Thinking about joining the IBEW union.

[preslove]

I couln't morally justify joining a union.

You have shitty morals, then.

 

[notposting]

To add to my earlier post:

I won't deny that there are unions run by crooked slimeballs, bilking their membership out of their hard earned money while doing nothing. I would never deny that there have been some crappy contracts (agreed to by both sides) out there as well. But you can find that anywhere people are involved. So don't try blaming things like that on "unions".

That being said...man, between the teachers unions and the UAW, I'm not sure which of them gives the rest of us a worse name. I would invite anyone against unions to come out to some construction sites and see the difference with your own eyes.

Just look out for the heavy equipment operators... :whiste: :sneaky:

 

[Papa Hogan]

If you are not worth it, then force them to pay you more than your worth, philosophy, huh?

Is that why people join a union? Because they want to be paid more than they're worth? How do you know how much I'm worth? Do you know me and the quality of work I do?

 

[Yreka]

Any thoughts about unions?

Can see a possible opportunity for an IBTL union

 

[amdhunter]

wtf? isnt local 3 in nyc? at $50/hr?!

how it go from easy $ to break your backs no $?

Time Warner decided we were getting paid way too much for the amount of work we were doing.

They had all the workers go from Hourly Pay + commission for every job we did, to piece work + paying for our trucks @ 1/2 the cost of fuel spent.

I literally saw my paycheck go from $2k take home a week, doing 5 jobs a day, to less than 600 every two weeks, doing 10 or more jobs a day.

All the time the union reps were brainwashing everyone on how we would make more money by using a points system AND TO THIS DAY - FROM 2005 to 2012, there is STILL no clear answer on how the points system works.

Local 3 is the biggest mobster run union ever. I run into them all the time in Midtown, and I always tell them to suck my dick. Almost got my ass kicked a few times.

 

[werepossum]

I couln't morally justify joining a union.

Trade unions are not inherently totally one-sided affairs as are labor unions. A properly run trade union brings a lot of value to the table - uniform (and generally excellent) training, enforcement of rules setting the number of non-journeymen per journeyman, safety equipment enforcement. Perhaps you wouldn't feel comfortable asking your employer for the proper arc flash gear or safety harness, but a good trade union will demand it. These things protect you, but they also protect your employer and the end user of your work by giving good quality work and by protecting you and your family from that disastrous fall or arc flash, they are are also protecting your employer from the costs of inadequate safety equipment harming you. Yes, they extort employers to a degree, but employers commonly have the same power in many areas - especially in this economy.

I could see moral qualms about joining a labor union, but a well-run trade union brings value to both parties. An outright refusal to join even a labor union makes no sense; certainly there are times and places where employee leverage can be a moral thing. And one cannot honestly emphasize unions' role in driving away manufacturing without acknowledging the role unions played in establishing shorter work hours and better benefits - wouldn't be much point in having manufacturing if we were making starvation wages for a sixty hour week - as well as in the training that helped make our golden age of manufacturing practical. After all, most trade apprenticeship programs are run by unions, not employers.

 

[JEDI]

Time Warner decided we were getting paid way too much for the amount of work we were doing.

They had all the workers go from Hourly Pay + commission for every job we did, to piece work + paying for our trucks @ 1/2 the cost of fuel spent.

I literally saw my paycheck go from $2k take home a week, doing 5 jobs a day, to less than 600 every two weeks, doing 10 or more jobs a day.

All the time the union reps were brainwashing everyone on how we would make more money by using a points system AND TO THIS DAY - FROM 2005 to 2012, there is STILL no clear answer on how the points system works.

Local 3 is the biggest mobster run union ever. I run into them all the time in Midtown, and I always tell them to suck my dick. Almost got my ass kicked a few times.

that makes no sense.
why would a powerful NYC union even allow peice work much less switch to it??

 

[notposting]

that makes no sense.
why would a powerful NYC union even allow peice work much less switch to it??

Kickbacks to the people running it. Divert wealth from the people on the bottom to those on the top, same as everywhere else. Use the inherent advantages of being the incumbent and controlling the game to stay in power.

 

[jagec]

There are good unions and bad unions, and there are good companies and bad companies. If everyone was at a good company, unions would be pointless, and if everyone was in a good union, bad companies would be driven out of business. Unfortunately neither of these cases are reality. So, we have to do our research carefully and make sure that we avoid bad companies and bad unions. Which is a lot harder than it sounds, because they are both highly abundant.

When I was working as a lab tech, we got unionized. It was a total scam...almost everyone in the sciences had experiments going on when voting took place, and everyone in the humanities was free to saunter off and vote to unionize. The people in the sciences got NO benefits, and they started taking money out of our paychecks every month. You could either join the union and pay union dues, or not join the union and STILL pay "non-association dues". What a joke.

However, if unions hadn't been around back in the day, we wouldn't have weekends, so...

 

[BoomerD]

To add to my earlier post:

I won't deny that there are unions run by crooked slimeballs, bilking their membership out of their hard earned money while doing nothing. I would never deny that there have been some crappy contracts (agreed to by both sides) out there as well. But you can find that anywhere people are involved. So don't try blaming things like that on "unions".

That being said...man, between the teachers unions and the UAW, I'm not sure which of them gives the rest of us a worse name. I would invite anyone against unions to come out to some construction sites and see the difference with your own eyes.

Just look out for the heavy equipment operators... :whiste: :sneaky:

 

[3chordcharlie]

Yet unions have no problem with destroying a company that will not bend to it's will,

They are union first, not workers first.

I'm trying to understand whether this is an equivocation, or a deflection. It's so hard to tell the difference

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Is that why people join a union? Because they want to be paid more than they're worth? How do you know how much I'm worth? Do you know me and the quality of work I do?

That's the problem. In a union situation your worth is decided by the Union, not the actual person/company you work for. You are just a number, not an individual. Your aptitude and work ethic do not determine your pay - seniority/time on the job does. It's BS.

I run Electrical install projects and as a Controls guy and I'd much rather deal with non-union Electricians as I don't like having to deal with the hall lottery. I need to know the quality of all the people on MY job site if I'm hiring your electrical company to do work for my/my customer.

 

[amdhunter]

that makes no sense.
why would a powerful NYC union even allow peice work much less switch to it??

Here's a video of my ex-boss trying to break down the points system. It's all brainwashing.
This guy was my actual boss back in the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cte0LAod68

I am so glad I quit doing cable tv work in 2005.

 

[JTsyo]

Saw the first commercial for them today. Are they trying to gather members?

 

[Papa Hogan]

Saw the first commercial for them today. Are they trying to gather members?

Can you find a link?? I found one from like 2007.

 

[Vic Vega]

If you like not working and watching non-union crews make gobs of cash, buy news homes and take vacations go ahead an joined IBEW or any other trade union.

The trade unions wages got so high during the housing boom now they can't work. Lots of guys refuse to work for $25/hour. Stupid.

Meanwhile, non-union crews are cleaning up. My BIL runs a non-union crew and he is booked for over a year and hired two more crews so he can run 24/7.

 

[Papa Hogan]

Your BIL is cleaning up, taking vacations and the illegals he hired are getting by, the whole crew living together.

 

[Vic Vega]

Your BIL is cleaning up, taking vacations and the illegals he hired are getting by, the whole crew living together.

No, he's not. Every guy on his crew is a US citizen and you're talking out of your ass, you lying sack of shit.

Typical dishonest union promoter.

 

[Papa Hogan]

Pretty strong words, buddy. Not necessary though.

If you like not working and watching non-union crews make gobs of cash, buy news homes and take vacations go ahead an joined IBEW or any other trade union.

Do you think I'd be considering a union if I made gobs of cash and took vacations and if I were happy with the working conditions? Think I want to pay union dues? Our healthcare costs like $700 for a family policy. That's a good chunk of cash every month, so I do without. I think we should be paid a wage that can support a family and I can eventually retire comfortably on. The workload is sometimes unbearable, too. I got written up unfairly because I was behind on my tickets and didn't follow company policy and call all the contractors and note a "quality agreement" on every ticket. Seasonal layoffs happen in about a month and it's really hard to survive on unemployment and food stamps.

It's nothing against my supervisor and district manager...they're super great guys. I'm just tired of working my ass off and barely scraping by. I don't want to find another job, because I like it most of the time. Just want it to get better.

No, he's not. Every guy on his crew is a US citizen...

It's great that his employees are making a good wage and taking vacations. The world would be a nicer place if all employers treated their workers fairly.

 

[amdhunter]

Saw the first commercial for them today. Are they trying to gather members?

I saw that too. WTF for real.

 

[amdhunter]

If you like not working and watching non-union crews make gobs of cash, buy news homes and take vacations go ahead an joined IBEW or any other trade union.

I couldn't have said it any better.

 

[JTsyo]

Can you find a link?? I found one from like 2007.

This is the one I saw.