[ProgSoc] Compulsory Student Unionism coming back!

Roland Turner raz at raz.cx
Wed Nov 9 16:27:15 EST 2011


On 09/11/2011 11:48, Pat Morgan wrote:

> Maybe if they get more money they'll get more services, discounts and 
> improve stuff on campus. That's what I'm hoping for out of this.

There's a zero-sum problem here. Except to the extent that they're 
eliminating purchase costs through bulk purchasing (US employer-funded 
health-insurance anyone?) it's not possible for a student union to save 
money in aggregate. Every cent that you save through discounts (except 
for those provided by 3rd parties, which don't require compulsory 
unionism anyway) came out of a student's pocket. Either you're just 
re-spending your own money, or you're gaining at the expense of other 
students or - more likely, because of how activities/clubs funding works 
- you're subsidising the benefits of other students.

It is, of course, slightly worse than zero-sum because some Union staff 
draw a salary, which also comes out of your pocket.

What will actually happen when the Union has more money to play with is 
that it will find more ways to use it for the benefit of those closer to 
the Union staff. Any other improvements in services would have been 
better funded directly from your own pocket.

- Raz



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