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Economy needs union cooperation The labor union came into being whenlaissea-faire held sway with our national government and industry measured success in profits and cared little for their employes. Conditions in mills of the industrial revolution were intolerable. Men and women had to work long hours for slave wages, and often children toiled along side their parents. And laborers didn't win their right to representation, collective bargaining and the strike without bloodshed. But the laissez-faire economics of the past have been tempered to meet the standards now recognized as essential by Americans and their government. Today multinational corporations must follow minimum wage laws and other employment benefits, regulated working conditions, antitrust laws, product quality standards and corporate taxes, while labor unions have largely been left with a free hand. The onlv pvppntinn micfht Tuft. - J ?~ * - -O* '" ^ Hartley Act which allows the president to delay a strike 80 days. But this is only a temporary restriction which more or less pleads for reason. And reason unions apparently have less and less of as more and more power accumulates in them. The economy of the United States is a tangled mixture of the free market and government regulations. In recent years rv-rwU 1 1 i. - l <1 _ .. * cvuuuiiuais ucivt nau lo ngni lnnauon ano unemployment, two elements previously thought to be inversely related, at the same time. Current theory holds that inflation is directly related to the stability of wages and prices and the ultimate buying power of a single dollar. If wages go up, prices go up and the value of the dollar goes down. T il -l * * * ~ in inu pasi year unemployment and inflation have decreased steadily. This may be attributed to less government spending, but there is no doubt that more jobs have been opened and the dollar has meant more for the work that has gone into it. Now the Teamster's Union, representing 60 per cent of all truckers in the United States, decide they want more mnnpu Thoro ic nr\ noH-i/nilif 1-~ . A..VI V 10 iiv/ puiutuiai i ca^un iui u1c 9U1IVC uu1c1 than the whole economy is better. The New York Times said in a recent article that Teamster drivers and dockmen now make from $7.18 to $7.33 an hour. What this union doesn't realize is that other unions, who will also be negotiating new contracts soon, will be demanding raises also. And when all these raises are passed, their higher wages will mean less. Higher prices will be passed on to the rest of the public, and inflation will begin to climb again. And the raises will pass because a striking teamster's union which transports much of the automobiles and food in this country can literally paralyze our economy. The situation is serious, and something must be done. Although strict prohibition of strikes by unions would be ridiculous, there must be a way of determining when a strike is necessary. Why could not minimum wages be based on the consumer price index, a measure of buying nowpr of thp Amprir?cin HrJlot**? TK t - ...? . vm i^wii UV/III^I . X 11 AO W UU1U CVCIll discrimination by industry, but prevent just as vicious abuse of the system by labor unions. Negotiation for other benefits is an area where unions should not be limited. The Times said the Teamsters have also received with their new contract a cost-of-living protection provision, pension benefits totalling $17 a week and other improvements such as sick leave and air POnHitinnincr nf trnr?t pahc Thic ic fmn/l Dn* u (M rr D v. V* uvi> V.UHA}. llllO 10 guuu. UUl It Id lilt." ipi.Oi) raise, in addition to these other benefits, that will ultimately wreck our economy. A recent study showed that profits for industry are increasing. But these don't appear to be inflationary figures and, in fact, have not reached 1974 levels. These profits are not necessarily salaries for executives. They mean industry can reinvest in improved, ecologicallysound equipment necessary to free us from forms of energy that will run out someday. To penalize industry for making a profit is to defy the principle on which our economy is based. But cooperation is necessary from all sides to insure fair treatment of all people without tearing down one of the soundest economies in the world. r? The Gamecoci ^^flVnRnunHmnBinaaMBBBiEMBBnnanmMDi l1^* ^mn ^11 ill illlilllllii Letters to tl D<^i ** i I "J ??* ? ---" - ? upci dliv/uiu U5t? f/rsf names in reporting To the Editor: Yesterday I read in the Gamecock the story written on the death of Wendy Ramsey in a parachute accident. I never knew the girl but I hoped the article might give me a glimpse into who C*hD llf'iC Knf f'Un a)?/v/1 n/v on^ ncio utiuic out; UICU 3U yuuil^. She was a fellow Carolina student and yet, as I read the article, it was as though this was somebody from another state or country. There was something cold and unfeeling about the article. But it should have been obvious. "A mass for Ramsey is scheduled . . . Ramsey will be buried in New York," and so on. My point is, why not defy tradition and use first names when reporting about students? Doesn't "Wendy will be buried in New York" soften what you are saying? ml.! i ins campus nas zu.ouo students. The potential for isolation is tremendous without the media contributing to it. We are all in the same USC boat and should, ideally, be friends. Friends don't call each other by their last names. In the same issue Rex Gale reported on Carolina high jumper Steve Wilson and used his first name throughout. That is the way it should be. I realize this would violate proper journalistic format HnHni/ m 1. 'iv.v/'.'.'.BI'fy*J ^ iBrwTOrfllTitf r- _i A ne cauor hut such journalistic formality only keeps us apart. William Sims Bookstore needs to publicize where profits go To the Editor: The article in the April 1, 1976 Gamecock on Book Sales made me furious. First, I believe it is highly unethical to compromise the Business Administration's proposed new bookstore solely on Frank DeLoache Kerry Northrup Lynn Bumgardner* George Morris Tommy Fowler. Johnny Drumming^ Chuck Cromer i/u n i?..u I\ I yj Susan Paquel Peter LaHatte Cecile Holmes Billy Baker Mickey Trimarchi Mark Bolton.. THE GAMECOCK welcomes letfers from re subject and a maximum of 300 words. They Pseudonyms or other aliases will not be uses, cumstances warrent. To assist us in verifying mailing adre** and a telephone number when edit all letters, not for content, but to meet ou Drawer A, USC, Columbia, SC 29208. W ^ ? M ? fiRANKLY.GEORGe, r THINK WR6 CAftftVWfr THE.concessions for, TftucfceRs just f\ "mr. Ctl 0 t>U ! UI>. the grounds that it would increase competition for the Campus Bookstore, whose items are already overpriced. 11-- At- - i ' occunuiy, me siaiemeni tnat the "profits from the Campus Bookstore are used for non-athletic scholarships and such items as band uniforms" raises an important question: What is the cnppifin 4 U{/v.vuiv anucaiiuii iu uuii-auiieiic scholarships etc., funded by Campus Bookstore profits? Where does all the money go? It is evident to every student who has ever bought a book from this bookstore, that its profits must be enormous. I think that a precise account of Campus Bookstore funds should be made available. In mis way, tne University of South Carolina might dispel the myth that only the athlete receives a free education. Lois W. Sayrs rvirv 1 Editor News Editor Managing Editor Sports Editor Editorial Page Editor Photography Editor Entertainment Editor Graduate Assistant Production Manager Advertising Manager -Asst. News Editor Asst. Sports Editor Production Supervisor ?? .......... Cartoonist aders. Letters should be limited to a single' must be signed with the writer's true name, but the Writer's name will be withheld it cir9 the identity of writers, please include your } you can be readied. We reserve the right to r space limitation*. Adress: Campus Opinion,