Seniority rules are nothing new in unions. Those with more seniority oftentimes, regardless of their productivity, get higher wages. When does the clock start clicking?
Massachusetts authorities are investigating allegations that longshoremen's unions are placing children as young as 2½ years old on the payroll in a scheme to get them higher wages as adult dockworkers.
It's all about seniority. The clock starts running when a union member first receives a union card -- regardless of the number of hours worked.
So, union members who get their children enrolled are believed to have ensured their kids higher starting pay if and when they actually begin working at the Boston docks.
The state's attorney general said it's been going on for generations and, over the passage of time, has put Massachusetts at a competitive disadvantage. He said charges arising from the practice could include felony fraud.
Geez. Talk about child labor.
OK, nothing has been proven as of yet and if true, the kids aren't actually on the payroll and being put to work. They've just gotten in the seniority line. Even so, I thought the song "Money for Nothing" was about rock stars, not longshoremen. Boy, that'll mess up your correlation between seniority and productivity.