A scathing review in today's New York Times of a hotel restaurant suggests that a union contract may be a barrier to culinary excellence:
Perhaps the restaurant was awful because Mr. Richard wasn't actually involved. It's true that he is not the owner, but neither does he have the kind of licensing and consulting deal that has often made the names of Gordon Ramsay or Todd English little more than celebrity endorsements. He is a partner, a publicist said, sharing in profits and overseeing "day-to-day operations." A union contract limits his ability to hire and fire cooks, but that didn't keep Paul Liebrandt and Justin Bogle from pulling off formidable technical feats when they ruled this kitchen.
If union cooks make it harder to run a good restaurant, what does that say about how the unionized reporting staff at the New York Times affects the newspaper's journalism?