Homeowner Avoids the S-Trap
In a column about union political endorsements, the Chicago Tribune‘s Eric Zorn throws in this aside:
Quick, tangential story. Last month, on a Sunday morning, we discovered a leak in what looked like a difficult access point in our kitchen faucet. We called a union plumbing shop recommended by Angie’s List, and while the guy on the phone couldn’t have been nicer, he explained that union rules dictated that, because it was Sunday, this was going to fall into the category of two-hour minimum, double-time emergency service — roughly $500. Upshot: The neighborhood handyman diagnosed and fixed the problem in less than five minutes and I had to force him to accept $20.
