This is why I love unions *Updated 8/22*

[cubby1223]

The employer dominated workplace is not good. The union dominated workplace as unions currently are is not good. I'm all for a middle-ground where good workers are protected and laziness is punished. But what sucks are the current environments where we have to choose between one or the other. And thuggary is never the answer.

The business I know that I used as an example, I know they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They are good to their employees. That's why the workers chose not to unionize. Now 20 years later, they are struggling because (1) they don't have the political connections to win government contracts, and (2) their competition hires illegal immigrants and undercuts their bids. What's the answer? Fuck if I know.

 

[momeNt]

Picket lines are just heckling and harassment. There is never any physical violence. It's all just part of the show. If you don't get that, I don't know how to help you.

 

[cubby1223]

Picket lines are just heckling and harassment. There is never any physical violence. It's all just part of the show. If you don't get that, I don't know how to help you.

You mean, no violence other than destruction of property?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yea, business owners were brutal to employees turn of the 1900's.

I was describing an experience of a business I worked for, with unions that took place in the 1990's.
Big difference.

Thugs stood across the street with their protests, and occasionally brought out slingshots to shoot nails and other sharp objects into the parking lot to cause flat tires. That was one of the nicer things the Teamster thugs did to destroy equipment.

That's what they do to get their way. This is the other side of the union that you're apparently happy to make believe doesn't occur.

WTF I never said it doesn't happen. How about you go back and read the first part of the post of mine you quoted.

And sorry, companies still pull that type of shit against unions (or more often to scare people from unionizing in the first place), so if there's anyone trying to make believe that it doesn't occur it's you.

 

[zinfamous]

I'd smash Padma Lakshmi.

Wait, what are we talking about?

I agree with Ron Swanson.

 

[Ns1]

Picket lines are just heckling and harassment. There is never any physical violence. It's all just part of the show. If you don't get that, I don't know how to help you.

because heckling and harassment is so professional.

 

[BoberFett]

I agree with Ron Swanson.

Linked, as to not make it a babe thread:

http://www.gq.com/images/slideshows/mens/standalone/gq/feature/080107/padma_lakshmi/00001f.jpg

 

[McLovin]

because heckling and harassment is so professional.

This, so this.

All i hear is about people marketing themselves and letting business owners you're the right man/woman for the job! So I'm sure screaming and heckling them is the absolute best way to showcase your skill set for future employment.

Although, I'm sure MacDonalds or Dennys would love to hire them so they can handle the stores better when a riot/plate tossing/ass beating takes place.

 

[K1052]

Boston’s Teamsters Local

Boston: America's friendliest city....said nobody ever.

Not at all surprised. Really looking forward to the construction phase of our project there.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Boston: America's friendliest city....said nobody ever.

Not at all surprised. Really looking forward to the construction phase of our project there.

Let's be fair here. I hate Boston as much as anyone, but in this case the fact that it's Boston has nothing to do with it. Teamsters are complete scumbags everywhere.

 

[K1052]

Let's be fair here. I hate Boston as much as anyone, but in this case the fact that it's Boston has nothing to do with it. Teamsters are complete scumbags everywhere.

It's particularly bad in the northeast coupled with overall shittier attitudes.

The idea of dealing with them and other union trades here fills me with dread unlike anywhere else.

 

[zinfamous]

http://www.gq.com/images/slideshows/mens/standalone/gq/feature/080107/padma_lakshmi/00001f.jpg[/URL]

I think I need another lunch break...

 

[Ns1]

Updated, Teamsters union said "nothing happened", everyone else said it did.

In other news, reality tv never coming back to Boston.

 

[Ruptga]

The benefit of unions has long since passed. We don't need collective bargaining to improve working conditions or receive fair wages in the US today. All you need is a cellphone and a youtube account.

That's a gross overgeneralization, at best. In certain places and industries unions are a useful check against their owners' hegemony. But that's the rub, using the power of collective bargaining against the power of amassed wealth is just applying MAD to local economics. It's probably better than doing nothing, but it's an overly complicated power balancing act that solves nothing permanently.

 

[KK]

Sounds like that mayor need to be tried for corruption and executed too.

 

[Mai72]

If unions aren't useful in today's world, why have we seen a huge decline in the middle class? The decline of the middle class goes hand 'n' hand with the decline of unions. When big business is free from unions do you really think they have your best interest? It always amazes me when poor people vote against unions. Do they not want something better? Do they want to make $7.25 per hour their whole lives? I simply think the reason they vote against unions is because of jealousy. When they hear that a electrician who is a union member makes $30 a hour with full benefits they get angry and envious. The only thing they can do is lash out at unions.

To people who are against unions I challenge you to work in Asia. Let's see how long you last. Call out sick? Nope. Tuff shit. You're coming in. You don't like working on Saturdays and maybe Sundays? Overtime? No overtime. You have to come in, or else you will be fired. You get zero rights.

 

[Craig234]

If unions aren't useful in today's world, why have we seen a huge decline in the middle class? The decline of the middle class goes hand 'n' hand with the decline of unions. When big business is free from unions do you really think they have your best interest? It always amazes me when poor people vote against unions. Do they not want something better? Do they want to make $7.25 per hour their whole lives? I simply think the reason they vote against unions is because of jealousy. When they hear that a electrician who is a union member makes $30 a hour with full benefits they get angry and envious. The only thing they can do is lash out at unions.

To people who are against unions I challenge you to work in Asia. Let's see how long you last. Call out sick? Nope. Tuff shit. You're coming in. You don't like working on Saturdays and maybe Sundays? Overtime? No overtime. You have to come in, or else you will be fired. You get zero rights.

Well said. It's simple. Not organized is almost no power. Organized is some power.

 

[Slew Foot]

Sounds like that mayor need to be tried for corruption and executed too.

Yeha sounds like he's on the dole as well.

At any rate, Id love to be union. Dont have to do shit, get a pay raise, cant be fired, whats not to love?

 

[BoomerD]

I was union for MOST of my working life...I don't support this kind of behavior.

While I DO understand their frustration at the production company hiring non-union labor, this kind of thing only works against their best interests.

 

[Craig234]

Yeha sounds like he's on the dole as well.

At any rate, Id love to be union. Dont have to do shit, get a pay raise, cant be fired, whats not to love?

Lie about the facts, and convenient wrong arguments follow.

Wouldn't it be great to be in the CIA? Kill any American you don't like, no problem!

 

[zerocool84]

If unions aren't useful in today's world, why have we seen a huge decline in the middle class? The decline of the middle class goes hand 'n' hand with the decline of unions. When big business is free from unions do you really think they have your best interest? It always amazes me when poor people vote against unions. Do they not want something better? Do they want to make $7.25 per hour their whole lives? I simply think the reason they vote against unions is because of jealousy. When they hear that a electrician who is a union member makes $30 a hour with full benefits they get angry and envious. The only thing they can do is lash out at unions.

To people who are against unions I challenge you to work in Asia. Let's see how long you last. Call out sick? Nope. Tuff shit. You're coming in. You don't like working on Saturdays and maybe Sundays? Overtime? No overtime. You have to come in, or else you will be fired. You get zero rights.

Sorry but unskilled labor does not need your make $30/hr. Just like we've had them true recently, people at McDonald's and Walmart over the world over Unionize, they make the wages $20hr, sorry but that type of unskilled labor doesn't deserve that type of pay. Plus it will push up other wages because you can't have unskilled labor making the same as skilled labor. It's life to have some earn less than others. If they don't like it there's this thing called hard work or school.

 

[chimaxi83]

Wow what a bunch of fucktard shitheads. Yeah they definitely wouldn't pull this shit somewhere like Texas. I belong to IBEW (not that they've ever really done anything for me, not yet anyway), and while we have our share of lazy grieving dumbasses, I've never heard of them pulling bs like this.

 

[Ruptga]

Sorry but unskilled labor does not need your make $30/hr. Just like we've had them true recently, people at McDonald's and Walmart over the world over Unionize, they make the wages $20hr, sorry but that type of unskilled labor doesn't deserve that type of pay. Plus it will push up other wages because you can't have unskilled labor making the same as skilled labor. It's life to have some earn less than others. If they don't like it there's this thing called hard work or school.

I'm gonna pretend to know you for a moment, so tell me if I'm wrong. You've either never been poor (no meaningful savings, plus debt, plus earning less than ten an hour, while living alone or with one or a few other people with similar earning capacity), or you're so indoctrinated into that line of political thought that you're immune to all opposing evidence and arguments.

$20 per hour at 40 hours with only two weeks off per year is 40k, and that's pre-tax. A person can live comfortably but modestly on that income. $10/hr is 20k, pre-tax. Unless they have several room mates, nobody can live on 20k without at least occasional assistance (suckin' on a teat) from either family or government. Even with several room mates, on $20k it's basically impossible to save, so all it takes is one disaster (injury, car wreck, whatever) and that person is completely fucked unless they can fall back on family or government.

Bottom line: unless you think people "deserve" to be dependent on handouts to survive, people "deserve" $10-15/hr wages at a minimum. Business leaders get off on maximizing profits so we can all rest easy knowing that nobody would be getting paid that much to flip burgers, at least not for very long. Those positions would be automated, consolidated, or whatever it would take to make them profitable. Unemployment might rise for a time but, as conservatives just love to point out, the market is self-correcting over the long term.

 

[cubby1223]

The concept of unions is fantastic, and necessary.

The current implementation of unions is highly flawed and very counter-productive. Unions do build up laziness and an over-sense of entitlement.

My brother works for a union business, and they are struggling against non-union competition not because of the higher labor costs but because the majority of employees at the business are lazy and don't want to do work.

Some cousins of mine are in unions, and their salaries are very low due in part to the older, lazy employees who are milking their seniority and the difficulty of getting fired. My cousins have to work their assess off at ~$35k/yr while 70yr olds who cannot perform basic functions anymore can continue raking in $100k salaries.

Unions must adjust to allow for more performance-based rewards, and laziness punishments.

And stop the Teamster thuggary.

 

[Imp]

Sorry but unskilled labor does not need your make $30/hr. Just like we've had them true recently, people at McDonald's and Walmart over the world over Unionize, they make the wages $20hr, sorry but that type of unskilled labor doesn't deserve that type of pay. Plus it will push up other wages because you can't have unskilled labor making the same as skilled labor. It's life to have some earn less than others. If they don't like it there's this thing called hard work or school.

Thanks to globalization, it appears that "skilled" labor like IT and other STEM no longer "deserve" that type of pay either.

China and India, both with ~1.4 billion a pop, pump out more "skilled" labor than all of North America in years. But they can't "think outside the box", you say? Don't worry, western companies appear to be sending over consultants to erase that problem already.