Unions are formed when Companies dont treat their employees right. Doesnt it make more sense to pay an employee 20% more than everyone else, especially when the employee works 4 times better than the rest.
Are there Unions who have HIGH standards? My idea of a great Union is one that will not let everyone be in one. Does a Union kick out members when his work habits make the rest of the membership look bad. Just because a member pays dues, means he’s my brother? Would you kick out a brother if he’s just a sponge, but he lots of fun?
Replies
Don't know what trade you're in,or shop,but in the Carpenters lots of guys buy their cards if they have a sponser Co.to work for.Many are not worth a first year apprentice wage.
Back in 1984-1988,when there was a big housing boom in Chicago area,Guys were showing up on the job with their cards(just going to the hall and buying them without sponsership!)and getting journyman wages but not knowing which end of the hammer to use!My foreman at the time would fire a guy after 2 or 3 hrs if they didn't know anything.I saw him pay a guy out of his own pocket after only 1 hr.
Up to the Co. to either keep or fire people.Other trades are much more strict with who is a Journeyman.Plumbers and Elect.need to be certified I believe.
Some Co.just want bodies.
From what I can tell, this is a mostly "Owner Operated"site, so don't know if you will get too many posts.
But heck,I could be wrong.I remember I was wrong once back in '79...
Only kidding Dear!
DW is in a union environment. Government union type, school district.
Seems to guarantee the incompetent and lazy the same wage as those who actually work.
And the chance of losing your job for anything less than child molesting are close to zero.
Even molesters are passed along to another school district with a good recommendation.
Joe H
unions have a hard time kicking anyone out, but companies don't have to keep them employed. if a local is properly run it caters to the contractors to some degree, that is the only logical way to stay alive in the long run. yes there is at times dead weight, but then we are dealing with people here, not just machines. i worked with a person once who i could not believe the company kept, just worthless. i was amazed for weeks until i heard about a 17 yr old son with leukemia, and the company making sure the employee got enough hours to fund medical benefits. this i came to find out was an otherwise good worker going through a heluva bad year. there are divorces, problems with children, all kinds of things hey we are human. just make sure you get the whole story before you convict someone of being a sponge. in my opinion unions have good and bad points, there is always a lot of politics involved, and probably some corruption with politicians, but construction is an area that is ripe for exploitation of workers, and unions set a standard for wages and skills. even non-union workers make more money in strong union areas. it is illegal in this country to deny union membership, any contractor can sign an agreement and take his entire workforce with him into the union. now if there isn't enough work you may not be able to go buy a journeyman card and go to work, but if you have a job with a union contractor they have to let you in. i like the idea of letting the contractors decide who they want to work for them, it actually makes the union stronger by getting rid of dead weight. i also like the idea of market recovery, where union contractors are subsidized by the unions to take all the work, and all the good employees from the non union. if the members of a local are involved and stick together, it can be a great thing. but it isnt going to happen with the carpenters, not with doug mccarron in charge. if you are interested in this look up the union 34 website, old story now, but it is interesting what happens and how carpenters can't even control their own fate in their own union.
Skids, please try and use paragraphs. your post is real hard to read as is.
respectfully, SamT
Sleepless in Columbia. Diurnal rithym? What songs did they do?
Edited 6/22/2003 11:25:47 PM ET by SamT