Unions, are they as worthless as they seem?

[GtoRA2]

rpm371
 Not everyone bases there beliefs on their Party.

Like me for instance.

I am a Pro choice, pro gay rights and I am a registered Republican.

I would vote for a dem that was not an anti gun nut and did not want to take more of my money.

Maybe you should take a look at yourself before you go around spewing crap about others Hypocrisy.

[midnight Target]

I would consider myself anti-union...

and I certainly ain't conservative!

[rpm]

Gto, sounds like you and I have a lot in common. I vote for the candidate that I belive will do the best job, or least damage. Most of the time I vote Democrat, sometimes Republican. Brace yourself, I voted for Reagan, twice. If there were a SERIOUS Libertarian candidate I would probably vote for them.

I was referring to those that wave the Republican banner like it was holy scripture, but LOVE their Union jobs. Early on Unions were branded as Communist, correct? How much farther left can you get? I guess you would have to call this situational ethics.

[GtoRA2]

RPM lol well I would have  voted for Reagan but I was barely a teen then ehehe

I think anyone who blindly follows the party line without looking at both sides and giving it thought needs helps. Both side have things to offer. Neither side is always right, and both sides have some VERY sleazy people in their ranks.


I am still up in the air here on Unions, banana makes a point about Tenure, but I still don't think teachers need unions or tenure, maybe a set way to investagate parent complaints but the idea that(in the case I know of) getting rid of the bad teach was going to be next to imposible seems very wrong.

I can see how unions can be nice but they can do harm as well.

LOL, what have I learned? I union can be good or bad, and it just depends on the Union, the workers and the company!

[Sixpence]

Originally posted by Mini D
But I also believe they are a refuge for people adept at hiding within the system that were long overdue for termination.

MiniD

It doesn't quite work like that anymore. Take the local 103 electricians for example(or the local 22 laborers), if you call in sick too much, or they don't like your work ethic, they will not hire you for their next job. They will ask the hall for someone else.

How do unions work for you? Unions allow you to pool your money, therefore getting alot more for your money. Local 103 puts $8.00 an hour into your pension(a pension safe from the likes of Enron). Medical and dental(dental!), and school twice a week(union school and experience for your license is more demanding than the state requirements). Not to mention a good wage. When companies hire workers from the 103, they know they are getting well educated workers and quality work.

Let me give you an example of non-union work. I worked for a glazing company in St. Pete, Fl. I got hired for a little more than minimum wage. I was sent to the job(no training whatsoever). We were screwing in the metal frames of windows in a new building(lakeland). I would stand on a foot ladder on one floor holding in the frame(almost half way out the opening) while the person on the next floor adjusted the top and put in screws. Well, on the 6th floor, the person working on the floor above lost his grip. I still had a grip on the lower section. It happened fast, but someone up top yelled "let it go!" I let go and grabbed the ledge and pulled myself back in. The frame fell to ground level with quite the crash. The (supervisor of the site?) was looking over plans with a few gentlemen in suits(and hardhats). I'll never forget the look on his face. He marched up to the building like darth maul. He ripped my boss a new stunninghunk.
The only benefit I had was a life insurance policy(required by the state for the type of work I was doing).

Unions worthless? Hardly. As a nation we are a union, if we are not united, we regress.

[john9001]

we don't need unions, what we need is for you to work a 12 hour day for $1.75 a hour, then i can buy lots of stuff cheap.

[k2cok]

According to the US Department of Labor, union workers make an average of $717 a week.

Non-union workers make an average of $573 a week.

Which one do you want to be?  

[midnight Target]

Originally posted by k2cok
According to the US Department of Labor, union workers make an average of $717 a week.

Non-union workers make an average of $573 a week.

Which one do you want to be?  

Bill Gates and I have an average net worth of 30 billion.

[Gadfly]

2 is not a significant statistical sample, friend.

[Trell]

I have gone full circle in my thoughts about unions.
granted I have never been in a union.

unions are the only thing keeping companys from ripping off its workers. in the bad or lean times.
wehn the companys want everyone to "tighten there belts and help the company out."
while the big shots are getting raises and large bonus for the savings they are making for the company by laying off the workers amd or cutting there pay.


I have been layed off from 2 jobs in the last 3 years.

one at Kmart(who does not have a union.)
where in the 90s they went through and cut most of the workers who had been there for any  amount of time

I was cut just before they went bankrupt.

then a second time when i worked for omaha steaks.
they reduced all there store employies wages by about 30%.

in some states. (MI is where I live)
you can be hired and fired for any reason. you do not have any rights.  if they want to hire someone cheaper they just fire you and replace you..

unions give some stability in peoples lives.
yes they are politicaly corupt  but we are stuck between the the big companys and the unions.

we just need to pick the one who is the less evil.

btw I belive the unions have been broken in this country. they do not have the pull any more.

you can see that with the new overtime law.

[midnight Target]

Originally posted by Gadfly
2 is not a significant statistical sample, friend.

Me, my wife and Bill Gates have an average net worth of 20 billion.

Sorry about the earlier statistical miscue.... thanks for helping.

[medicboy]

Unions, are they as worthless as they seem?
Yes, I worked for 2 companies that tried to bring in unions, everyone that tried to get the union in was fired.

[polka]

Unions have done a lot FOR me.... and a lot TO me.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that a union is a buisness in itself. It is in the buisness of making money just like every other buisness. It gets it's income from the wages of the employees it represents. Most this income is then used by the union to pay its own employees, and some of the top employees of the big unions are paid well... VERY WELL.

Some of the money is used to recruit new union members. When the union is trying to get in, there is pizza & beer at the meetings. After they are in, that stops and your dues are now buying pizza & beer for the next round of potential payroll deductions.

In return, the union is supposedly going to represent you... Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't.

[MC_Honky]

I work for one of the Big Three in MI and I must say this is a real emotional subject for me.  As a salaried employee -non-union-engineer, I must deal with UAW slobs all day.  Slobs that take out the garbage and make a 100k.  More than most non-union salaried workers.  Yes-thats right- the janitor makes 100k but the engineer makes half that or less.  Here's the best part- 90 of the UAW thinks the world owes them an easy very very high paying job.  They have been paid 4x the market rate for thier labor for years and you would think they would even try and do a good job right?  Hell no.  As the UAW members die off or retire- they are not replaced.  The labor gets outsourced to other countries or the South to a non-union shop.  We will see a day when the big three buy 100% of thier cars pre-built and just put thier company badge on them.  Unions have destroyed a proud industry.

[Toad]

Originally posted by rpm371
I was referring to those that wave the Republican banner like it was holy scripture, but LOVE their Union jobs.

So who exactly are you referring to in this thread?