My latest union rant

[mattadams]

I think its funny... I used to always make fun of the grocery clerks union and I figured they had learned their lesson fromt he last time they went on strike, or taken lessons from other unions who have recently went on strike, only to find that they are, again, going to be going on strike.
Now they are upset because the grocery stores are offering temporary workers more than the union workers themselves are making - and have long lines of people waiting to fill out those temp worker applications...
I say what a perfect opportunity for King Soopers to take a lesson from Wal Mart - fire every single employee that is in the union, cut all union contracts, and offer everyone back their jobs so long as they never discuss the union ever again... and if they don't like it, encourage them to find work elsewhere where they can join whatever union they'd like. The second they bring up forming a union again, fire everyone... and hte old idea of "they can't fire us all" they can say oh ye we can fire you all... gone...
I get it, I get it... the union is helping be a voice for all the employees to make sure they receive fair and equal treatment, yada yada... I'm not buying it. These people put groceries on shelves, and put those groceries in bags after they've been rung up... we're not talking super dangerous jobs or something that requires a lot of qualifications. They can hire anyone and have them pretty well trained in almost no time.

Guess we'll see how it plays out. My prediction? What the union is demanding will not be met. After a month or two of being on strike the unionw ill give into whatever the grocery stores want just to get people back to work again. They'll end up with less than what they've got now just so they can keep their jobs after the grocery stores see how great non-union employees are and that they work harder, want to do better, etc.

[RayLCC]

Thats an interesting (and not entirely untrue) point of view. I've been a quasi-union supporter all my life, mostly because I come from a union family.
The problem I have with them right now is the unions policy of letting illegals join the union. Its obvious they care about numbers and nothing else and are willing to cut off their nose to spite their face.
The whole idea of a union is that workers stick together to demand livable wages and safe working conditions and PREVENT a company from hiring people that could bring wages down. When you allow illegals to join the union your are WELCOMING the people who are bringing wages down.
It can't work! And it seems most all unions are rushing to sign up all the illegals they can in spite of the American workers that made the union work for so long.
Matt, I agree that there are a lot of problems with unions and that they need MAJOR reform if they are to regain the respect and usefulness they once had decades ago. If thats even possible now. They're too corrupt and that corruption has made them fail in they're intended purpose for years. But think of it this way:
I don't know exactly what you do, or how much you make, but I'm pretty sure that with six weeks of training I could have a general understanding of the job, could take over for you and learn the rest "on-the-job" and I would probably be happy making $10,000 a year less than you. (for the sake of argument) I may not have the qualifications or experience, but I'm cheaper than you and would probably work harder than you, given that a pay cut for you may be a substantial raise in my pay. Then when you go looking for another job you have to take the same $10,000 less a year, because thats what this new job force (me and my former security guard-turned-computer-guy buddies) is willing to work for now.
And everything is fine until the next group comes along and pulls the same thing I pulled on you. They work for $10,000 less than I make and consider it good living cause they come from nothing a was making $200 a month in their village.
Now we're both out of a job and you're now taking a $20,000 a year pay cut from you're original wages just to stay employed.

Don't believe it can happen? talk to someone in the construction industry and see what has happened to wages and benefits with the influx of illegals. Everyone I've spoken with thats been in the trade admits that it was a good job that doesn't pay (as)well anymore.