Northwest Airlines

Since I have been working in Europe for the last two weeks I have lost track of the current details in the mechanics' strike against Northwest Airlines (NWA) -- a labor dispute of local concern to me since I live in NWA's headquarters state of Minnesota.

Now what really caught my attention as I read the local media was the quote from one of the mechanics' union leaders which I paraphrase as -- "........we aren't going to simply agree to their (NWA's) terms, we would rather see this airline go bankrupt first.................." So now we have NWA in bankruptcy protection.

Let me extend my commentary on this trade union mindset since it was also reported that several union members were tapping their home equity value to get cash to fund themselves during this strike.

QUESTION -- if these strikers are willing to take such a risk with their home equity why don't they take a more positive risk by using this cash money to create their own small businesses??

Since the private jet business is a growth industry and oldline carriers like NWA are a declining business I have to believe a few of these striking mechanics could start a business to service private jets AND hire some of their union brothers and sisters as their business grows. Why do people insist on retaining such a collective mindset of "dividing up a static economic pie" versus growing "a dynamic, expanding economic pie" by starting their own business and generating new job opportunities?

Wealth is health,

Todd