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Comment by missedthecue | Hacker News Reader

Restricting competition to raise the cost of the product sold. That's why unions hate people who cross the picket line. If you willingly compete, you undermine the whole strategy.

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That's so interesting. Most people tend to call that a monopoly and use the word union for something else. What made you choose to use union for this behavior instead?

Well unions really only work well when they have a monopoly. If a plant want's to go on strike over something, but that means only 10% of the workforce is walking off, that's not as effective as if the union was in a monopoly position.

In fact this is why the Clayton Act specifically exempts unions from anti-trust law, and it's why "Right to work" laws are so controversial - they reduce the monopoly status of the union.

I get all that. I also understand that unions function as a labor monopoly. What I don't get is not simply referring to unions as unions and monopolies as monopolies as is the common practice.

Correct me, if I'm understanding but your point seems to be this

Unions are a monopoly so it makes sense to call OPEC a union.

Let me refer us both back to intro to programming and frame this in OOP terms. Just because a Cat has an IS-A relationship to Animal, does not make all Animals Cats.

I wouldn't call OPEC a union, but I would call it a cartel, just like labor unions are.

missedthecue 4 hours ago

> OPEC is also a union

missedthecue 1 hour ago

> I wouldn't call OPEC a union

You might want to re-examine your cybersecurity measures - someone hacked your account.

Yes, I put it in those terms to help remove the blinders some people have on. In a strict sense, I guess you could that OPEC does meet the definition of a union, in the sense that it is a group of entities coordinating together. Just like the EU, a marriage, the commonwealth, or the USA.

We're really just splitting hairs at this point. My main point is that the motives and tactics of both OPEC and the UAW are identical.

aka arguing in bad faith.

If you took the time to learn a less nonsensical definition you might have an easier time understanding why OPEC isn't even close.

> Restricting competition

aka collective bargaining.

> If you willingly compete

aka defecting.

It's just game theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Logic_of_Collective_Action I really don't understand why people get so fluffed up about it.

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