Guest commentary: Labor must get creative in negotiating to survive
Tue, Nov 29, 2011
It’s been four years since the economy went on life support in a recession that still saps the lifeblood of business today. In the St. Louis construction industry, unemployment remains at a Depression-level 30 percent to 40 percent. The union sector has frozen or cut wages and modified work rules to stimulate work. But it is all too clear that this is a market without money, frozen by credit gridlock. It’s a watershed moment for labor, requiring a more creative approach to negotiating with the market.