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Notes -
I think the union, as the sponsor, is allowed to unilaterally withdraw the proposition. Though someone else could propose it if it truly took off, they'd have to go through the efforts of getting signatures etc.
It would be interesting to see what chaos arose if it did somehow pass.
Interesting, I didn't notice that part. Even taking this into account, it still seems a bit dangerous: if the union hasn't reached a deal with hotel management by the deadline to withdraw the proposition then they need to either reveal their threat to be an empty one or go through with it, in which case it could well pass.
I generally am pretty open to unions and employers playing hardball with each other. The reason this sticks in my craw a bit is that, if it is a cynical maneuver, it's transparently an empty one: the union won't pull the trigger on it because it hurts workers at least as much as the employers, so it gives no actual leverage.
I guess the ambiguity of whether it's cynical or borne of genuine progressive beliefs does give it some edge, though.
Depends on the relative mobility. In many unlearned/non-specialized professions, anything that blows up the entire profession gives leverage to the workers over the employers, since the workers will just move to a different profession with minimal friction, while the employers will need to accept large losses if they want to switch to anything else. Though I guess it's still an odd move for the unions in particular, since the union itself also has a lot more to lose.
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