🚀 go-pugleaf

johansen@portal.ca (George Johansen) wrote:

>In article <4bcv1j$jln@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>, Michael Kyba <kyba@bcu.ubc.ca> wrote:
> 
>> CUPE 116, worried that actually giving students the possibility
>> of buying some food fit for human consumption from someone
>> with good personal hygene and a friendly smile to boot might
>> take business away from their own stagnant unionized cafeterias,
>> launched a grievance.
>> 
>> The university I am told, not wanting to have to take this case go
>> to binding arbitration that might result in weakening their hand
>> re. outside workers, caved in.
>> 
>> Where do students and UBC denziens in general stand?  First they
>> took away our choice between Pepsi and Coke.  Then, the prices
>> of soft drinks from the machines went up ten cents all over campus.

>If the guy was truly an entrepreneur "standing out there in the rain"
>etc., then why was it that all I ever saw was his employees?  You fail to
>consider some of the problems encountered by allowing him to be there. 
>First, he paid minimum wage to some girl who worked the cart most of the
>time for him... no benefits, no nothing.  meanwhile, the university is
>forced to honor a collective agreement between the people who earn their
>living by serving the food in the legitimate outlets on campus.  I just
>know that if the Tubesteak operation was to be forced to play on an "even
>playing field", you'd have no problem supporting his operation by paying
>more for the service, the product and " some food fit for human
>consumption from someone with good personal hygene and a friendly smile to
>boot", right?  And also that he pay his fair share of the expenses in the
>general operation of the university services.  After all, the guy who
>appears at "gravy time" should also contribute towards the cost of
>financing the less profitable hours for the benefit of those who need to
>eat outside of peak hours, right?

>> Doesn't anybody seem to care about the Evils of Monopolies?
>> Union monopolies, Coke monopolies, they all accomplish the same
>> thing: less choice, higher prices, poorer service.

>Sure!  And if Mr. Tubesteak will make an equivalent "donation" to the
>university  as did Coke, I'm sure there won't be any problem having Mr.
>Tubesteak appointed the "official" hot dog at UBC either.

>> What about the imorality of this whole sordid affair?  Judging
>> by the success of his operation, the Mr. Tubesteak guy was providing
>> a service that people really valued.  While it's to be expected from
>> CUPE 116, it's astounding to me to see the administration punishing
>> excellence through hard work and initiative, while rewarding sloth,
>> laziness, and back room dealing.
>> 
>> Why is it that Special Interest Groups seem to run everything on
>> this campus?  Doesn't anybody realize that there are students out
>> here?  This shocking lack of respect for student choice really
>> should be addressed.

>Absolutely right.  I think that we should make more choices available, and
>have the students pay the price for that.  I think that my special
>interest group (The Committee To Have Students Pay Full Value For
>Education) should be heard too.

>Your own student organization authorized the Coke deal, and the fact that
>the workers organized to form a union to improve their conditions seems to
>have eluded you.  If you look down the road of your own past history,
>you'll likely find that at some point, the sacrifices and collective
>bargaining by some union, somewhere is responsible in some small part for
>your even being there.

>> Let's keep this guy on our campus.

>Absolutely.  And ensure that he gets no "free ride" at the expense of
>those who legitimately pay the price to hawk their wares at UBC.  Let's
>make sure that this guy pays his staff fairly, provides the same benefits
>and security that the university does, and pays for the right (like Coke
>did) to even show his face out there.  And when he's truly in a
>competitive mode, let's welcome him with open arms.  Are we willing to
>shell out $6.00 for that hot dog?

>George

>=====================================================================
>George Johansen - johansen@portal.ca  or  repressed@eworld.com

>The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the official 
>platform or policy of any political party or company.
>=====================================================================


Sheesssh George,  you went all over on this one to
the extent you forgot it was about being able to
buy a decent hot dog at a fair $ in the first
place.

Coming from Calgary where the 8th Ave mall has the
best hot dogs in the world, I was overjoyed when
Mr. Tube Steak stormed the walls at city hall and
had the condoms removed from the sidewalk weinies.

Can you imaging anything more rediculous than
watching a tourist from New York standing with a
bewildered look on his face at one of these
Sterile kiosks and being handed a soggy tastless
boiled two days old hot dog in a condom.  And then
the fit he would throw at the teenage kid asking
him for three loonies?

I saw just such a scene in Gastown a few years
back and thought to myself Bobit should have
cruised city hall with sicsors and roasted a few
of those weinies.

If our upstanding Cupe member would even fake it
for a minute that he cared an iota what the hot
dog tasted like he was serving, you would have
made some good points with your post.

However, indeology aside,  where do they get these
people from?  Somebody from the enlightened labour
scene should explain that one for the rest of the
world.  

What is this anyway?  A workers of the world
conspiracy to poison the bourgeois class with a
Pincer attack at our halls of learning and if we
don't get them there, we'll lay in an ambush for
them with slop on the ferries?

If you drove your bus with as little interest as
these people do their cooking you'd be off the
road George.

Aren't you taking this brother solitdarity thing a
little to far here?



Martin Burger, Managing Director
Nova Energy Ltd. The Blue Energy Company

Its time to use tidal power now!

Website:  http://www.3dvisions.com/webpages/nova.htm