On 2005-01-25, Edward M. Kennedy wrote:
"Tom Disque" wrote

I work in photography and when I go up to NYC to photograph a dancer in
a Broadway show (as I did last summer), I can't just plug into any old
wall outlet. I don't know what the outlet is rated for, what else is
plugged in there, etc. So I get a union guy to do it. He or she is
responsible for knowing the condition of the electrical capacity in the
building or theater. He comes and checks out my equipment, makes sure
it isn't gonna blow up their electrical outlets or in any way keep them
from putting on a show. He knows if the outlet is live and if not, how
to turn it on. He knowns if it is switched off for a reason - it needs
to be repaired or perhaps other things are plugged into it and need to
be switched on and off for the show.

There are all sorts of pratical reasons why you need a union electrician
to do that work - would you want to plug in some cheap-assed made in
China electrical device and blow out an entire electrical panel and keep
a Broadway show from starting on time?

I know also that when my grandmother was n a nursing home, you couldn't
plug in any electrical devices into the wall without first having them
checked out by the custodial staff. You wouldn't want someone plugging
in some crappy old non-grounded lamp and tripping the breakers and
grandma's O2 generator goes out - would you?

You make some good points that I had not considered.

Like what? It's a false dichotomy. You don't need a *union*
guy to do that -- you need a *qualified* guy to do that. The
"union" guy may be *more* likely to have BS certification for
all you know. You know, get passed along by the bureaucracy
like in a public school?

It's a similar thing for doctors and lawyers. I'm not against their
certification, I'm against the monopoly in deciding who gets to
practice medicine or law at all.


Interesting. How could the monopoly be eliminated and allow unbiased
certification.

--Ted




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Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

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