The Volokh Conspiracy

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Crime

Union vs. goats

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The Battle Creek Enquirer (Noe Hernandez) reports on a union grievance related to goats being used to clear undergrowth:

The 400-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has filed a grievance contending that the work the goats are doing in a wooded lot is taking away jobs from laid-off union workers.

"AFSCME takes protecting the jobs of its members very seriously and we have an agreed-upon collective bargaining agreement with Western Michigan," said Union President Dennis Moore. "We expect the contract to be followed, and in circumstances where we feel it's needed, we file a grievance."

The grievance alleges that the university did not notify the union that it was planning to use goat crews on campus, according to a chief steward report supplied to the Battle Creek Enquirer.

I hope to get a copy of the grievance, but for now I just wanted to note an observation made by Rick Moran (PJMedia):

Goats are not known to take long lunches or frequent breaks, sleep on the job, call in sick, complain, complain, complain about every little thing—they are the ideal workers for this sort of job.

Isn't the whole point that the goats are taking a long lunch?