Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Look for the Union Label


Unions

Oyi don’t get me started on the unions.
Too late!

Hate’em, Hate’em, Hate’em

Oh don’t get me wrong completely I KNOW that the unions had their place at one time. They made for a better working environment, conditions and pay for the blue collar worker. They made GREAT strides to making the workplace what it is today.
However, that time has passed…
Businesses now realize and know that it is not cost effective to toss out employees and keep replacing them. The training alone is expensive not to mention the cost of bringing a new person up to speed and keep production levels high. No, nowadays an employer knows that it costs less to keep an employee happy and employed then it does to “use ‘em up and throw them away”.
So why do we still have unions?
Because people have found out, they can make a living working FOR the union. Therefore, to keep themselves gainfully employed they keep the antiquated aspect of a union perpetuated through fear and intimidation.
I have worked in the airline industry and have experienced a union shop first hand.
I witnessed how a person would be promoted, not by how good they were at their job but by how long they had been doing their job.
I witnessed how a person could not get ahead in the company until everyone who was hired before them either retired or died.
I witnessed how if you were X and there was a part in a box you needed you had to wait for Y to receive it, J to inspect it, W to stock it and DD to go to the shelf and get it for you.
I witnessed how a person with seniority could come in and spend the first couple of hours of their shift reading the newspaper or gabbing while the “new hires” did all the work. If someone said anything about it, they would have a grievance filed against them.
I was actually taken aside at one point by the Union Steward in my shop and told that I was working to fast and hard and making other people look bad. I needed to slow down since “we all get paid the same, no matter if the job gets done or not.”
I was flabbergasted!
Stunned even.
I couldn’t make sense of it!
I asked him
“So you want me to do a poorer job because other people are too lazy to do a better job?” He just stood there and crossed his arms and glared at me.
I laughed in his face.
“HA” I said
“I have 2 speeds. Go and stop and if my go is faster then someone else’s then they have the issue not I.”
I then shook my head and chuckled to myself
and went back to doing my job.

Yeah, not being a fan of the unions in a industry ran city that breathes ( or breeds, whichever) unions is not a safe or reasonable position to take.

I still hate'em though.

Hate’em, Hate’em, Hate’em

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thrill me...dripsome brain droppings here.