Hello spridgets,
i gotta weigh in on this one...
let me preface this with the fact that i am ACTIVE in the
unions, being now in my 6th year as VP of the local, and having
taught as an instructor for about eight, and on the executive
committee for about 15.
ALL of the benefits that we have become accustomed to in the
workplace originated with the unions. these include such now
commonly accepted ideas as overtime pay, the 40 hour work week,
child labor laws, retirement plans, and health care, to name a
FEW. without unions these would simply not exist, let alone be
codified into law. .... ...
whats one of the first things that we as a country want to
allow the workforce of any country that we "free"? the ability
of the oppressed workers to form UNIONS! yet we all too often
decry the power that they have HERE!
while i'm not going to defend some of the corrupt practices that
have become nearly standard operation procedure in many cases
with "the unions" i also see what happens when their power is
broken. .. look at the wall mart, and taco bell forcing its
their workers to work "off the clock" that is -punch out, then
come back in to finish a job that "had to be done before they
could go home--, look at the people of enron, who's pension
benefits were NOT guaranteed, and now have nothing.
we NEED the unions to balance to the GREED of the corprate
raiders to whom the workers are merely disposable, necessary
evils that allow a product to be made or a service performed,
and an impediment to the greater lining of their own pockets. ..
In my union, (IBEW) both labor and management understand that a
symbiotic relationship rather than an adversarial one allows us
ALL to make a better living. Co-operation in facing the problems
we have, give and take, allow us all to make a living. If our
demands and practices are counterproductive to the point that we
put THEM out of business, that's one less place for us to get a
job. We need the entrepeneurs who are willing to take the
business risks, and they need well trained, willing, productive
workers.
sorry to go on and on... its near and dear to me
--
Best regards,
Bill mailto:pythias@pacifier.com
'66 Sprite
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