In Australia we just tossed out a Federal Government which tried to erode collective bargaining via legislation. We have also seen, in decades past, some cases of unions becoming excessively powerful and abusing their power – but that was exceptional, and was dealt with at the time.

I think the PRINCIPLE is really so important! The collective voices of “little people” can and must be powerful in the face of any kind of tyranny including the corporate. Otherwise there can be no equality between participants in discussions. Which is kinda what Mr Sieber says: the corporations have the power and if you don’t like it, lump it. (No, he didn’t use those exact words.)

I think also of other contexts. The moratorium marches which helped end Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, the protests against racial segregation of American schools during the Kennedy Presidency, the overthrow of Apartheid in South Africa. A far cry from a Hollywood writers’ strike, perhaps – but it’s the same principle. To overthrow injustice, sometimes banding together is our only recourse.