Local 638 on Strike

[mark beiser]

Its going to end up just like any other thread that has the word "Union" in it.

Lots of guys on this board hate unions, and this is the only place where they can voice their opinions without real confrontation, so the posts get ugly everytime.

Give it time Mark, Im sure this thread will pick up.

Other than often being out of touch with economic reality, I don't have a problem with skilled trade unions. The training available through them is usually among the best available, if not always THE best available.
Well, there was the one time when union electricians quite literally set an intentional death trap for me, but it was more of an in house union that was upset that a non union HVAC contractor was cleaning up the unholy mess that their union contractor buddies made. Fortunately I was already on alert for anything and everything due to some stuff they had done leading up to the death trap incident. I try not to let that run in color my opinion of skilled trade unions as a whole...

I have serious problems with how unskilled labor unions have behaved in the last 40-50 years, and strongly believe government service employee unions should not be allowed to exist in any level of government.

[RoBoTeq]

This thread has failed to be as entertaining as I'd hoped, but Robo is here now, so I'm still optomistic!

What?! Am I here to entertain you? You think I'm funny?

[y7turbo]

What?! Am I here to entertain you? You think I'm funny?

Goodfellas?

[timebuilder]

What?! Am I here to entertain you? You think I'm funny?

Can you type that more like Joe Pesci?

[RoBoTeq]

Its going to end up just like any other thread that has the word "Union" in it.

Lots of guys on this board hate unions, and this is the only place where they can voice their opinions without real confrontation, so the posts get ugly everytime.

Give it time Mark, Im sure this thread will pick up.

Unions fit right in with Obama's visions of the future of the Socialist Union of Communist States, ie; SUCS!

[RoBoTeq]

For the record, I have been a member of three unions. I have nothing against unions.

I object to governments using taxpayer dollars to not get the best job done for the lowest price, just as one does in competitive bidding. To make matters worse, the public employee unions then lobby to make government bigger, and every one of us on this board, in fact EVERY tax payer, covers that extra cost.

Over 40% of government employees are now unionized as opposed to less then 9% of the private sector. Why? Because only an organization that does not have to be responsible with other peoples money can afford the high cost of organized labor.

[RoBoTeq]

Goodfellas?

That's what I was going for. Thanks for noticiing.

[RoBoTeq]

Can you type that more like Joe Pesci?

I'm afraid I'd destroy my keyboard if I tried to type like Joe Pesci.

[heavymetaldad]

Local 150 operating engineers, and a coupla others, carpenters, being another, walked out on wednesday. They do not want wage increase, just to cover the sky rocketing costs of health and welfare.

[RoBoTeq]

Local 150 operating engineers, and a coupla others, carpenters, being another, walked out on wednesday. They do not want wage increase, just to cover the sky rocketing costs of health and welfare.

What good does it do to walk out over this? Health and welfare costs are increasing for everyone. How do you expect the company to be able to pay for the increases?

You may not think of it as a wage increase, but it is. If your company pays more for a benefit that they are providing you, then they have increased your wage package.

[DeltaT]

My union neighbor has been laid off his construction job for about 3 months now. And he's telling me there is no work coming for his company that use to have over 1,000 employees about a year ago. He was one of the last laid off snce he is a valued long term employee.

I hope whatever you guys do you do it responsibly and with the present financial situation in hand.

As I've said before, when my union brothers start to yell at me that I'm a skagg ( what is the term?) again then I know the economy is picking up. And I'm looking forward to that again, believe it or not.

[timebuilder]

My union neighbor has been laid off his construction job for about 3 months now. And he's telling me there is no work coming for his company that use to have over 1,000 employees about a year ago. He was one of the last laid off snce he is a valued long term employee.

I hope whatever you guys do you do it responsibly and with the present financial situation in hand.

As I've said before, when my union brothers start to yell at me that I'm a skagg ( what is the term?) again then I know the economy is picking up. And I'm looking forward to that again, believe it or not.

I think you mean "scab."

I hope this does not go the way of Greece. The guys you seen in the news pictures are Greek union guys.

[DeltaT]

Scab, yea that is it. It's been sooooo long since I heard that term and that's a sign of a poor economy.

When I know these union folks get a big hat on their heads again and can shout out terms like this then I know they are getting their demands for their contrat labor which is a sure sign that our economy in on an upswing again.

I'm hoping it's soon...............but I don't think so by all signs.

It's really a depressing time. Like unions or not they are part of the world and make it go round. Anyone old enough to remember the faces of the auto workers laid off in Detroit and the end of the steel mills in the Ohio/Pa. region in the 70's and 80's.

They fought to the very end against a wind that was not blowing their way. It was the end of an era, sad to say.