“I believe that managing is like holding a dove in your hand. If you hold it too tightly, you kill it, but if you hold it too loosely, you lose it.”
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In 1994 Major League Baseball went on strike. Like many fans, I was disappointed, angry, and frustrated. The games resumed in the Spring of 1995, but not without damage done to the preception of the game. Many fans stopped following the games, never to return. Blame was spread among both parties – the owners and the players.
I remember watching an interview on television with a high-ranking union leader – it could have been Donald Fehr, but I wouldn’t swear to it. The reporter asked the union official if they thought this strike was good for baseball, the official shrugged and responded that basically, he didn’t know and that wasn’t his concern. His concern rested solely with the baseball players and ensuring that they played the game in as safe an environment as possible and that they received fair compensation. What was good for the game, was outside of his purview.
I remember hearing that and reevaluating my view of unions and their responsibilities. To my mind, he was 100% correct, and why unions are so important. Yes, it is logical that well-compensated and safe baseball players make for a better game, but what’s good for the game is best left to the commissioner and others to consider. The union’s sole responsibility should be protecting union members and perhaps those that could become future union members. It’s what they were hired for and it’s why, for the most part, they’ve been successful at improving worker conditions.
As much as we like to criticize unions, the reality is that without them workers wouldn’t enjoy many CONTINUE READING: FRIDAY NEWS DROP – Dad Gone Wild
