Comments on: A union experience - what’s the problem? http://rochesterturning.com/2008/05/09/a-union-experience-whats-the-problem/ turning the tide upstate Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:33:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: neweyes http://rochesterturning.com/2008/05/09/a-union-experience-whats-the-problem/#comment-140820 neweyes Fri, 09 May 2008 23:06:24 +0000 http://rochesterturning.com/?p=1176#comment-140820 I didn't get the story. I didn’t get the story.

]]> By: whtwtrdood http://rochesterturning.com/2008/05/09/a-union-experience-whats-the-problem/#comment-140809 whtwtrdood Fri, 09 May 2008 21:16:56 +0000 http://rochesterturning.com/?p=1176#comment-140809 One of my best friends is a union mason. He tells me it is strictly an "us against them mentality" at the union hall and on the job site. He has been actively seeking other work in a non-union environment for some time now but $45.00 an hour at a minimum is hard to walk away from, especially when you're married with a newborn at home. Furthermore, he says that anyone who doesn't think the unions aren't still run by the mob is out of their mind. One of my best friends is a union mason. He tells me it is strictly an “us against them mentality” at the union hall and on the job site. He has been actively seeking other work in a non-union environment for some time now but $45.00 an hour at a minimum is hard to walk away from, especially when you’re married with a newborn at home. Furthermore, he says that anyone who doesn’t think the unions aren’t still run by the mob is out of their mind.

]]> By: Paige http://rochesterturning.com/2008/05/09/a-union-experience-whats-the-problem/#comment-140801 Paige Fri, 09 May 2008 20:26:27 +0000 http://rochesterturning.com/?p=1176#comment-140801 I don't work in a union shop, nor have I ever worked in one. My father worked as a union shop steward, a strong supporter of the role of unions; and then he and a few others bought out the company and he became co-owner and suddenly, a union adversary. From the stories he told, there were indeed times when the union was a barrier to progress; when their rules prevented some common-sense things from happening that would benefit the company. In more recent times, many unions came to realize that their best interest was served when the company was healthy and was able to avoid issues like the one Stlo7 has quoted. So there seems to be a mix of good and bad with unions ... the good is the enhanced worker salary, benefits and security; the bad is there was often the adversarial relationship which was unnecessarily detrimental to the company. I think in today's world, most unions have given up silly fighting over turf like who moves a piece of equipment. I think stories like the one Stlo7 quotes were quite commonplace in 1970, but much less commonplace today. Just my opinion, based upon the stories told to me. I have no scientific data to back this up. I don’t work in a union shop, nor have I ever worked in one. My father worked as a union shop steward, a strong supporter of the role of unions; and then he and a few others bought out the company and he became co-owner and suddenly, a union adversary.

From the stories he told, there were indeed times when the union was a barrier to progress; when their rules prevented some common-sense things from happening that would benefit the company. In more recent times, many unions came to realize that their best interest was served when the company was healthy and was able to avoid issues like the one Stlo7 has quoted.

So there seems to be a mix of good and bad with unions … the good is the enhanced worker salary, benefits and security; the bad is there was often the adversarial relationship which was unnecessarily detrimental to the company. I think in today’s world, most unions have given up silly fighting over turf like who moves a piece of equipment. I think stories like the one Stlo7 quotes were quite commonplace in 1970, but much less commonplace today.

Just my opinion, based upon the stories told to me. I have no scientific data to back this up.

]]> By: whtwtrdood http://rochesterturning.com/2008/05/09/a-union-experience-whats-the-problem/#comment-140800 whtwtrdood Fri, 09 May 2008 20:13:41 +0000 http://rochesterturning.com/?p=1176#comment-140800 It's pretty much that way in unions large, small, and in-between. It’s pretty much that way in unions large, small, and in-between.

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