RE: Labor Unions - are you for or against it and why?
February 20, 2011 at 7:01 pm
(This post was last modified: February 20, 2011 at 7:03 pm by Oldandeasilyconfused.)
I guess it depends on one's own experience to a large degree:
A few of my experiences:
(1)First Job:age 16,pumping gas in a small town 100 miles from home during summer holidays.Boarding with boss and his family; I worked a 10 hour day, 7 days a week,for that I received my board and $13 a week (award was about $50,I later discovered)
(2)Second job: Office clerk in a large fertiliser company.I was not ALLOWED to join a union and told not to even TALK to a rep. IF I did, I would lose my above award pay and conditions. The company used its non unionised office staff as strike breakers when the chemical workers went out.IE we kept the orders going out.
(3) Storeman/driver.Day one. Manager says"the owner says he can't afford to pay you the amount we agreed at job interview(and advertised) so we are going to pay you $X (20%less). PLUS owner says to me "I don't pay overtime, I give bonuses at the end of the year". My response was "that's fine, but I get paid for any overtime I do". Within two weeks he tried giving me a job which would take an hour, 10 minutes before knock-off time. I told him I would leave on time, an did. Then it was 'can you come in half an hour earlier each day?" My answer "No". George was a dead cunt.Today he's probably just dead,as he'd be about 90 if still alive.
(4) While in the civil service I was a union rep for over 20 years,in two government departments. The hallmark of civil service management is mediocrity,incompetence and dishonestly. Just like in a sewer,the REALLY big bits float to the top and are often found in negotiations with unions. These people are amateurs when compared with the average government minister.
My support of unionism is both ideological and pragmatic
A few of my experiences:
(1)First Job:age 16,pumping gas in a small town 100 miles from home during summer holidays.Boarding with boss and his family; I worked a 10 hour day, 7 days a week,for that I received my board and $13 a week (award was about $50,I later discovered)
(2)Second job: Office clerk in a large fertiliser company.I was not ALLOWED to join a union and told not to even TALK to a rep. IF I did, I would lose my above award pay and conditions. The company used its non unionised office staff as strike breakers when the chemical workers went out.IE we kept the orders going out.
(3) Storeman/driver.Day one. Manager says"the owner says he can't afford to pay you the amount we agreed at job interview(and advertised) so we are going to pay you $X (20%less). PLUS owner says to me "I don't pay overtime, I give bonuses at the end of the year". My response was "that's fine, but I get paid for any overtime I do". Within two weeks he tried giving me a job which would take an hour, 10 minutes before knock-off time. I told him I would leave on time, an did. Then it was 'can you come in half an hour earlier each day?" My answer "No". George was a dead cunt.Today he's probably just dead,as he'd be about 90 if still alive.
(4) While in the civil service I was a union rep for over 20 years,in two government departments. The hallmark of civil service management is mediocrity,incompetence and dishonestly. Just like in a sewer,the REALLY big bits float to the top and are often found in negotiations with unions. These people are amateurs when compared with the average government minister.
My support of unionism is both ideological and pragmatic
