Actually it was a fire in a non union shop in NYC in 1911 that caused the state of NY to enact labor laws. Included in this list safer work places, wages, work hours, working conditions, and child labor laws ( think there were 11 or 15 laws that NY enacted ).

These laws were the basis of the New-Deal program, which made them federal laws.

The employees of the company in 1910 tried to unionized, but the company blocked it.

So I guess you could say, had that shop gone union in 1910, the fire might never have happened, causing the state and federal laws to be made, and the non union employees of the country might not have it as good as it is now....

It is rather sad when unions claim the results of 150 non union people dying due to a fire in a building....

 

Actually this is what WI has.
The state no longer draws the union dues out of the state union employees checks.

It is up to the employee to pay ( or not pay ) the union dues themselves...

I forget if ID or OH has the line item that belonging to the union is no longer a condition of employment for teachers.
They can get hired as a teacher, and then decide if they want the union to represent them, or represent themselves.

Sounds like all these "Bad States" are doing exactly what you suggested.

 

I couldnt possibly imagine going to work with this attitude day in and day out. Maybe you should quit?

I too work holidays, birthdays, weddings...for 24 hours at a time, so I have no chance to get "that last piece of birthday cake" or make it for the reception and not the ceremony. I accept that and go on with it, its part of my career.

Sure, we have slackers, but it has nothing to do with being a unionized work force, but more so with not beng a motivated individual.

Moral of the story is, I love my job, I look forward to going to work, I love the guys I work with. If working at a place makes your life that miserable and then being part of a union makes it that much worse, its time to update the resume, buy a suit and look at other options. Im sure there are other guys that would do anything to have your job, particularly in todays economy.

 

^ That made me laugh as much as the OP!

Yes, they would because 'corporate america' now sees the value of the productive worker. Remember when 'corporate america' went through that huge phase of downsizing, in other words, getting rid of dead weight that didn't serve a purpose. You know who didn't get slimmed down or trimmed up, Unions and the Gov't. Both have grown far beyond their original scope. I lump union and gov't workers together because they're essentially the same thing in my eyes. Sure, there are probably many hard working union (and maybe even gov't) folks out there, but those folks don't need the union to stay employed.

Exactly. Explain to me why union workers should be able to keep their jobs regardless of performance or cost to the company? In the real world if you eff up, you get fired. If you cost too much, you get fired or take a pay cut. When you finish your career you're done and rely on your foresight to save and invest your hard earned money, none of this, "we'll keep paying a high portion of your salary to sit around on your *** till you die".

No union work is so specialized that only they can do said work. I'm sure there are lots of smart, unemployed people out there who would love to steal away a union job from some slacker who maybe does and hour of real work each day.

Again, not saying ALL union workers are like this, but unions allow those types of people to exist.

- NCSU

 

This is the one part about some unions that I don't agree with....

 

I said the way they went about it was bad, and they still dont have as many rights as the used to

 

Union workers of the past are not the same as the present. Different attitude and agenda.

 

I'm cool with unions taking credit for their place in history.

Not cool with the fact that over the last 40 years, unions have come to control the government sector. IMO, bloated benefits and retirement packages given to public employees are killing my state and country. I blame the politicians, too, but we have to scale this stuff back if we are ever going to get out of this hole that has been dug for us.

 

I think some folks have turned this post into a union vs. non-union debate. My original intent was to write something up that would bring a smile to most folks faces. For most, it’s done just that and I’m glad I was able to make you laugh. For others, it seems to have set off a raging (and sometimes ugly) debate.

For those of you who want to take this thing far too seriously, I’d suggest cracking open a cold beer and re-reading the original post. If you can’t laugh, maybe you should question a few things in your life. And for you union guys, what's wrong, did I come too close to the truth?

 

I agree Unions have their place, but it seems to me as a union worker that some unions are a crutch more than anything. In my union the vast majority are productive workers. We have fighter jets to build which are a tool used to protect our country and others.

 

Remember the guys from the Chrysler plant who, on their lunch break, smoked weed and drank? They make good union workers look like trash.

 

I remember, and know for a fact that any job, union or not, has people that do things like that on lunch break.

 

Your Fired!

 

I've once worked at a non union job where I know for a fact that if they did mandatory drug testing I'd have been the only one left!

 

Speaking of drug tests today is 4/20 lol, silly stoners