They have the same number of employees.

Profiteer A's contract has a "labor peace" stipulation. Lawyers' fees being what they are, he's less willing to fight a protracted battle. Additionally, he probably figures he can finagle a "pass-through" of costs down the road through the same channels that got him the contract in the first place.

Profiteer B cannot pass through the costs.

Wages and working conditions are similar at the two firms.

Both firms are unionized, and win the same concessions from Prof A and Prof B.

And, just to really even the playing field, let's say the union even takes on the task of heading off a taxpayer swindle by profiteer A. (And let's say he's dirty enough, and small enough, to be taken down.)

So we have equal number of workers, winning an equal improvement in quality-of-life, at no cost to the general public.

Ask a room full of PBs which one is better, and I guar-un-tee you the final consensus will be: "They're the same"

Wrong.

Both are good swipes at profiteers, and both attack exploitation, but only the attack on B attacks exploitation as exploitation. The attack on A has to take the form of an attack on corruption, which is a far less advanced form of struggle.

I mean, struggle is struggle, and I'll hit someone with a brick if need be, but let's be clear about high vs. low.

P.S. This distinction between the two forms of struggle is finer than you will almost ever encounter in real life. I can't remember the last time I heard of a union with the follow-through to protect the public if they could get the members taken care of. (remember the transit worker's negotiations in 2004 - the TWU was hollering for an investigation of the Transit Authority's patently corrupt financial practices, up until the moment they signed the new contract) So it's usually either corruption-not-exploitation or standard-of-living-not-exploitation.

P.P.S If you think this "advanced form of struggle" is semantics (or some sort of quasi-mystical Marxist mummery) you are ignoring the self-awareness of the capitalist class. Just think - if you see a "brother" go down on corruption charges, you think: "Jeez I hope that don't happen to me. Better keep the books clean." If you see the rate of exploitation change -- now you've got something that bands you together with your rivals. Big big dif.

P.P.P.S. Guess what Hardt and Negri (yes I still feel like beating on them) think is the ultimate evil of "empire" --- corruption.