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Monday, September 04, 2006

 

Unions

It is in vogue right now to bash unions - even among Democrats. I'm not tempted to join in. Not even for a second.

The reason - my grandfather's strike against the Pennsylvania Railroad.

I'm here because he had the guts and determination to stand up to the biggest, most poltically connected company of the day. For most of his life he worked 6 days a week for the rail road and that was because the union won that day off. Prior to the strike the company had a saying "If you don't come in on Sunday, don't bother coming in on Monday."

He was detemeined to send his son, my father, to college and thanks to the union and the GI Bill he did. So when Democrats bash the unions or say they have too much power within the Democratic party - I say "They EARNED it."

Happy Labor Day.

Comments:
Special inerests getting so much power is bad for democracy.

Unions for better or worse? I don't think so.
 
This is a hard one for me! However, I am infavor of Unions in Delaware because we are so called Right to Work State aka fire at will. Delaware workers have no protection from abusive employers.
Get a lawyer or go to the department of labor, right! On the dust settles your good as fired!

I am one of those new exempt employees and work 50 hours a weeks and told I need to put more time into my job.
 
Nancy,

If the Democrats continue to undermine our interests groups it leaves the door open to the corporate interests who (as Kilroy points out) are not paragons of virtue.
 
I should clarify that I meant Unions at their worse, no thanks.

What they provide to labor is unquestionably better.

What they try to do politically is where I was going with worse.
 
Jason,

You going to the Castle announcement today? I'm thinking of stopping by...
 
"What (unions) provide to labor is unquestionably better."

What malarkey. To follow the standard of Jason's anecdote, here's why:

When my father worked as an engineer for General Electric in Schenectady, the union workers went on strike, and the engineers had to fill in at some of the menial labor jobs. Being engineers, they immediately figured out that physical tasks were being done in ways that were either inefficient or downright dangerous to the workers doing them, and devised safer and more efficient procedures. After the strike, the engineers tried to convince the shop steward to implement their ideas, but instead he filed a grievance for management interference with the shop floor, and they went on doing things the way they had before.

Union bosses (like the anecdotal shop steward) don't give a rat about worker safety, they just want to keep winning elections, which means pushing wages and pensions until they either wreck the company that has to pay them, or push their jobs overseas.
 
To the above comment Delaware is not a "Right to Work" state. We are an "At Will" state. Two completely different issues.

Unions have little recourse against "right to work" laws and makes it harder for them to organize and easier for employers to union bash.

On the other hand - Union representation can protect workers from being fired "at will" with out any reason or due process.

As a note - there were plenty of Democrats at the labor day parade this weekend. Some of them weren't there just to campaign, but were personally invited by the Unions to walk with their groups - such as Senator McDowell and the Laborer's Union.
 
I guess McDowell didn't want his tires slashed, or his campaign signs ripped down.
 
only an idiot would bash an onion. you can slice them for your sandwich or dice them for your salad. Onions are wonderfull!
 
Mike Dore and Karen Hartlle-Nagle were asked to march in the parade by one of the union groups.

word is that rank and file union workers are VERY dissatisfied with union leadership over immigration (stagnant wage) and healthcare.
 
Of course they're dissatisfied, Nancy. They have come to realize that leadership will do anything to reverse the decline in membership, and that includes adding illegals to the rolls. Sorta like how Dems want to add illegals to the voting rolls by blocking any effort to verify identity at the polls.
 
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