cantors and lay people

I'm on a mailing list for synagogue music/musicians. It's mostly inhabited by cantors, and I try to just sit and listen.

Lately, though, they've been doing the "we don't get no respect" mantra, saying that synagogues underpay them and that non-proefessionals are cutting into their jobs (something like "how dare an accountant who sings part-time take away our jobs!"), and they've been tossing around the "union" word. And. Well.

I slept on this before sending it:
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Shabbat coolness

The family I spent that lovely shabbat dinner with a couple months ago has invited us for lunch next week, and the woman asked me if I wanted to join them for morning services. They're Chabad, and I've been wanting to experience the legendary kavanah of their services, but never had anyone to go with. And while I might need to be at my own morning services to help a first-time Torah reader feel better, our services end by 11 and theirs start at 10 a few blocks away. So if that's "start at 10" as in "the first people will show up at 10; we should hit barchu by 11:30", there's no conflict. :-) (Must investigate.)