Unions

[suds00]

i paid dues for nothing

[MisterVeritis]

People have a right to work for less and have no job security; it's the American way; you want to work non-union, then god bless you.

Personally, I've always worked union and will always do so until my last working breath. Over the years that I've been a union member, I've heard it all from a certain segment of union members how bad the leadership is; they do nothing for the working man, they drive a car provided for by the union, they spend our dues money on political candidates that not all the membership support, they make 3 or 4 times the money we make, blah, blah, blah.....Yes the list goes on and on.

When I hear this come from most non-union people I am a little bit more understanding because they are speaking out of ignorance, they only know what they read and hear, however when I hear this coming from the mouths of union members, I take no pity on them. The one thing that 99% of all of them have in common is that they are fast to complain but yet either don't vote to replace the leadership they so despise or don't run for office and change how the union is run. Most of them are fat, dumb and happy to sit back and enjoy the job security and wages that many members struggled and sacrificed for years before them. In my profession many of the members came right out of college, got hired and feel this is the way the real world is, take everything for granted and expect the union executives to handle every single petty grievance they dream up without even attempting to deal with it on their level.

My position is this: If union members are too lazy to get off their collective butts and change the leadership they dislike, then they deserve all that they get and I have no sympathy for them. Join the other 94% of American workers, go work non-union and find out what it's like to work in the real world.

What a way to start your day off.

I suspect unions are on their way out. Now that unions are no longer able to steal from workers it is just a matter of time before membership declines.

[Tahuyaman]

Unions were needed at one time. That time is long in the past. Employers now are competing for employees.

[donttread]

At one time, they served a purposed.

They've long since outlived their usefulness.

Really? Look at the illegals used to replace workers with rights? Without unions the workers would be mistreated again. There is always a motion towards a two class system and a balance of employee/union/employer/government regulation ( preferably other than federal) is key to continuing our multi-class system. Three doesn't seem to quite cover it because we have homeless, poverty, welfare, working poor, working class, several levels of middle class, an upper class and the super rich. I guess there are actually 9. Low, middle and upper all separated into 3 sections. The table tilts a little more towards the top every year. Losing reasonable unions would be a real blow to our way of life, symbolically. Yet they cannot reach the power of the UAW and the steel workers in the 70's either.

[donttread]

Unions were needed at one time. That time is long in the past. Employers now are competing for employees.

Is that why they hire imports without rights? Or lower priced foreign STEM imports?

[Common]

I was a union man all my life game, unions are not what they were 25 yrs ago, Unions are dying on their own membership is way down because they pay dues through the nose and most unions do not deliver for the members.

There are ALOT of unions and only a few of the major ones worked for the members. Google the salaries of these Union heads now.

So far since the supreme court ruled you do not have to pay dues to a union if you refuse to join 200,000 have already opted to stop paying and that number will rise.

I was a union man and supporter all my life but now, my daughter is a teacher in NJ, they have increased her deductions for medical in a very large amount while the gave them a far less comprehensive plan, they pay more for their pensions and the lost certain gains in work conditions and bigger yet no raises, meanwhile the union leader and VP salary has soared, she tells me people are dropping out.

Game many unions are just not performing and too many of their leaders are just taking.

Like I said when i was younger and working 30+ yrs ago union heads made their salary as a worker, got a car with gas credit card and insurance paid and an expense acct. Now they seem to believe they are being elected to Congress instead of Union Pres and believe they should get rich.

Todays unions are underperforming, workers are going backwards in many cases, they are losing benefits and pensions and not getting wage increases, not all unions are created equal and many are failing and the leadership is taking far to much for themselves. This is not the Unions of the 70s and 80s

[Luther]

Check out why unions came into being.

Yep, Safety was a big part of it

[Tahuyaman]

is that why they hire imports without rights? Or lower priced foreign stem imports?

wtf.... ?

[Common]

@gamewll45

• Union Facts| AFL-CIO | Leaders, Employees, and Salaries
  
  https://www.unionfacts.com/employees/AFL-CIO
  Avg. income of employees making more than $50,000. Avg. income of ... RICHARD TRUMKA, PRESIDENT, $272,250, $31,871, $304,121. TEFERE GEBRE ...
  
  Not counting cars and expense accts
  
  
  
  TEAMSTER LEADER WAS PAID $530,000
  
  https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/02/us/teamster-leader-was-paid-530000.htm

You can google the incredible salaries they are getting like NEA president and the dozens upon dozens of employees all over 200,000 a year plus benefits.


When you really look gamewell you can see the unions are screwing the members along with the boss's IT is absolutely not the same

[gamewell45]

I was a union man all my life game, unions are not what they were 25 yrs ago, Unions are dying on their own membership is way down because they pay dues through the nose and most unions do not deliver for the members.

There are ALOT of unions and only a few of the major ones worked for the members. Google the salaries of these Union heads now.

So far since the supreme court ruled you do not have to pay dues to a union if you refuse to join 200,000 have already opted to stop paying and that number will rise.

I was a union man and supporter all my life but now, my daughter is a teacher in NJ, they have increased her deductions for medical in a very large amount while the gave them a far less comprehensive plan, they pay more for their pensions and the lost certain gains in work conditions and bigger yet no raises, meanwhile the union leader and VP salary has soared, she tells me people are dropping out.

Game many unions are just not performing and too many of their leaders are just taking.

Like I said when i was younger and working 30+ yrs ago union heads made their salary as a worker, got a car with gas credit card and insurance paid and an expense acct. Now they seem to believe they are being elected to Congress instead of Union Pres and believe they should get rich.

Todays unions are underperforming, workers are going backwards in many cases, they are losing benefits and pensions and not getting wage increases, not all unions are created equal and many are failing and the leadership is taking far to much for themselves. This is not the Unions of the 70s and 80s

@Common If you read my original response you would have read that the problem is mainly union membership which is a major part of the problem; they'll complain to the high heavens about how lousy the union is or how the leadership is horrible, but very few of them either want to run for office or vote the officers out of office; instead they are happy to whine. Instead of being the solution, they are a part of the problem which is prevalent in both the public and private sectors.

You say that today's unions are under performing; I take umbrage with that; I say some, but not all unions are under performing. To label all unions based on the actions or lack of actions by some unions is very misleading. Many of the smaller unions do an excellent job representing their membership and there are no issues and if there are, then the membership causes changes to occur.

To simply give up and toss in the towel is a defeatist attitude; unions have hit a low point, however the millennial's are up and coming and they know what they want. With proper education given by labor unions as to the functions and purposes of unions and rights in the workplace, it will be easy for them to make a decision. I suspect it'll be pro-union.