Indiana

Don?t Look for the Union Label

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

The same union mentality that helped caused the demise of the American auto industry is working its way into downtown Indianapolis.  

United Here, a hotel workers union, is holding a march this afternoon on Monument Circle in an effort to unionize workers at the Westin and Hyatt Regency in downtown and the Sheraton at Keystone at the Crossing.   Union officials says hotel workers in Indianapolis make less than those in other Midwest cities because they aren’t unionized.

A union spokeswoman says the starting wage for a housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis is $7.25 an hour, but that same wage in Chicago is $14.25 an hour.

Now let’s apply some common sense to this situation. 

Using their math the Indianapolis housekeeper makes about $15,000 annually.  Using a standard salary calculator,  the Indy housekeeper should make $19,000 to be comparable with the Chicago housekeepers salary.  But that’s not what’s happening, using the Union’s own math, the Chicago housekeeper makes about $27,000 a year.  So not only is the Chicago housekeeper overpaid, the Unions want the Indy housekeeper to be overpaid too.

Now before you all say I am advocating slavery (even though you get free meals and housing), I believe in paying people as much as possible.  Good wages tend to translate into good performance, however the company must be able to afford the labor.  If the  hotels increase the housekeepers’ wages they will have to cover the costs by increasing prices, cutting profits or laying off staff.  And in the economic climate none of these are good ideas.

But there’s a union behind all this so why should I be surprised at any of this.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on December 17, 2008 (boomark / email).