Why are the Collinses acting as if their fort has been fired upon? It's not war, it's competition! Is it wrong to compete? They're treating Burke like a big scary dog, whose power to hurt you is measured by how tough and mad he is. Has Burke ever run a fishery and cannery? Why would he be that great at it?
Another anti-Burke point not made onscreen: Burke may not be able to maintain those higher wages for very long-- maybe long enough to drive the Collinses out of the business, but later, he may have to drop his wages back down again. Either that, or his high wages and profit-sharing may mean a successful operation which he nonetheless isn't making much money from, personally. Would he stick with it? Would profit-sharing lead to participating workers taking a bath, when things are bad? It all seems very unpredictable for any Collins workers who jump ship.
They ought to suggest Burke's wage ideas to Liz. If they're reasonable she may match them. If not, she'll explain why the business would suffer. It also might come out that she wasn't against such terms, but was just the kind of person who leaves things alone, when they seem to be running smoothly.
Not only did I find myself thinking that the guy playing Amos must have done mostly Mob parts, but also that he himself might just be a mobster-turned-actor. This is totally unjustified, just a passing thought.
