Sept. 23, 1998
Can't afford to leave
Regarding Ms. MacNamara's letter to editor [Sept. 22], it seems that she is expecting a union to "save" her from her Scrooge-like employer. I won't argue with her desire to earn more. However, does she know what union scale wages will be for her job? Does she think that the union could negotiate a higher wage for her position than a similar union member employed by the state would make?
What the Lab's current salary/raise package tells me is that if I could go somewhere and make more I should do so. Support personnel, like myself, aren't as portable as TSM's. We can't as easily "vote with our feet" and use the market to our advantage. It doesn't mean that we don't do a good job or that we are "less worthy" it just means that we aren't as marketable as a TSM. Ms. MacNamara should face the reality that she is responsible for the decisions that have led her to the position that she now occupies here at the Lab. Expecting a union to solve this problem is like wetting the bed because you are cold. It looks attractive but is a short-term solution to what is in reality a long-term problem. The market works. Use it or stop complaining.
--Steve Pattillo