Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The Labor Unions?

The seniority system used by many unions is just built-in incompetency. No matter how hard you work or how good your work is, the worthless bum who was hired 2 weeks ahead of you is going to get everything that comes up.

I would agree to a point with Barkoff on the worst being the SEIU and the UAW but construction unions have their issues as well. I worked construction in summers to help pay for college costs. We were a small non-union company but would hire any qualified carpenter, electrician, etc if we were in a remote area away from the main offices and needed the help. Had a union bricklayer start with us and really sped up our progress by allowing us to go from 2 to 3 bricklayers. Few days after he starts, his union rep comes by and told him to go home as we were not a union company. He asked him what job he had lined up for him to do. Rep said he didn't have any work for him but his union contract wouldn't allow him to work for us. So he guy dropped his head and went home. Had kids to feed. I thought it was a pretty screwed up situation.

As far as employees having a run in with the boss and the union backing them? What about a run in with the union?? Can be just as bad. Especially if there is a dispute between a new guy and someone with more seniority. Union won't side with the new guy "most of the time." I agree that they had their role early but I believe they have outlived their usefulness.

Like so many things, there are at least two "sides" to be considered. Unfortunately, in too many cases, neither "side" wants to accept the legitimate points of concern of the other "side".

People ask why is union numbers so low and going down? Why do you think greedy employers moved to southern states and then to Mexico? Employers are the union killers.

You're right Jorge, 7% is no endorsement and I think they've done it to themselves as evidenced by many of the posts on this and the thousands of other threads we've had here on the board. Corruption is rampant in many of the unions. Saving some jerks job doesn't make anybody happy if the guy really should have been let go. Political contributions to a party you are opposed to doesn't go over well.

At one time the unions helped get decent labor laws enacted in this country and it's cut down on the abuse that corporations apparently heaped on employees in the past. If the unions go away though, a lot of that will come back. It's darn hard for the working guy to hire a lawyer to fight for fair treatment from an employer. Sometimes there's only one employer in town for a certain worker. He can't quit without moving.

Union bosses are a lot like politicians. You have to continually ride herd on them to keep them in line.

Anyway, I have to run to Jackson and get some errands done.

Here's 1 thing that the Teamsters did to help the drivers. Back in the 80's, these trucks hit the market. They were designed to increase cargo space while keeping the vehicle total length within existing laws. The driver crawls into the cab underneath the load, in a very dangerous position. He's in front of and under everything. In a fender bender, the whole rig is right on top of him. He can't see and road spray will blind him. The union looked at them and bluntly told the trucking companies that no Teamster would ever be required to drive one. Point blank. They disappeared very fast, at least in the US. I don't know about other countries.

Can't help with Canaduh, but here's something Americans can read and enjoy.

http://freebeacon.com/issues/taxpayers-paid-162-5-million-union-work/

With a federal public service of 600,000 employees, that's an average of 5 hours per employee per year. Hardly earth shattering. When looking at numbers it's a good idea to consider the context and relative scale of what you see.

I'm sure that $162,000,000 went toward resolving some real earth shattering issues within our government.

Could have been earth shattering if those hours were spent tutoring high risk kids or in community service. You are right, scale is everything and your myoptic vision is blinding you.

Never had a use for a union. Fixed all my own issues and or moved on to a better job.

Hope I never am forced into a union either.

I bet the 29 non-union miners at the coal mine in WV wished they had a union to make that bastard Don Blankenship follow the safety regs of MSHA. Yeah, unions have used their power unwisely at times, they have also saved a lot of lives.

This is the bottom line. Union folks don't care if they run the company they work for out of business so long as they get theirs. They don't have the fore sight to figure out what happens when the company goes broke, because labor is too high. They send their work over seas. They have killed manufacturing in this country and then blame the companies who are trying to survive.

Rocky nailed it {I consider unions to be the last refuge of the incompetent.} Unions have no idea how to run businesses, and don't care. It is the sorriest ponzi sceam out there. All they care about is how many people they have paying dues, because that means more money for them and the demoncraps. That includes unions in education. They don't give two hoots about the kids, unless they grow up and want to teach so they can get money from them too.

What would have happened if all 29 of them called OSHA?

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The only blue collar jobs left around here that you'll get decent pay, benefits and a pension are all union. I worked for a union railroad back in the 80's. Our tracks ran right alongside a non union railroad. Our union trackmen got 10.59 an hour and a good retirement. The trackmen doing the exact same work for the non union railroad got 7.00 an hour and no retirement. Things haven't changed union vs non union work/jobs between then and now.

Just as easy to flip that and say unions are employer killers.

Yes, things have changed.
In 1985 unions accounted for 17.5% of the workforce.
Now, as Jorge stated 7% or less.
Seems to me the workers are voting with their feet.

I've belonged to two unions in the past. Neither added any benefit to my situation. I would never advise anyone to join a union.

About the only unions that are still thriving are those covering government workers, where there is no profit motive for management to contain labor costs. In fact whatever is handed out to the unions only guarantees a raise for management so they can maintain their salary advantage.

Government unions should be outlawed.

We've got two companies here locally that produce the same products, electrical connectors and wiring harnesses. One is a union shop and the other is not. I know people who work both places. At the non union plant you'll start at 12.00 an hour for an assembly line job and it'll take you 8-10 years to work up to 16.00 an hour. At the union plant you'll start at 15.70 an hour and be making 22.00+ an hour in 10 years. Nope, no difference.

Not OSHA, MSHA (mine safety and health). To answer your question the coal companies can appeal the mine inspector's write ups and keep operating. That was the situation in the Upper Big Branch Mine when it blew up. There were several serious safety violations cited and the mine was operating under several appeals.