Why all the hate for Unions?

I worked at company that was bought by Ford Mo. Co. We were non union at the time. Shortly after we ended up with Fords union on our sidewalk handing out flyers to unionize us. We took a vote to unionize and 400 workers voted yes. It was a 100% vote. We were told it was the first time they saw a 100% vote.

We then elected fellow coworkers to represent us at the bargaining table with Ford. Our reps were coached by Fords union. It took us a year to hammer out a contract. Once the contract went into effect we all got raises. I went from $8 an hour to $12 an hour. Minimum pay within the company then became $12 an hour.

Before we unionized many of us were being jerked around when it came time for our raises. There was a lot of favoritsm when it came to overtime. A supervisor could walk up and fire you because he didn't like the way your hair was combed. We had little to no rights on the job. If something was dangerous we had to do it because we were told to.

After we unionized we then had a voice. We had rights and the company couldn't jerk us around. The union made the company open their books once a year to show us what company profits were. With company profits being what they were what we asked for in return was nothing more then fair.

I never understood all the hate towards unions. Are rights and making a fair wage too much to ask for in America? Maybe if more companies were union we wouldn't have so much corporate greed?

Unions are nothing more then organized workers seeking rights in the workplace.

In the 1950's half of America was union today it's less then 7%. The standard of living in this country reflects it.

reply to post by wantsome


Why all the hate for unions?

Mainly because they long ago stopped representing the workers like they are supposed to. Because Union Officials are on ridiculous salaries for very short working weeks (at least in the UK) and are poles apart from the people they are supposed to represent. I could go on but as i hate unions (as you can probably guess) it would be rather a biased account and therefore wouldn't really serve a purpose!

reply to post by wantsome


The history of the Australian Maritime Industry and the current "Maritime Union of Australia" or MUA paints a good picture - its history to attain the "rights" for its workers is filled with blood and hate.

Unions are indeed necessary, and in their pure form, they keep corrupt corporations from exploiting their workers.

The hate, imo, comes from the "Militant Unionists" that exist within the leadership & ranks of the unions - too quick to stir up trouble at any and every available opportunity - whether justified or otherwise.

And the media dances to their tune, by design, every single time - painting unions as entities full of thugs!

IMHO.

reply to post by wantsome


Why all the hate towards unions, you ask? Well I'm going to answer your question with another; Would a slave owner want his slaves to have a voice in their subsistence level accommodations?

F&S for the OP.

Originally posted by Flatfish
reply to post by wantsome

 

Why all the hate towards unions, you ask? Well I'm going to answer your question with another; Would a slave owner want his slaves to have a voice in their subsistence level accommodations?

F&S for the OP.

Yeah and the middle class gets shanked everytime when inflation and "defacit shortfalls" "eat away" Pensions./
Unions have proven themselves to be good wholesome and virtuous for the community

reply to post by Flatfish


I have been a union member
for 16 years...

have seen the good & the bad.

I believe the unions of today
have all sold out

And now act as means to control
and mediate large corporations labor force.




nothing more .... nothing less

reply to post by wantsome


I grew up in a union family (everybody belonged to the union) and it can be a good thing. It can also be a bad thing.

Back in the late 70s and early 80s the union my family belonged to went on strike- for a few years. You can't collect unemployment when you're on strike and you can't take a non-union job or you will lose your book. The union sent what members they could to jobs in other parts of the country (which weren't many in that particular field at the time due to the economy), but mostly the people that got work were higher ups and brother inlaws.

Most people in my area belonged to this particular union, and most ended up going from a really good life to being on food stamps and losing everything. Even though most members had no work they still had to pay their union dues or lose their book. Many marriages couldn't handle the financial strain and the divorce rate in our area skyrocketed.

Desperate people who tried crossing picket lines to feed their families were physically attacked and there were even a few pipe bombing incidents. It was horrible!

Our family was lucky as my grandfather owned several rent houses that he had bought as a retirement investment so at least everyone had a house to go to when their own was lost in our family but most people were not so fortunate. It was a very sad time.

Eventually the strike was over and people that remained in the union went back to work- but for less money and less benefits. Most people left the union when it became a choice of paying their dues or feeding their kids. Many people lost their homes, their families, and their dignity. The union doesn't feed you or pay your house note when they want to strike.

Anyway, unions did more for the safety of workers in this country than anyone ever had- I give them that. And collective bargaining can be a Godsend, But there are downsides to unions also, they just won't tell you about those.

because "wealth" does not like them..."wealth" now has a model for workers in their dealings with china, they only want to pay workers just enough so they can survive to work the next day...

Unions are a double edged sword. Yea they work out good for those who are in them because they are protected with rules, regulations, votes, laws, etc.

But coming from someone who is not union, working as a subcontractor, and being in charge of ordering around a foreman and his crew, i have to say they are big ego based, lazy pieces of crap, who cry and bit*! About any little thing. They wont even start any actual work until after first break, and they don't care.

I have been utterly disgusted with the work ethic of 95% of union members and have seen that 100% of the time when the co i work for was free to hire non-union, the job got done better, safer, faster, and ALOT cheaper and under budget then when unions were involved.

This is coming from myself as a contractor who works daily with these piece of crap fat lazy union members who barely if ever get any work done.

There was a point during US history where unions were needed. The Triangle Factory Fire catalyzed the labor union movement. This epic spit on the face of US employment and its managerial ethics back in 1911 caused laborers to organize and petition for their rights.

However, employment law has "caught up" to union workers' rights, and it now demands many, many things from employers, from laws about compensation and discrimination to those which address a "reasonable accomodation" an employer must make for a handicapped employee and what the flipping temperature requirements are for an indoor work location.

OP, I'm sorry you didn't know enough about employment law to know that, were you fired for parting your hair on the wrong side, pre-union, you'd be retired in the French Riviera by now. That, sir, is completely illegal. The "Employment-At-Will" signpost most employers embrace is meant to confuse the average employee who doesn't realize they actually have rights. And you have more than your employer.

Unions simply exist now as a cultural artifact which employs collective bargaining.

Originally posted by chasingbrahman


Unions simply exist now as a cultural artifact which employs collective bargaining.

edit on 9/12/2012 by chasingbrahman because: (no reason given)

Without my union SAG/AFTRA, I would have no retirement, no health insurance, and no recourse if hurt on the job because in the TV/Movie industry, the production companies don't provide any of what I mentioned except for the executives. Even the non union secretaries are SOL .

Cultural artifact?.......BS!

reply to post by olaru12

Cultural artifact.......BS!

It is an artifact. Ive been disgusted by the work ethics of union members. They've shown themselves to be lazy pieces of terds and if i was in the entertainment industry, I'd take all my work overseas where I can get just as good work with 1/8th the cost, and provide jobs to folks there.

Instead, if by law I have to hire union members, 9 times out of 10, I get some 300 pound slob who complains and takes more brakes than hours he works and charges crazy ridiculous amounts of money for their work causing everything to go over budget, when I have seen non-union guys do t better, faster, for less, great ethics, and even became friends after.

Unions are on the way out and good riddance. It will even out the playing field

Originally posted by dominicus
reply to post by olaru12

 

Cultural artifact.......BS!

It is an artifact. Ive been disgusted by the work ethics of union members. They've shown themselves to be lazy pieces of terds and if i was in the entertainment industry, I'd take all my work overseas where I can get just as good work with 1/8th the cost, and provide jobs to folks there.

Instead, if by law I have to hire union members, 9 times out of 10, I get some 300 pound slob who complains and takes more brakes than hours he works and charges crazy ridiculous amounts of money for their work causing everything to go over budget, when I have seen non-union guys do t better, faster, for less, great ethics, and even became friends after.

Unions are on the way out and good riddance. It will even out the playing field

Painting with a broad brush...

My union brothers and sisters work hard, are proud of our craft, continually improve our skills with classes and workshops, etc.

If they took TV shows overseas; who would watch them?

I understand you have a bad experience with some unions; It's unfair to label all unions and union members the same. That's stupid!

reply to post by olaru12

If they took TV shows overseas; who would watch them?

If their live, simulcast them through satelites. If not live, record overseas, then send them to the networks or studios when done. Simple. Only issue really is sports or political events that are live within the US.

I understand you have a bad experience with some unions; It's unfair to label all unions and union members the same. That's stupid!

9 out of 10 so far. 90% I've met have been overpaid slobs with big egos who are useless and shouldn't even be in their crafts. 10% have been on point. Non-Unions have been 90% on point and 10% slobs

I dunno...go ask Jimmy Hoffa!