As IF Times

link Wisconsin unions threaten to boycott businesses that dont display their signs | Philip Klein | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner.

Observing the antics of the public sector unions in Wisconsin has gone from amusing to sublime.  A little over a month ago, the new incoming governor of that state, Scott Walker,  embarked on a necessary program to rescue that state’s dire financial condition.  The state was over 3 billion dollars short of funds and drastic action was needed to stem the red ink.  At the behest of the voting public, who put Walker in office specifically to address  the fiscal malaise, he proposed cutting back the power and influence of public sector unions in the wage bargaining process.

What resulted was the comical abdication of duty of  the Democratic members of their legislature who en masse fled the state to avoid voting on the contentious bill as if they were 4 year olds avoiding cough medicine.  They became a group mug shot on milk cartons in the Midwest.  Shame and ridicule did not bring them back to do their jobs, but the threat of legally compelling them to return,  did.  Consequently, they were forced to participate in the voting process and predictably, they lost.  The curtailing of public union powers was enacted, at least by vote.

The rescission of public union rights drew condemnation from the usual and expected entitlement groupies; organized labor, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, the delusional Michael Moore and of course, the President himself.  From the bleating and wailing eminating from these champions of the people, you would think Walker was trying to impose modern slavery upon oppressed and unwashed factory workers.  In fact, one of the key proposals by Walker was that public sector unions be compelled to contribute as much to their pension funds as anyone else in the private sector.   Was there no reasoning with this man?   What next, make teachers work 6 hour days?

Unhappy with the legally enacted legislation that neutered the public unions’ longtime extravagances, the most recent union tactic is the default reversion to thuggery.  Ah back to union roots.   As the article describes, non supporters of the union position will be ostracized as far as business patronage.  Apart from the obviously  juvenile tantrum this type of extortion represents, the tactic makes no sense in real life.  The biggest effect will be of creating very obvious divisions within their own community.  It’s pretty hard to depict this in any other way than as selfish and puerile pouting.

It’ll be amusing to see how long this campaign lasts.   It’ll be fun to have them try to buy milk and cheese that is sourced only from non-union cows.  This  is no small issue if you’ve ever seen a resident of Wisconsin.  Will they make their own bread instead of frequenting non union bakeries?  Will all restaurants go out of business because of lack of union patronage?  Will they give up their likely non union gardeners?  Obviously shopping at Wal Mart is out because that’s a non union operation.  In a very short time, it’ll be obvious that what they propose is the equivalent of holding their breath until they get their way.  I think the public will wait them out.  It’ll become obvious that the people they seek to distance themselves from are the ones that pay their wages through taxes.  At the very least, the unions should change their description from serving the public, to doing the public.

link Tipping Doesnt Reward Good Behavior – SmartMoney.com.

 If you want to get a party discussion going, avoid politics and religion and bring up the subject of tipping. 

As this article correctly points out, the connection between the amount of tip left and the service delivered have almost no correlation.  Even if a waiter or waitress was marginal in their service, it would be a supremely bold move not to leave a tip on the final bill.  Somehow, over time, tipping has become an expected form of social etiquette, at least in most western societies.   Not to tip is generally looked upon as a social faux pas, akin to loudly passing gas in mixed company.  This is illogical since in few other commercial transactions would we feel the need to include a gratuity on top of bad or indifferent service rendered. 

Do we tip the guy who installs the muffler on your car?  How about the guy who measures you for a suit?  These two guys may be the unfortunate ones because when you think about it, in almost all kinds of service industry interactions, a tip is expected.  While it’s a brave person who doesn’t leave a tip in a restaurant, many other professions  expect tips as part of their compensation as well.  Cab drivers, barbers, masseuses, lawn mowers, doormen and bellhops, dog walkers and babysitters.  There’s even pressure to tip golf caddies. 

I will concede that in some of those professions mentioned, service over and above the expected minimum should be compensated by some small consideration.  I can see a tip offered at the end of a lap dance or certainly for your golf caddy, since they are serving or servicing you directly.  In the case of restaurant tipping however, the rationale is iffy.  A while ago, my son received egregiously bad service at a restaurant and to his credit, left no tip.  The waitress actually accosted him to ask where her tip was.  She was told of her indifferent service and relented when confronted with the reasons.  I’m not sure if I would be as confident as my son, but the point here is that the waitress expected a tip, regardless of service level.  My son of course was right, the tip should be viewed as bribe for better service, not extorted protection money.

 Inflation has hit tipping as hard as anything in the cost of living index over the past 20 years.  For two people dining out with a bottle of wine at a reasonable restaurant, ie, where the napkins are not paper, the bill before tax can easily be $120.  When you add tax of approximately 10% and tip of 15% or more, the cost of indulgence starts to add up.   Smart waitresses will know that serving  a table of men is the best gig.   A little flirting and a little cleavage can net a 20 or even 25% tip on the billed amount.  Perhaps that is justified as payment for entertainment value.  Or it may be altruism as  guys trying to help the poor gal out with with the surgical bills.

In the case of dinner and wine, the logic is questionable.  Presumably, it takes just as much effort to pour wine from a bottle of swill as it does for a fine Barolo.  When the bill comes and the wine is at least 50% of the tab, it’s hard to justify paying the tip as a percentage of the overall amount.  It’s harder still not to do so.  Why is that?  This makes as much sense as tipping the golf caddy based on the value of the clubs he has to carry.  This is especially galling when you know that much of the cost of a bottle of wine is taxes.  So in effect, you are paying a tip on taxes.   It’s a pretty good side benefit to be given extra free money just because you did your job well and that should never be discouraged.  It’s the slackers who ride the coattails of the earnest ones that are annoying.  Sort of like kids showing up for trick or treat at Hallowe’en without a costume. 

I wonder if waiters and waitresses are good tippers when they go out.