I have worked in a union shop, a shipyard. It was 18 years ago and I did it for about 3 years.  I remember distinctly some of the things I heard.  One example.  I was a shipfitter (for anyone not knowing what this is, I describe it as fabricating structure, etc, for ships with steel/aluminum similar to what carpenters do in building with wood).  There was also a Rigging shop.  Riggers would build scaffolding, rig up things to be moved manually or by crane, etc.  I remember on occasion, having to move a large plate of steel.  Moveable by one or two people, not having to go too far, but I remember things said by other shipfitters I worked with such as "I aint moving that thing, call the riggers," which meant finding the rigging supervisor and filling out a short work order.  My supervisor could say nothing about it if he came around asking what we were waiting for.  For something that two people could actually do, yet one wasn't going to lift a finger so there we sat waiting because though two could do it, one couldn't.  I was 20, it seemed really stupid to me.

I remember working night shift, and occasionally being aware of someone who made much more money than me (because of union rules of "seniority" not of performance) napping in hidden crevices on the ship that they knew a supervisor wouldn't look.  Heck, we could go 3 days without seeing the supervisor at any time during shift other than at the time clock as we were getting started for the night.  I remember being told by co-workers "don't work too fast, we gotta milk this thing all night."  I was working hard, learning things, doing things, seeing progress, enjoying my work.  I didn't like the "let's milk it" attitude.

My supervisor's supervisor told me he was going to talk to the shop foreman about bumping me up in wages because of the work I was doing and it was the same work that some 3 pay grades above me were being assigned to do.  I worked lots of weekends.  Anytime there was weekend work, I was asked to work, and I looked around me.  Some were NEVER asked to work, and I know why, so I took it as a compliment to my work that I was always with the people who did work hard.  One day the supervisor's supervisor came to me and said he talked to the foreman, trying to get me bumped up 2-3 pay grades.  Foreman said he couldn't do it.  I'm pretty sure it was due to union agreement, because they didn't even do a ONE grade increase.  I guess if it wasn't on a set schedule, it couldn't happen regardless of someone's work ethic.

And I remember the union shop steward, always bugging me to join the union.  I was "parttime" and couldn't anyway, though I worked 40-60 hours a week.  But I do remember his giving me some 30 second schpeel anytime I'd see him.

As far as that pressure goes, that's NOTHING to what the destruction of the secret ballot will do.  That that crap being called the Employee Free Choice Act is one of the biggest government play on words that there ever was.  People who know nothing about it, hear the name (similar to what the media does in their headline authoring) and immediatly think, "ohhh, free choice, I'm all for that!!"  Give me a freakin break!

Yep, work rules are part of it, but there is more.

My wife commented to me today that the UAW chief, Gettelfinger looks like an ordinary joe. I told her that is the front he is putting on. It is done to make people think that even the union bosses are just like the lowly workers.

The only thing the union bosses care about is the money they make from the union funds. If the big 3 went into bankruptcy the union bosses would be the ones out on the street. The workers would still be making cars.

That's why the union bosses didn't want to give any concessions. It would cause them to loose money. And the liberal politicians are looking out for the union bosses, that's why they are pushing the bailout.

Remember folks, Freedom isn't Free. It was bought with the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.

Always insightful comments.

By the way, is that FoxNews spinning logo box green?  Why?  Has FoxNews succumbed to the Global Warm-ongering mindset?  Say it isn't so!

My guess is it's Christmastime.

Cheers, Chuck

"...another issue which has gone largely unreported in the liberal media:
the onerous union work rules that add literally thousands of positions
to the job rolls compared to those of the foreign transplants." 

Two words sum this up:  "jobs bank".  If anyone is not familiar with that beast, a quick Google search will boil your blood.

This link will get you started: http://www.detnews.c...

An excerpt: 

"Pool is one of more than 12,000 American
autoworkers who, instead of installing windshields or bending sheet
metal, spend their days counting the hours in a jobs bank set up by
Detroit automakers and Delphi Corp. as part of an extraordinary job
security agreement with the United Auto Workers union." 

I'm not sure how much of that is still in effect, but any time the UAW tries to pretend it's the victim, I just repeat the words "jobs bank" in my mind and I'm reassured that the UAW is, and will always be, full of baloney.

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Hunting down the RINOs at: http://www.rinosafari.com

First of all, these are NOT manufacturing jobs, they are assembly jobs. These jobs are similar to envelope stuffing. I'm sure there are a lot of struggling people that would be glad to do this work for a lot less. As a matter of fact, it may even help the housing crisis by giving people a chance to earn enough to prevent foreclosure.

Even if the Big Three get their bailout and the UAW accepts a contract that is the same as other U.S. autoworkers, the future still looks really bad for the U.S. auto industry.  In Congressional hearings last week, all of the experts said that U.S. auto sales will decline from 16 million vehicles last year to 11-12 million next year due to the recession.  So, it would be reasonable to expect that 20-25 percent of union and non-union autoworkers will be laid off (about a half a million workers) - even if the Big Three get a bailout AND the UAW takes huge compensation cuts.  

If the real purpose of the bailout is to save UAW jobs, not just the companies, taxpayers will be asked to pay the wages of workers who won't be building cars, making this the most generous welfare program ever.

The only reason we are currently discussing a $15 billion bailout when the Big Three said at least $30 billion would be needed to save them is to keep them afloat until January 20.  The next day, you can be sure that once the Republicans in Congress can no longer protect the taxpayers, there will be a raiding of the public treasury of historic proportions.

I saw that pseudo-Conservative commentator Bill Kristol on Fox's Sunday Morning Show today.  In his typical identity politics pander, he came down on Republicans for picking a fight with the Union members.  And, of course, he misinterpreted the "Reagan Democrats" factor, effectively claiming that Reagan's relative popularity with Union members was the result of Reagan "appealing to their issues"...not Reagan standing his ground and convincing them to come around to his way of thinking.  The arrogant self-certainty of economic know-nothings like Bill Kristol has damaged (perhaps irreparably) the once-great Republican Party.  This lazy, populist, market segmentation approach to governance will be the death of this country if it's not eradicated soon.

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -Ronald Reagan

fitzfong.blogspot.com

The Detroit Lions (0-14) players are union as well.  Are they winless because they're union?

I think we forget the prosperity that unions have brought to this country.  It would have been even greater if the movement could have spread rather than being blocked, and mostly in Democrat-run southern states for the most part no less.  We as consumers vote with our dollars.  We choose to shop at Wal-Mart and let local businesses go under for a variety of reasons.  So, then why can't the workers vote with their labor?

Voters vote for good for nothing politicians all over this country...but, if workers vote for the same types to be their union leadership it's the pinnacle of evil and stupidity.

The job descriptions I've seen run through a laundry list of this and that, how many pounds you can lift, blah blah blah, but then ends with something like, "And whatever else you're told to do."

But, I think these unions are microcosms of our country as a whole if not our state and local governments.  The bums who run the show will take down everyone around them and parachute out, leaving the Average Joe to fend for himself.  If these union members don't realize that, and make concessions, and address their image problem with the American people then they're going to be looking for new jobs-and those jobs will probably be non-union. 

One of the 24% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 89% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.