If Big Labor is able to convince Congress and the Obama Administration to enact The Employee Free Choice (or no choice) Act and other pro-Big Labor policies, companies will not have the flexibility to do this:

Even as layoffs are reaching historic levels, some employers have found an alternative to slashing their work force. They’re nipping and tucking it instead.
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A growing number of employers, hoping to avoid or limit layoffs, are introducing four-day workweeks, unpaid vacations and voluntary or enforced furloughs, along with wage freezes, pension cuts and flexible work schedules. These employers are still cutting labor costs, but hanging onto the labor.

The New York Times article does not mention unions or Big Labor even once, which again draws the question; is the NYT purposely not mentioning union reaction or are they too stupid to have asked anyone in Big Labor about this?

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In my line of work the term "merit" is used almost as a moniker for the industry we serve. The "Merit Shop" refers to any organization that competes with union companies but is not itself unionized. I have come to refer to merit this way: On the merit on the man and not on the company he keeps shall he earn his keep. There are other ways to say it but the bottom line is that we believe that the artificially inflated wages and gold plated benefits that the unions offer are inferior to the requirement that each pay raise and promotion proceed a relevant escalation in the quality of ones work.

I think unions do the society an injustice by offering an unyielding structure for raises and promotions. It furthers the sense of entitlement that breeds laziness and malcontent. Upon merit should a man be judged. Keep that in mind as Barack Obama proceeds into his presidency and lays down his ideas for solving the crisis this country now faces.

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