Non-members accept the benefits

To the editor:

Figan Lund wrote a letter asserting that union membership is not required in order to hold a job in Missouri. I do not know the truth of the matter one way or the other, but I have seen other letters in the same vein. I do not know if this is true in Lund's case or not, but people who write like Lund seem to be victims of (1) an unjustified conceit and (2) a delusion.

The unjustified conceit is that the writer has, in the performance of his job, some skill, some knowledge, some drive, that his "fellow" -- yes, there is a reason that I put ironic quotes around "fellow" -- workers do not possess. The delusion is that the writer's boss or employer will recognize this and pay him accordingly. This happens sometimes, but rarely.

I have worked with people who have these attitudes -- unrealistic assessments of their own abilities and of their bosses' good intentions -- and I have yet to see even one to turn down a union-negotiated raise or to refuse union handling of a grievance.

DONN S. MILLER, Tamms, Ill.