Union strikes

Please leave logic and reason out of this discussion. There is no room for it here.

 

Darn right, this is the Internet for crying out loud!

 

There is none, therefore reasons are created (ie unfair wages and benefits) and then blown out of proportion.

I wonder though, are the top brass of unions required to make public (to the union) all their union compensation, expenses and benefits? And then audited by a third party? If not, they should be.

 

Apples and Oranges here. The non-union "workers" arent rich either. And I have seen some VERY rich union "CEO's", or union bosses.

Comparing "workers" and top executives just doesnt make sense on either side of the union debate.

I know I have seen several businesses move out of the country or close all together becasue the union demands broke them.

 

Jay coming from a family of union workers, I can tell you they have no love for their leadership either. It is interesting dynamic.

Fletch I have seen many business leave. Union or not they leave for the same reasons.

 

Germ, I am sure that may be true. However, the shops I have seen move were union shops that were basically being held hostage by the demands of their union employees. There just wasnt any more that they could give, so they either closed up or moved south of the border. I believe there is a time and place for unions, however, some of them seem to get out of control with unrealistic demands. The market can only bear so much and at some point, they have to accept the facts instead of pushing for more.

 

Yeah just leave and let that said company screw the next guy over...and the next guy...and the....well you get it..... thats some pretty good logic and reason.........LMAO!!!!!!!!!! ...as long as you get yours right!


Yes Ive heard of merit based raises.....my Union just signed extension on our most contracts for 5 years....raises all across the board, salary and Benefits! The employers love us... and I LOVE MY JOB!

 

You gotta admit Joe, you work in a pretty specialized industry. Your case is not the most common union situation.


I'm happy for you.

 

Big John, this guy doesn't sound like he's scratching for a living. Sounds to me like he is "getting his" and that's that.

 

And the next guy should quit...and the next guy....and the...well you get it. Why is it someone else's responsibility to help idiots that willingly keep working for crappy companies?

That great that you love your job. I got a pretty substantial raise this year as well, and guess what? I didn't need a union to get it.

 

Around here, the only time I see union labor being used in construction is if the work is being done for a city, county, or state entity. Is there some kind of coincidence that only taxpayer funded entities can afford union labor? Just curious.

 

Have you ever tried doing work inside an area where a particular union deems as "union territory" (usually inside bigger city limits)? I have it. It's not pretty, you get hundreds of union employees picketing your jobsite because you are not using union labor. This was actually outside of Pittsburgh for another company I used to work for. It pissed me off to no end because the owners then get upset because of the bad publicity and you are forced to hire union guys and have to pay union wages. We didn't bid the job that way though but guess who had to eat the added costs?

 

I work for a large construction company that works nation wide. I can tell you first hand that our bids are higher in strong union areas just because we know that we will have to hire local help that isn't nearly as productive as our own guys. When you run into a bad apple, they just send you another bad apple because the hall is mad that you didn't like the first guy.

Sometimes it gets bad enough in NJ, NY and the Chicago areas that we just tell some of their workers to go sit in the truck and get paid. They do more harm than good. The guys love it when we do that. They are typically perfectly happy doing nothing and getting paid.

This is the reality of it; in some cases and there is nothing that can be done about it. It makes me sick.

 

This is exactly the kind of thing I hear from those with first hand experience and it just makes me crazy. I have a relative that is in a construction union. They have guys that for one reason or another, come in and sit in a trailer or office all day long and do absolutely nothing and collect full pay. As a business owner, I cant fathom that kind of mentality and waste of productivity of an employee. Madening.

 

I'm glad you got your raise! I'm all about people getting better pay and benefits....unfortunately, others don't look at things like that, they would rather people be brought down! Which I'll never understand!

 

Different philosophies, entitlement vs working to earn something.

My grandfather nearly lost his life going through a picket line as a truck driver...Showed up at a plant picketing in the 80s, and when a guy jumped in front of his truck, he got out and busted his nose. A shotgun was put to the back of his head and told he better not think of crossing the line. He walked back to his truck, and drove through anyway. (according to the guy working for my grandpa at the time who rode along) He worked hard for his living, and union picketers threatened everything from his job to his family's well being if he dared continue on with his job.


I have to agree with Hooker on the uselessness of unions in today's economy.

 

Joe............... It's not that I want to see workers brought down (at all). I just don't approve of them being artificially propped up.

I don't want to see minorities brought down. And, I don't approve of affirmative action.

I see this issue in Wisc., similarly.

 

I love this post ... well said.

I have been on all sides of this thing .... and this one thing I can tell you ... if someone put all they have into their job, they will rise to the top ... a union can actually stop that ... and that, I hate about them ... they also allow slobs to stay employed when they should be canned ... it's like someone's child having a social worker fighting for their "rights" when the kid is just being a brat.........

 

As a said before. Some unions can be "Cult like" at times.

My dad worked for Briggs and Statton for 32 years as a Design Engineer in the research and development department. The office was not union but the factory was. When a union strike happened in the 80's, my dad had to go out and buy a beater car to drive it work because the union members were damaging the cars in the parking lot because the office people were working even though they were not in the union. My dad's "beater" car got it's tires slashed and got "keyed" several times. Crazy stuff.

 

Exactly. Unfortunately once you join the union you are drilled with 3 things. (generally)
- the owner is pure evil
- the management is pure evil
- the owners and management have wads of cash falling out of their pockets because of the blood, sweat and tears of the working class.