Even Anti-Market Forces Can’t Fight The Market

by Mr Juggles

Anti-market forces have realized that the best way to fight low wages is to hire people at low wages. After all, protesting is boring and somewhat demeaning for a union member. So it’s much more efficient to hire homeless and transients. If only there were more Mexicans in DC…

Outsourcing the Picket Line

The picketers marching in a circle in front of a downtown Washington office building chanting about low wages do not seem fully focused on their message.

Although their placards identify the picketers as being with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, they are not union members.

They’re hired feet, or, as the union calls them, temporary workers, paid $8 an hour to picket. Many were recruited from homeless shelters or transitional houses. Several have recently been released from prison. Others are between jobs.

“It’s about the cash,” said Tina Shaw, 44, who lives in a House of Ruth women’s shelter and has walked the line at various sites. “We’re against low wages, but I’m here for the cash.”

Ht: marginalrevolution



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Comments

  1. chris
    July 25th, 2007 | 5:24 pm

    It’s time to unionize the replacement picketers so that they can get better pay and working conditions.

  2. DCresident
    July 25th, 2007 | 6:22 pm

    best part is when a) they protest buildings that were built without union labor, but protest 2-3 years after construction finishes, and b) that they only will pay the protesters for a few hours a day so as to avoid having to provide benefits.

  3. July 26th, 2007 | 11:00 pm

    Watch out SWC. Great Reversal Tomorrow after an extreme oversold condition. See my blog.

  4. TheUnrepentantGunner
    July 27th, 2007 | 10:33 am

    why cant we just outsource the picketers. you know, charge some random union/company/rich jilted person 2 g’s, and have a list of hungry college students/picketers on hand.

    they call us, we send them the homeless dudes. whos in with me?