Your "public transit strikes" example just demonstrates again unions work better in public sector, at the expense of all outsider, in this case, the public.

Funny, I would have put it the exact opposite way. Look at public transit strikes, for starters! They hurt the public, and actually *benefit* management, because having public transit idling means money is being saved.

Unions work well in situations where they can strike to hurt management by preventing them from making money, not in situations where the public good is the victim.

I agree that it is a very difficult time to ask employers to consider putting their freelancers inside a collective agreement. But the Guild is here to help anyone who wants to try, or any freelancer who has questions about their basic rights. You can read more about the our freelance branch at http://www.cmg.ca.

I wonder if the union will send the money back? You know, as a sign of that famous principle. What is it called, again? Ah, yes, "solidarité".

Auto makers HAD very strong unions, when people could afford to buy cars made in North America.

Besides, if he blacklisted everyone who called him a douchebag...

(Incidentally, though I disagree with his decision and I don't like his work as a professional blowhard, I don't dislike the guy as a person. This is the character he's made a career out of, and it works for him.)

And "Journal de Montréal is fighting for its life now" is debatable. The union argues it's still making a hefty profit.

Unions were created to protect internal employees' interest, at the expense of all outside people. That would be fine as long as all organizations have an union -- which is not true. Therefore, in our society, a few lucky ones are far more protected than others.

Unions work well in public sector, since public services don't need to make profits to survive. However, unions may not work in private sector, because a private corporation is responsible for its shareholders, and it has to make enough profits or go bankrupt.

That's why CBC's union can add freelancers to their contract, while Journal de Montréal can't -- CBC doesn't need to make a profit, but Journal de Montréal is fighting for its life now.

«by protecting freelancers, the union makes it less attractive for employers to use them instead of salaried employees to save money»: this is essentially what we (at AJIQ) are telling unions -- we are still trying to build that common front you talk about. And this was also the thinking behind the Canadian Freelance Union experiment. But old habits die hard, and unions are still so much in a mind-set of trying to block all forms of freelance work... In the end, it might turn out to be their downfall, if they don't change their ways soon.