Union Shop

[AR182]

Received this e-mail, thought I would share it here with all of you:


A dedicated teamsters Union worker was attending a convention in Las Vegas & decided to check out the local brothels. When he got to the first one, he asked the madam, " is this a union house?"
" No," she replied. "I'm sorry, it isn't."
"Well, if I pay you $100.00 what do the girls get ?"
" The house gets $ 80.00 & the girls get $20.00."
Mightily offended at such unfair dealings, the man stomped off down the street in search of a more equitable, hopefully unionized shop. His search continued until finally he reached a brothel where the madam responded, "Why yes sir this IS a union house."
The man asked, "And if I pay you $100.00 what cut do the girls get?"
" The girls get $80.00 & the house gets $20.00."
" That's more like it!!!", the Teamster said.
He handed the madam $100.00. looked around the room & pointed to a stunningly attractive blond.
"I'd like her for the night."
"I'm sure you would sir,"the madam said.
She then pointed to an 85 year old woman in the corner," but Ethel here has seniority."

 

[dawgball]

perfect!

 

[yyz]

SWEET!

 

[Penguinfan]

<marquee> </marquee>

 

[fatdaddycool]

AR182

AR182

Since I love you I won't hammer you too hard but pease don't ever let me hear you hammering unions again, it would ruin my whole idea of you.
I will make only one statement and if people want to know the truth they can respond.

UNIONS- are responsible for the food you put on your table, the money you give to your wife, the car you drive, the house you own, the interest rate you pay, and unfortunately the rise of the anti labor Republican party. Before ANYONE slams a union or unions they need to spend quite a bit of time studying Political science and Labor Law.
Any and all arguments are welcome, anybody ignorant enough to dismiss unions as a hindrance to the economy of the working class needs to come spend some time with me

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

Unions SUCK.. and this is coming from a law student who received a "B+" in Labor Law...


So when do I get to go fishing in Fort Worth, Texas?

I'll just make sure I don't drop my cell phone in the lake!!!

 

[djv]

There is no doubt unions did what was needed to help the common man. Do they still, im not sure. One thing seems to follow them around. Seems there leadership steals from that common man. Myth or Truth? I can't answer. Know alot of pennsion funds came up short years ago. Maybe they still are. But yes at one time the big bad owners of a company would pay as little as they could. That is one reason you have unions. It was caused by those wanting to be rich and famous over anyones dead body. At least thats what some books say. Then there are books that say a union was formed just so they could steal from that big bad owner. I guess some where in the middle of all this is the truth. A little tit for tat and tat for tit.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

There was a young lady who begat
Bouncing triplets named Nat,Pat and Tat
Was fun in the breeding
but hell in the feeding
As she had no spare tit for tat

 

[P3uttt]

I agree that they are a necessary evil in American way of life.....there should always be a mechanism of checks and balances. Sometimes the pendulum might swing too far to either side and the solution comes along too slowly. Only in Amercia.

 

[AR182]

FDC,

Sorry that my post annoyed you. Believe me that was not my intention, to annoy anyone when I posted this little joke. I don't come to this forum to annoy anyone when I have a wife at home to annoy.I posted this joke because the subject of unions was brought up in another thread.

I won't lie, I admit that I am not a big fan of most unions. I am fully aware that some unions are vital to the American economy & am aware of why there are unions. But my experience with unions is not good.

As I mentioned in that other thread, I was a medicaid case worker when I graduated from college. I was put into a unit with other recent college graduates. Our job was to clean up the enormous back log of unfinished cases. In order to have this job I had to belong to the union. A few weeks into the job my unit was paid a visit by the union rep. who told us to slow down our production because we were making the veterans look bad. I then decided to look for another job, in the private sector. Since I didn't have enough experience I had difficulty finding another job, so I had to stay. About a year later I applied for a case supervisor job. My competition was a 20 year vet. Even though my work was much superior to the vet's I lost out on that position because he had seniority.

Years later when I was an insurance broker, I wrote alot of insurance for general contractors in the building trade. As I'm sure you are aware of, the NYC construction business is heavily unionized. You couldn't work in that field unless you were a member of one of the unions. I was told by GC's about phantom jobs. As long as the union rep. got a kick back the unions turned there back on such practices.

Now that I live in Az., where practically nothing is unionized, I see a need for a union for school teachers. Teachers are treated very disrespectfully out here. They get paid very little. Maybe that explains why Az. is rated very poorly with educating the kids. A friend was so offended with the salary she was offered as a school teacher that she took a better paying job as a bank teller.

My point to this is that in some instances unions are not necessary & in other situations I feel that unions are warranted. So my support of unions depends on the circumstances. I also believe that a person should get paid based on production & not seniority. BTW, for the record I am neither a democrat or a republican. I am registered as an independent. I probably agree more with democratic issues than the issues that republicans push. However as long as we have this terrorism problem, I will vote for the republican candidate. I don't think the democrats have a clue on this issue. 9/11 changed my thinking.

I apoligize if I offended you with this little joke.

Be well.

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

AR182,

Have you ever bumpeed into JENNA JAMESON in Scottsdale? She lives in that city of yours? do you know where she lives?

LUCKY BASTARD:thefinger

 

[AR182]

Time,

I'm a lucky bastard only if I run into her, without my wife!

I'd be surprised if you knew this but if you have an idea where she lives or where she hangs out, I'd try to get her autogragh for you.

 

[fatdaddycool]

In all honesty AR182 I didn't think you meant to offend and really didn't take any but found it a good place to jump on my soapbox. I am very active in my union and have held an elected position for about 13 years in the local.
It used to be that unions could maintain somewhat of a check on large business, corporate America. Unfortunately, because of labor union busting tactics demonstrated at Caterpillar, Eastern Airlines, Continental, etc.. the higher echelon employee that is non unionized have been receiving pay raises that far exceed the average union employee. For instance, C.E.O.'s make an average of 411 times the yearly wage than their average employee. If minimum wage was increased the last ten years, at the same rate that the top one percent in big business salaries have, it would be about 24.61 per hour. My point is this unions are losing membership and therefore money and influence in the government houses. Companies such as United and American, Burlington Northern, etc.....have made money hand over fist for the last ten years. Record profits, they have suffered for the last year and a half and already the company claims it is wage related, that is causing them to go into the tank. Give me a break. Do you honestly think that United is going broke because of lack of passengers or 9/11 then why is JetBlue and Southwest making money? United has bad contracts with fuel agents aircraft leases, etc.. as do all airlines except those that have more recently been able to negotiate better prices because of the state of the economy. So the large corporation that will spend MILLIONS in political contributions will simply out distance the unions financially and will win favorable votes that will allow them to operate under chapter 11 and renegotiate or simply lose its bad debt. Just because the media reports it doesn't mean it is the entire truth. Why would the government subsidize such a huge corporation and basically cut the competition at the knees? Don't you think that will drive other airlines to follow in their footsteps? And who will take the hit? The 3 mill a year man or the union guy? And guess what That never gets reported in the media, they never interview the poor bastard making $40,000 a year when he gets the gate do they? But the Enron guys go home to their houses. Yea unions suck alright. People need to wake up before the economy is unfixable.

 

[AR182]

FDC,


I am not familar with the issues of your union, but I couldn't agree with you more about the mismanagement of some of the airline companies. I am very anti airline. I think they get away with murder. They're constantly asking for bailouts. I am not aware of other companies being rewarded with bailouts for running their company into the ground. These airline companies had problems before 9/11. Some of these CEO's have to be watched like thieves because if they could they would steal their companies blind. And some have.

If unions are losing membership, then where are the workers going?

 

[ctownguy]

I guess everyone has their own opinion or story as it has affected them personally.

Well, I have a story, actually a couple stories as my Dad, may he RIP, was a union man for 49 years.

But what did it for me on being anti union, happened in Las Vegas about 20 years ago. I owned a couple sandwich shops in plazas with Grocery stores. The Grocery store clerks, meat cutters, etc union went on strike and started picketing the stores, except they picketed the entrances to the plaza, not in front of the store and thus blocking the entrances so people could not get in, causing an accident in one instance and some real other close calls.

To make a long story short, I had 2 run ins with the leaders of the union in my shop and one with the president of the union over the phone as I went to the police and courts to get them from blocking the entrance to the whole plaza, jeapordizing over 39 businesses.

Well, trying to get to the point, I was threatened, tires slashed and implored to not go along with a court ordered action to move the pickets back to the entrance of the store.

The committee came to my store and tried to "reason with me" about what the union is all about, it's the American way. It's good for what they were trying to do for their members, yadda yadda, alot of the same things I read in FDC post.

The fact that I would go out of business, becasue my customers and all the others couldn't get to us was irrelevent, I was supposed to sacrfice, just like the union workers, WHAT THE F**K IS THAT I'M SUPPOSE TO LOSE MY BUSINESS FOR THE GOOD OF THIS FUC***G UNION, which will not benefit me one bit when the strike was over.

The topper was when the pres of the union calls me and starts handing me the same crap over the phone on how I should get with the program, the call ended up with each of us calling each other every name in the book laced with obscenities. The next day my tires were slashed, I guess I should be grateful that's all that got slashed.

I'll grant them one thing, they take care of their own, but they don't care who else they hurt in doing it, what property they destroy and all in the name of their union, which is usually run by a bunch of thugs.

Unions ARE NOT THE AMERICAN WAY! Trying to get their way thru violence and intimidation, I could relate a couple other run ins with the union, one of which AR182 hit on, making sure their workers are taken care by not over exerting themselves on the job, just do enough and maybe not even that and then getting them top pay for it whether the job calls for it or not.

Unions might have been needed 60-70 years ago, but they are the blight on this countries economy now and it only will get worse.

UNIONS SUCK IMO

 

[ferdville]

With the changes that came with the Industrial Revolution, etc., the balance was tipped 100% in favor of the factory owner. There was a definite need to fight for reasonable rights for workers. But unions have outlived their usefulness in most cases. In my opinion, unions exist now only to ensure jobs for union members that in turn will perpetuate the unions through their dues paying. When was the last time a union attempted to keep the interests of the business itself in mind? A good example is the dockworkers strike that recently ended. These largely uneducated dockworkers made anywhere from $80,000 to $160,000 per year. In many instances, the union agreement called for them to work 4 hour shifts, but get paid for 8 hours. The strike was basically about the company's right to use technology in an effort to streamline business. Dockworkers did all their paperwork with pen and pencil. The company wanted to use modern technology - the computer. dockeworkers union demanded that all computer operators would be union and that no current union member would be laid off because of this. Prime example of the union working only for the benefit of the worker and subsequent enrichment of their own coffers. Who cares if the company cannot operate efficiently and more profitably? The decline of unions in the United States is simple enough to understand. First, it seems as though many union leaders spend more time in jail than on the job, having absconded with the funds of their members. Secondly, strict union regulations are closing down businesses. This is not an indictment of all unions in general, it just seems that the balance has now tipped in favor of the workers nearly 100%. By the way, neither you or I could get a job on the docks. Those jobs are reserved, by union regulation, for relatives of current dockworkers. My only problem is that I don't believe that the idea of a union is wrong - but the intention have been turned 180 degrees.

 

[fatdaddycool]

AR182,
membership is dwindling due to union busting was my point, sorry if I misled.

All others,
you have only a one sided view of unions and there leadership. You have made my point exactly, ctownguy, your knowledge of the strike and the sides they are taking withthe dock workers I am guessing came straight from the news and newspaper right? Did you speak to the leadership of both sides? What about when the USA today designed and carried out a plan to bust their printers union? Do you realize that that is a scab newspaper? their employees crossed picket lines. Also Collective bargaining agreements are signed by both sides of the house and trust me the company is making plenty of money to pay the wages they agree upon. I will have more time later and will continue this then, I have to go to work.

 

[dawgball]

For the most part, Unions are a bad thing...period. If you believe anything differently you are PROBABLY, not definitely either benefiting from the union or have been brainwashed in thinking that a good business owner will do anything to make money. This is the way my father feels about it, and it is because he has been brainwashed by the Union for 20 years.

He comes home complaining about a man (who happens to be black--only pointing this out because it does pertain to the story) that literally does about 40% of what the other workers do. The reason why he can do this is becuase he knows if the Union isn't a big enough shield then the NAACP will pick up the slack. I look at the two organizations exactly the same way. The only difference is there are still instances where the NAACP is needed. They abuse their power as well, but at least in some cases there is a need for it. There, IMO, is no need for Unions in today's economy.

The reason why American car companies are hurting compared to foreign makers is because of UNIONS! Yes, I understand that foreign makers manufacture a large majority of their cars here. This proves that it's not the WORKERS that can't do the job, it's the UNIONS that are holding them back--not pushing them forward.

If you believe in a Unions, you need to open your eyes to reality. I don't mean to offend anyone with these statements adn I apologize if I do, but sometimes the truth hurts. Do these statements mean that I think you are a bad worker. Not at all. I know my father goes to work every day and puts his best foot forward for his company. But listening to him talk about the subject makes me realize he is simply mis-informed or has the wrong perception of waht is going on.

FDC--I do apologize about these comments, but I probably feel as strongly the other way as you do for your Union. AR made a very good point in that we do not know the inner-workings of yoru particular union. It may one of the clean ones,and if so congrats on helping it be that way.

 

[ctownguy]

Fatdaddy, better reread my post, never mentioned dock workers, just related a personal situation that happened to me concerning one of the unions in Las Vegas.

Dawgball, you are exctly right, my Dad was same way, wouldn't listen to anything but his union.

 

[AR182]

Ctownguy,

Just read your story & the only thing I can say is unbelievable. Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Nobody should interfere with someone else's livlihood.