[tptacek]

No, it just means that this particular transaction was net-negative for unions.

[blacksqr]

So your argument is that the unions should have just taken the deal as dictated to them without considering their larger self-interest?

[tptacek]

Yes? "As dictated to them" is a weird way of putting it, since they were the ones making the demands.

[blacksqr]

Dear workers: you must remain poor and powerless forever, for the greater good.

[tptacek]

Once again, we don't have to wonder whether this particular strategy worked. It demonstrably did not. Workers in NY state and at Whole Foods are worse off than they would have been. This is a setback for the effort to unionize Whole Foods.

[blacksqr]

You seem to be confusing strategy (long term thinking) with tactics (short term thinking)

I wish I could understand why you seem to think it's a no-brainer that workers should unilaterally resign what they see as their long term interests to accept unquestioningly a corporate agenda with uncertain benefits for them in an indeterminate future.

[tptacek]

It doesn’t matter who’s side we’re on. I think Whole Foods should unionize. What was done here to try to accomplish that backfired, spectacularly. Labor will have less of a voice in similar negotiations in the future.