long as that's the case, we need organized labor watching our backs. SALON | March 19, 1999