Re: You are wrong

Posted by jdemaris on March 27, 2005 at 07:29:31 from (209.23.29.186):

In Reply to: Re: Thank the Unions posted by Union Member on March 27, 2005 at 06:28:13:

Well . . . , you are wrong. I was a member of the IBEW and the UAW. I worked as a utility company lineman & foreman, and an assembly line worker for Ford. Also, at one time, when I briefly considered becoming a public high school teacher, I would have been forced to become a union member. I had been badly injured (broken neck), and was more-or-less on my own - trying to change careers and my lifestyle. If I had been a union member at the time, I probably could of forced those around me, to pay for my personal misfortune, retraining, etc. Instead, I pulled out of the mess on my own. I.e., you are wrong; I've had some experience as a union member, but don't like sanctioned socialism.
Labor unions in today's economy and market are anachronisms. At one time they've served a useful purpose and saved many lives. Not necessarily the case today. I don't wish to paint all with a "broad brush", as YOU did me. But . . . , in general, the unions feather their own nests, pass the costs along to the consumers -and that includes both the union workers and the union administration. Typically, I hear union people complain about the wealth of CEOs. Well, yeah . . . they are the bosses - that often happens. I don't think Jimmy Hoffa was hurting for money either. As a worker, if you don't like the conditions, you can always quit and work somewhere else, can't you? Truth is, many union workers (but, not all), have specific and/or limited skills that often are not marketable anywhere else - at least not at the same level of pay and benefits.
So, again, yes, I've been a union member. But, I am a somewhat independent person, and don't like being forced into things - including union membership and sheep mentality. I have enough skills that I've managed working for myself for the past 15 years. I DO NOT have the power to force people to pay me more, simply because I demand it. I have to offer or produce something that is worth the extra money. And, if work is slow, so is my income. If it gets too slow, I do something different. If I whine, and "refuse" to work until someone pays me more - who the heck cares? That's as it should be in the real world.
The last time I was an employee and answered to a boss was at a John Deere dealership. The man that started the business began as a chicken farmer. He did well, and in the late 50s started his own Deere equipment dealership. By the late 70s he had three dealerships. He was very careful about making fair deals with people and treating his employees well. We all worked, however, on the individual merit system as well as the company profit sharing program. Profit sharing meant, when the company did well we all shared. It also meant, that when business was lean, our income dropped along with it. Seems to be a formula that many Unions fail to recognize. During the mid 80s, when the United Auto Workers held a strike on John Deere Company - as a show of force, it almost put us out of business. I wish Deere Company has stood up to the union. But, they finally acquiesced. Then, 1991, labor union tried to get a foothold at our business. My boss, then in his 80s, told them that if they rallied his workers into taking on union membership, he'd close shop. He did just that, and I respect him for it.
So, here I am - self employed, self-reliant, and without a great back-up system. If I was still a union member, I would be MUCH better off - as far as pay and benefits go. But, it's not for me. And, none of what I've written is meant to be an insult to union workers. I've got two sons and one daughter that are union members. But, when union members hold businesses and consumers, more-or-less hostage, for more money based on nothing else but the desire for more, yes - I have a problem with it.

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