Union Members

**xxblazenlowxx** · 01-31-2011, 12:28 PM

I am in the U.A. local 696 and have not had much work in the last two years, I hope things get better this year but am unsure.

Anybody else in here Union members? or having trouble with work?

**bigslick7878** · 01-31-2011, 05:02 PM

I have friends who are in unions and are in the same boat.

One has been on unemployment for the last year and a half.

**POPS** · 01-31-2011, 05:04 PM

local 1 out of chicago. hotel workers. Knock on wood, no enemployment yet but super slow.......

**Shol'va** · 01-31-2011, 06:18 PM

United Auto Workers Local 31, yeah I know were the ones who took the fed money, but on the bright side I'm still working..so far. If gas keeps going up though a whole lot more will be back out of work.

**Times Roman** · 01-31-2011, 08:17 PM

never been in a union

**Tigershark** · 01-31-2011, 09:54 PM

My soon to be brother in law is in this exact same predicamint. He works construction and can only work in certain areas because of his union.

**zimmy** · 01-31-2011, 10:14 PM

Unions did wonderful things when they were first created...not they just seem to to take your money and force people to hire overseas.

Thank god I'm in the south.

**chemicalromance** · 01-31-2011, 10:33 PM

Teamster in northern illinois. This will be my 4th year as an owner/operator doing only construction. Been a great four years but believe me i'm saving as much money as possible...

**DSM4Life** · 02-01-2011, 05:25 AM

Was in the Union, a bad one at that. Unions are a dying breed these days.

**VegasRenegade** · 02-01-2011, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by zimmy

Unions did wonderful things when they were first created...not they just seem to to take your money and force people to hire overseas.

Thank god I'm in the south.

Typical youg folk answer. all the benifits and wages you enjoy today are because unions hav balanced the big courporations power. If you don't thing so and that that the companies are now playing enice then why are they paying so little overseas. Answer they can.

**zimmy** · 02-01-2011, 03:26 PM

I really dislike it when people claim age as a defense to a point or argument. As I said, Unions did wonderful things when they were first created...they don't do anything more than force companies to go over seas. Economy is down...demand is down...but hey you better keep bringing that pay up or else we'll strike and hurt the economy even more.

Here is an example I had to deal with... I worked for a company that had head quarters in Tewksbury...I am on the phone troubleshooting a problem with a server. I ask the guy who just power cycle the server (which he is literally sitting next to) and he says " No I can't , it's not in my job description. I have to call a guy who is responsible for the hardware". That is the stupidest sh*t I have ever heard. Down here in the south, we fix what needs fixing. Do the work and get it taken care of. Would you want to hire a bunch of people unwilling to do the work that needs to be done and at the same time having their hands out demanding things? Like I said, they were great when they were created..making sure work environments were safe and what not. Now it's just a legalized gang getting kick backs from companies as well as their workers.

**DSM4Life** · 02-01-2011, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by zimmy

I really dislike it when people claim age as a defense to a point or argument. As I said, Unions did wonderful things when they were first created...they don't do anything more than force companies to go over seas. Economy is down...demand is down...but hey you better keep bringing that pay up or else we'll strike and hurt the economy even more.

Here is an example I had to deal with... I worked for a company that had head quarters in Tewksbury...I am on the phone troubleshooting a problem with a server. I ask the guy who just power cycle the server (which he is literally sitting next to) and he says " No I can't , it's not in my job description. I have to call a guy who is responsible for the hardware". That is the stupidest sh*t I have ever heard. Down here in the south, we fix what needs fixing. Do the work and get it taken care of. Would you want to hire a bunch of people unwilling to do the work that needs to be done and at the same time having their hands out demanding things? Like I said, they were great when they were created..making sure work environments were safe and what not. Now it's just a legalized gang getting kick backs from companies as well as their workers.

With greedy corporations i think we need unions. The only problem is the greed has leaked into the unions themselves. At this point its every man for him/herself.

**Shol'va** · 02-01-2011, 03:46 PM

Agreed^^^^^^^ If things keep on the way they are soon unions will be a thing of the past in the states and we can truly compete head to head with China. Lets see now at 16 cents per hour how long will it take me to pay off my 300,000 dollar home loan...Sorry for better or worse, like a bad marriage I got to go with the unions...

**Bojangles69** · 02-01-2011, 04:16 PM

Yeh if all employees were made owners of the company stock itself than that could help wipe out a lot of that greed.
But unions have their fair share of good and bad. They reduce competition by nature but they also help stop exploitation.

I think starbucks commonly makes employees part owner in their stock, although I hear it doesn't always work out for the best.

**chemicalromance** · 02-03-2011, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by zimmy

I am on the phone troubleshooting a problem with a server. I ask the guy who just power cycle the server (which he is literally sitting next to) and he says " No I can't , it's not in my job description. I have to call a guy who is responsible for the hardware". That is the stupidest sh*t I have ever heard.

That's got nothin to do with union influence, union or not that's all modern day "safety nazi" bullsh!t. I could name countless non union agri-businesses that do the same crap. If you do something you're not certified to do, you get reported to the safety nazi's because the business is so desperate to not get sued by that incompetent employee if he loses his arm. So then you have oversized human resource depts in every business in america because they have to keep up with all that and add to the company's already high bottom line.

**DSM4Life** · 02-03-2011, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by zimmy

I really dislike it when people claim age as a defense to a point or argument. As I said, Unions did wonderful things when they were first created...they don't do anything more than force companies to go over seas. Economy is down...demand is down...but hey you better keep bringing that pay up or else we'll strike and hurt the economy even more.

Here is an example I had to deal with... I worked for a company that had head quarters in Tewksbury...I am on the phone troubleshooting a problem with a server. I ask the guy who just power cycle the server (which he is literally sitting next to) and he says " No I can't , it's not in my job description. I have to call a guy who is responsible for the hardware". That is the stupidest sh*t I have ever heard. Down here in the south, we fix what needs fixing. Do the work and get it taken care of. Would you want to hire a bunch of people unwilling to do the work that needs to be done and at the same time having their hands out demanding things? Like I said, they were great when they were created..making sure work environments were safe and what not. Now it's just a legalized gang getting kick backs from companies as well as their workers.

Sometimes these policies are also there to protect the employee. Lets use your example and say the guy on the phone did power cycle the server and something went even more wrong. The company could turn around and say "Mr XXX are you trained/certified to perform this task ?" If not the company could then turn around and punish/potentially terminate this employee. I have seen it happen. When i was in the union and people asked me to do what was out of the scope of what i was authorized to do i also refused. Yes it might sound dumb but the way i see it, i can't get in trouble for not doing it but i can get in trouble for doing it (the task) wrong.

**chemicalromance** · 02-03-2011, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by Shol'va

Agreed^^^^^^^ If things keep on the way they are soon unions will be a thing of the past in the states and we can truly compete head to head with China. Lets see now at 16 cents per hour how long will it take me to pay off my 300,000 dollar home loan...Sorry for better or worse, like a bad marriage I got to go with the unions...

Yup same here. I know the US/China thing is more complicated but, even if tomorrow there were no unions and every manufacturing/tech/construction job immediately went to $8.25/hour, companies would still be at a disadvantage staying here. We will never compete with china's slave labor, at least not until chinese people have some kind of reform and end up with a democracy. China is too smart for that tho, it seems like every documentary i see shows china giving its citizens just enough liberty to allow them to improve a little, but not too much or they will drop the hammer on them, they are still straight up communist.

**zimmy** · 02-03-2011, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by DSM4Life

Sometimes these policies are also there to protect the employee. Lets use your example and say the guy on the phone did power cycle the server and something went even more wrong. The company could turn around and say "Mr XXX are you trained/certified to perform this task ?" If not the company could then turn around and punish/potentially terminate this employee. I have seen it happen. When i was in the union and people asked me to do what was out of the scope of what i was authorized to do i also refused. Yes it might sound dumb but the way i see it, i can't get in trouble for not doing it but i can get in trouble for doing it (the task) wrong.

Yah...southern logic says you cost the company $$$ in penalties cus you didn't want to touch a button...you're the one to be fired. But hey..if all of the US was as great as it is in Texas, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the south's greatness :P