Anecdotal experiences as a UNION member...

[healthmyths]

In light of the rejection of UNION membership with...
" the biggest drop has been in the Wisconsin chapter of AFSCME, the powerful union that represents state, county, and municipal workers. In the past year,
more than 30,000 members have deserted the collective.
According to the Journal, when Walker first proposed his fiscal reforms in early 2011, AFSCME’s Wisconsin membership stood at a healthy 62,818.
By February 2012, the labor behemoth had shrunk to 28,745. “
Wisconsin Unions in Decline - Robert Costa - National Review Online

The major point of Walker's reforms was to give members an opportunity to be a union member and not FORCED to be a union member!

In my case I was a union member at a UAW factory in my younger years.
As a summer utility worker I was required to be a union member.
BUT the union featherbedding rules though were never more apparent then when I was doing some carpentry work replacing broken pallets. I was told by the foreman to work on completing some NEW pallets, i.e. new lumber. A couple of hours later the foreman told me I had to stop. Seems a shop steward said a utility worker and NOT a carpenter according to union contract ONLY carpenters could work on New lumber projects!
It was OK for me to repair OLD pallets but working on NEW pallets was a carpenter's job!

This was just one of several personal experiences with UNIONs that showed me how wasteful, un-productive the UNION movement had become!

More importantly UNIONs continued since those experiences 40+ years ago to be close minded truly out of touch with reality.

 

[skookerasbil]

Very astute post Heal............

Fuck the greedy public unions. I was laughing my balls off last night watching them spit, piss and moan.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Very astute post Heal............

Fuck the greedy public unions. I was laughing my balls off last night watching them spit, piss and moan.

Yeah.....we Libs were.....

.....DOING THE SAME!!!!!

.

.

.

.

 

[skookerasbil]

Very astute post Heal............

Fuck the greedy public unions. I was laughing my balls off last night watching them spit, piss and moan.

Yeah.....we Libs were.....

.....DOING THE SAME!!!!!

.

.

.

.

 

[Old Rocks]

Worked nonunion companies most of my career. But I have seen some of them go union. And, invariably, the cause was the management deciding that the employees, not have union representation, were not to be consulted on any actions that affected them, no matter how severly. In fact, in a recent case, even stated in the e-mail that told the employees that the company was going to take a major benefit away from them, that they had no recourse, because they had no one representing them. That may change before the year is out.

 

[healthmyths]

Very astute post Heal............

Fuck the greedy public unions. I was laughing my balls off last night watching them spit, piss and moan.

The surprising naivete of teachers especially in Wisc. was never more apparent when told that the point of Walker's agenda was to LET the member CHOOSE to be members, some teachers DIDN'T WANT the freedom to choose! Some members didn't MIND that the UNION dues were COLLECTED mandatorily before the member received their paycheck!
Some members DIDN'T mind that 90% of all UNIONS send contributions to one party!
Some members DIDN'T care that their UNION jobs protected those few people that the ONLY reason they had a job in spite of their total incompetency, low performance was because they were a UNION member!
Yes staunch UNION members by their support of a laggard, incompetent, poor performing worker that requires fellow employees to pick up their slack just seem very naive!

 

[Truthseeker420]

In light of the rejection of UNION membership with...
" the biggest drop has been in the Wisconsin chapter of AFSCME, the powerful union that represents state, county, and municipal workers. In the past year,
more than 30,000 members have deserted the collective.
According to the Journal, when Walker first proposed his fiscal reforms in early 2011, AFSCME’s Wisconsin membership stood at a healthy 62,818.
By February 2012, the labor behemoth had shrunk to 28,745. “
Wisconsin Unions in Decline - Robert Costa - National Review Online

The major point of Walker's reforms was to give members an opportunity to be a union member and not FORCED to be a union member!

In my case I was a union member at a UAW factory in my younger years.
As a summer utility worker I was required to be a union member.
BUT the union featherbedding rules though were never more apparent then when I was doing some carpentry work replacing broken pallets. I was told by the foreman to work on completing some NEW pallets, i.e. new lumber. A couple of hours later the foreman told me I had to stop. Seems a shop steward said a utility worker and NOT a carpenter according to union contract ONLY carpenters could work on New lumber projects!
It was OK for me to repair OLD pallets but working on NEW pallets was a carpenter's job!

This was just one of several personal experiences with UNIONs that showed me how wasteful, un-productive the UNION movement had become!

More importantly UNIONs continued since those experiences 40+ years ago to be close minded truly out of touch with reality.

Show me a law that forced people to be in a union. A company can force you to wear a uniform also but i don't see Walker worried about freedom from ugly brown apparel.

Just admit this is union busting.

 

[healthmyths]

Worked nonunion companies most of my career. But I have seen some of them go union. And, invariably, the cause was the management deciding that the employees, not have union representation, were not to be consulted on any actions that affected them, no matter how severly. In fact, in a recent case, even stated in the e-mail that told the employees that the company was going to take a major benefit away from them, that they had no recourse, because they had no one representing them. That may change before the year is out.

Employers that "take a major benefit" away apparently have:
1) changed ownership that perceives employees differently the prior owners.
2) current business is NOT making enough money and employer KNOWING from walking
around looking at productivity that with people at the cooler, people playing games on
computer that maybe they could make up loss revenue by eliminating benefit.
3) Maybe the FACT that government interventions with in the last year alone over
41,000 NEW laws and regulations affecting mostly businesses are costing employers
more and something has to give!

In fact this last point is more likely the major cause of MOST businesses to have to look at providing less benefits because especially federal government's war against employers/business/big oil, utilities is WELL documented.
So most businesses are looking at ways to reduce as much government interference and
OSHA/EEOC/EPA etc. perceive businesses etc. as the BAD GUYS!

So why then would businesses hire?