Greedy unions
Anonymous,
Thanks for your insight. I know about PS1188. The trick is to get a copy. That’s my problem.
As for being called a ‘scab’, fine. Words really don’t hurt, but I’ll be carrying in self-defense. Guns? Knives? Let you know when it happens.
I admire Christopher’s principles here. His union crossed the line and he is doing something about it.
I’m not a big fan of unions. I see them as socialist breeding grounds that fund and vote exclusively for the Democrats. They indirectly rip off hard working Americans through higher prices for consumer goods and government social programs.
However, a small part of me is coming to the realization that without unions, employer abuse could be far worse and more rampant than it is now. I live in Japan where unions are non existent or mere extensions of upper management. I witness firsthand the shitty little lives of the Japanese Salaryman. Poor bastards are more overworked and under compensated then we are and for some, it gets to the point where stepping in front of the morning train is a better option then facing the day ahead.
In the US, the modern workplace isn’t much better. Downsizing has gone beyond trimming the fat. Most of us over the last decade are expected to do more with less taking on the jobs of two to three people and if burnout does not ensue, can expect to take on even more with little to no recourse but to walk away when the compensation no longer makes sense.
If more people walk when their employer cross the line, the money spent hiring and training new personnel could be the incentive for balanced employer-employee relationships. The reality I’m afraid is most people are overly dependent on the next paycheck which prevents them from walking away and go along with the abuse until another opportunity comes along. Those working under union protection have at least some mechanism to keep their employer on the other side of the line.
Thanks Kuso. I’m not a fan of unions either. I joined to ‘get along’ way back when. I’ve been to three union meetings in my life, none of them this century. In fact, I was going to show up last night to vote against the dues increase but my wife finally decided she wanted ... ah… well, you know. One must prioritize after all, naked wife vs. union meeting. A no brainer.
One thing I’ve always advocated is that public employees, like myself, should NOT be allowed to unionize. It’s an inherent conflict of interest. I joined, but the longer I’m a member, the more I see the disconnect. This last time around the union put out a ‘poll’ to see which candidate to support. No Republican was on that poll. Subtle? Or stupid? I believe both.
good call. the postman rings twice eh?
like you, i am also a public servant although maybe less thrilled about seeing my aging wife naked. i’m with the DOD and what ol rummy left behind ain’t pretty. while there are a lot of things to be content about, its trending downward.
the new civilian personnel system in place on the surface appears to make it easier to get rid of the real lazy non contributers who have found a nice happy place sponging off the taxpayer but peal back the first layer and its designed to squeeze whats left out of the already overworked employees who care about what they are doing. interestingly enough, the new system only applies to those who are in non bargaining positions. the unions were able to slap an injunction on the DOD until this new system gets vetted by a higher authority.
those of us without representation have little recourse to fight the system other than hiring an expensive attorney to fight the system.
I don’t see why you have to go along with the union, just bust out your ak-47 and take em all out like in the olden days.
What ever happened to “the customer is always right” ?
The Union contract should be modified to suit the would be member.
As in, drawing lines thru the un-acceptable conditions.
If they holler, make a “deal-deal”FOC No AK-47’s. Buy American! At least an AR-15!
Officer Pupp a line-item-veto on union contracts. Edgy. Very edgy. I like it.
Kuso While I know my ‘aging wife’ isn’t her svelt 30-something self, she still looks that way to me. Two decades of marriage haven’t dimmed her charms to me.
You don’t go to union meetings and you didn’t bother to vote on this proposal. What makes you think you have a right to bitch?
The union is run by elected officers, chosen by the members who participate in the union. Issues, such as this dues increase, are voted on by the members but you didn’t think enough of it to bother to vote. (priorities?) What makes you think you have a right to bitch?
This is no different than people who don’t vote in government elections. What’s that saying that’s so popular every election cycle? Oh, yeah..."If you don’t vote you have no right to bitch”.
I’m a union officer and our biggest problem is members who, like you, don’t participate and then raise hell because things aren’t done their way.
There is plenty wrong with unions but they do a lot of good, too, as Kuso pointed out. The bad things will never get better if people don’t do something to change them instead of running away like petulant children when they don’t get their way. The points Kuso made are why I joined my union. There are a lot of things I don’t like, but as a member of an organization that’s run democratically I have to bow to the will of the majority. I’m working to change the things I don’t like. It isn’t easy but nothing worthwhile ever is. You just have to have the guts to do it.
You don’t like the way the union is run? Go to meetings, run for office, vote, ie-participate. Then you’ll have a right to bitch. Or maybe, you won’t have so much to bitch about.Posted by single stack
10/13/2007 at 09:08 AM
I have every right to bitch. I pay for them. I don’t have to attend meetings. The union is hired help. They’ve just priced themselves out of my pocketbook. I’m not going to bother running for office for the hired help. I’m just going to fire them, and take my dues with me. Got it? It’s a First Amendment right, called freedom to associate. I have every right to bitch about how my money is spent. Same right I assert in general politics.
At least I can withdraw from the union. I can’t withdraw from HillaryCare, Inc.
The union isn’t hired help. The union is the members. (that means you) You hire other members to run it.
If you resign from the union and stay at the job you’re the same kind of parasite you ridicule on this site. You’ll be realizing benefits at the expense of other people, which will make you not only a parasite but also a hypocrite.Posted by single stack
10/13/2007 at 06:03 PM
There’s more than one way to vote and Christopher is voting with his feet. Why the rush to judgment?
Union leadership that does not listen to its rank and file typically drive members away and thats what appears to be in the works here.
Christopher will only be voting with his feet if he resigns from the PO when he resigns from the union.
Posted by single stack
10/14/2007 at 12:01 AM
You are so full of it Stack. The union IS hired help. They’ve priced themselves out of the market, meaning me. The sooner they learn that the better.
Unions had their place. It seems that too much of the union top end is corrupt. I, for one, oppose broad unions. A union that represents workers for competing companies is a conflict of interest. I take my que on that from the teamsters and their national strike a long time back.
UPS is another example. before their strike, drivers had it good. Sure they got what they wanted in the strike, but now they have to toe the line. The strike cost them more then they ever gained.
One company I worked for was non union. They bought a union plant. Every year in the annual benefits presentation, we got to see what we got and what the union got. It was an ever widening gap, and the union was losing. The workers finally voted out the union. The folowing year, parity. Thge union tried to nuzzle back in but was told to FO. The union also tried to get a foot hold in our plant. the vote was 154-4. All four who voted for the union were trouble makers who were in a lot of hot water and wanted a union to protect them. Three eventually left or were fired.
Unions help when a person only works for the same boss for a few months, such as the construction field, but when its the same job for twenty years, they are nothing but parasites.
10/12/2007 at 07:26 PM
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