tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post4118372020109730118..comments2023-08-19T08:21:42.894-04:00Comments on Cedar's Mountain: A: Morally Bankrupt. Q: What Are Labor Unions?G. B. Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-13481367739556644172010-11-25T16:23:47.172-05:002010-11-25T16:23:47.172-05:00Walking Man: Unfortunately our state has done simi...Walking Man: Unfortunately our state has done similar damage to the two main pension funds for state workers, and has given such a generous benefit package to retirees that now all new employees with lesss than five years of service now have to contribute 3% of their bi-weekly gross wages for up to the next 10 years to help fund it.<br /><br />I agree that tough decisions have to be make which G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-70720186723644592612010-11-25T15:23:49.343-05:002010-11-25T15:23:49.343-05:00I was fortunate that when I blew my back out and c...I was fortunate that when I blew my back out and could no longer repair police cars for the city (Yeah AFSCME) that there were rules and procedures in place that made me a not at will employee. I was a shop steward and fought many fights for my crew and won some lost some but I did get my shift working in a cohesive way that upped production lowered costs and had the most productive shift on the the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-10129520830689979022010-11-25T13:57:12.606-05:002010-11-25T13:57:12.606-05:00Addendum:
How my union determines the state budge...Addendum:<br /><br />How my union determines the state budget is directly tied in to the wages, bonuses and other fringe benefits (like health insurance) that were last negotiated in 2006.<br /><br />About two months before the end of the contract in FY2009, negotiations were started that were specifically geared towards the current economic meltdown with the rest of the negotiations completed byG. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-14760219096948782242010-11-25T13:25:21.418-05:002010-11-25T13:25:21.418-05:00Walking Man: Apologies for not answering sooner, b...Walking Man: Apologies for not answering sooner, but your thoughtful comment got labeled as "spam" by Blogger.<br /><br />While I agree that the labor unions that you speak of did an admirable job over the decade, I see a major difference between the labor unions of your current life and the white collar labor unions that I'm an unfortunate part of.<br /><br />My cynicsim and hatredG. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-22352938594292164052010-11-25T07:36:14.679-05:002010-11-25T07:36:14.679-05:00Snaggle: Not so much as a single rep as its the pr...Snaggle: Not so much as a single rep as its the prevailing wisdom among the yahoos who negotiate all of the contracts for the state.G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-35387874063341494792010-11-25T04:50:58.112-05:002010-11-25T04:50:58.112-05:00I guess you're right they could totally abroga...I guess you're right they could totally abrogate your collective bargaining agreement and privatize your job. Then have three people working it part time less expensively than you with no benefits, no paid days off, no pension accrual. No nothing except about 2/3 the wages you make for the hours they put in. And of course a healthy profit for the agency that supplied the at will work force.<the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-51306756370516164002010-11-25T01:26:18.033-05:002010-11-25T01:26:18.033-05:00Hard to believe a union rep said that!Hard to believe a union rep said that!Snaggle Toothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07197042129309670471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-86064609850167963192010-11-24T17:46:00.428-05:002010-11-24T17:46:00.428-05:00Jannie: I hope so.
I'll be happy for it to st...Jannie: I hope so.<br /><br />I'll be happy for it to start on the state level for now.G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-23355315250218192872010-11-24T07:56:57.901-05:002010-11-24T07:56:57.901-05:00Like Glenn Beck says, it's gonna get a little ...Like Glenn Beck says, it's gonna get a little worse before it gets better. But it will get better! Gov't spending has to end.<br /><br />xoJannie Funsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11595786402510366043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-9282905403798217622010-11-23T06:13:36.082-05:002010-11-23T06:13:36.082-05:00Darth: Nice.
My courier, who brings me my stuff f...Darth: Nice.<br /><br />My courier, who brings me my stuff from my facility, told me once that he offered to help put a small piece of furniture together for someone, but was prevented from doing so by union rules.<br /><br />Took the facility's maintainence dept a week to find the time to put it together.G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-75429160992613772982010-11-23T01:38:18.970-05:002010-11-23T01:38:18.970-05:00I like the classic old Reagan quote: "The sca...I like the classic old Reagan quote: "The scariest sentence in the English language is 'We are from the government. we are here to help." (not an exact quote but close enough)<br /><br />I always laughed at the union my first wife worked for. She got in trouble for, on her own, unpaid time, volunteering for a Christmas Santa thing...for another department. <br /><br />Uh..volunteer.Darth Weaselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01371680007744419495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-36594493095713914832010-11-22T20:24:08.012-05:002010-11-22T20:24:08.012-05:00R: Honestly, that is one of the ideas being bandie...R: Honestly, that is one of the ideas being bandied about. We are very top heavy with management, and I while I personally know a couple who are very good at what they do, overall there are redundancies in each and every agency (about 90+ at last count).<br /><br />I know fiscal sanity is a pipe dream on any level beyond municipal, but I am willing to give our current governor-elect the benefit G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-40573379465880851142010-11-22T20:13:39.339-05:002010-11-22T20:13:39.339-05:00Fiscal sanity? We are all dreaming on...I don'...Fiscal sanity? We are all dreaming on...I don't see how the hell layoffs are preferable to furlough days (which also suck) and it makes me furious that this is done on the backs of working people. One department in my state put in furlough days while simultaneously paying consultants several hundred thousand dollars for "management training." Not to mention some of the muckety-mucksRiot Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02725825736285347870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-33840073520699089282010-11-22T17:30:17.267-05:002010-11-22T17:30:17.267-05:00Charles: To a certain degree, yes. But our labor u...Charles: To a certain degree, yes. But our labor unions have to realize that sometimes you have to bite the bullet and do what's best for your members.<br /><br />There is a lot animosity between the branch I work for (Executive) and the other two branches (Judicial and Legislative) of guv'ment, mostly because my branch has done the yeoman's work of givebacks and the other two haven&#G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-70588113216626219972010-11-22T14:22:05.593-05:002010-11-22T14:22:05.593-05:00I used to supervise hourly employees who were repr...I used to supervise hourly employees who were represented by a labor union. I hear you on all that, but they sure did go to bat for employees - even if they were clearly in the wrong. Georgia is a "right to work" state, so these guys don't even have to pay dues in order to be represented. (Clearly I have no issues where unions are concerned. lol!)Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13984802196897920610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468858293961151587.post-18441132671007664132010-11-22T09:46:55.492-05:002010-11-22T09:46:55.492-05:00the real workers just get caught between the fat c...the real workers just get caught between the fat cats on one side and the fatter cats on the other.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com