It is a counsel of perfection, but unions' dealings with employers need not be a zero- or negative-sum game.

ECONOMIST: Unions

Mr Lerach's introduction of corporate-governance reforms into settlements helps him win round conservative judges (who, because settlements usually transfer funds from a company, already owned by its shareholders, to the same shareholders, minus fat legal fees, have tended to see shareholder suits as a negative-sum game).

ECONOMIST: Face value

All this shifting of wealth is a zero-sum game and the net effect on incomes is usually zero, or even negative.

FORBES: The Wonders of Wealth, the Path Out of Poverty