Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I can't STAND unions

So between the post below this one regarding the SEIU getting waivers because they can't afford Obamacare, and this article about the decline of the private sector unions (which can only be a good thing) and the growth of the public sector unions (horrible horrible horrible), I figured I'd toss out my personal dealings with unions and why I think they're the sleaziest piles of crap on earth.

Way back when Dave had gotten out of the Army and was living and working in Seattle, Dave worked for the one section of a hospital which hasn't been unionized.  When Dave had his job interview, he asked about wages.  He asked about vacation time.  He asked about sick leave.  In short, Dave asked about all those things that a prospective employee will be compensated with for his hard work.  Dave did not need a union.  And Dave brought enough experience with him to demand a decent starting wage, which Dave got.

Fast forward a couple of years, and a one or two of Dave's fellow employees has decided that he isn't being heard enough, and he wants union representation.  So he calls for a vote to unionize.  Thank god this co-worker was in the minority, because after being forced to sit down and listen to the union reps, this is what Dave learned.

Dave would no longer be able to negotiate his salary, the union would do it.
Dave would no longer be able to negotiate his vacation accrual, the union would do it.
Dave would no longer be able to negotiate his sick leave accrual, the union would do it.
For the privilege of having these rights taken away, Dave would be charged $150 a paycheck, which would go to the local Democrat politicians by way of union bosses.

Now here's the kicker - when Dave compared his wages, vacation and sick leave accrual against the other employees who were part of the local SEIU, Dave had better wages, more vacation accrual, and more sick leave accrual.  So the union was incapable of negotiating as well as Dave could with the Hospital administration, but wanted $300 a month for the pleasure of fucking Dave over at the bargaining table.

Everywhere I see a union, I see problems.  The unions protect more negligent and lazy employees than I can shake a stick at, and it costs the businesses who employ them day after day after day.  When a room-mate of mine waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in Kansas joined the local carpenter's union, he was amazed at how many union members showed up and smoked pot, then just hung out at the job site all day.  "We can't fire them, Dave.  They're union.  But they're too stoned to work, so they just hang out all day because we can't trust them with a hammer and nail."  Un-fucking-believeable.  When I visit Boston, and I see two telephone poles planted right next to each other, each of them carrying half what it should because the UNIONS won't allow so-and-so to hang their lines without such-and-such hanging their lines first, and so it takes an entire fucking YEAR to replace one aging telephone pole....

We need to call unions what they are - corrupt organizations who's sole focus in this day and age is to funnel obscene amounts of money into the Democrat American Communist Party's pockets.  They may have had a purpose once.  Hell, there may be a few out there who still DO have a purpose.  But if the majority of unions ceased to exist by the end of today, we would simply have less money in politician's hands and a more competitive work environment.  That's it.

You couldn't pay me to join a union.

1 comment:

Adrienne said...

When I worked for Costco (very high paying jobs) ever so often the union would come sniffing around. They were laughed off the property by the employees who knew they had a good deal.

On the other hand, Costco proves that you can pay very good wages and benefits and still make a profit (all the while treating their employees with respect.)