The GOOD Of The Unions!

[MI-Lineman]

At Greg's request (cause he's so deserving of such requests?) I have started a thread on "The benefits for me and America" from Unions....

First off for me personally I started out of high school trimmin trees for Asplundh non-union. I made my way up to A-foreman at around I think $12.70 an hour! I joined LU 17 in Detroit and my wage jumped to almost $20.00 an hour. I had a truck when I was non-union that had no heat and failed an inspection cause the mechanic noted half the pins and bearings were beyond their tolerances! Guess what! I either used it or went down the road! My journeyman and I froze our @sses off in that old truck one winter and finally I was able to go home WITHOUT PAY when the outside temp was near 15 below! Actually we just went back to the show up and left! the next day I returned to have my @ss chewed for leaving so I when I thought the GF was done I asked him if he was and he said yes and I replied so am I and I threw the keys in his drivers window and went to 17! Man did he cry like a little b!tch after that!

OK! That's my abbreviated 4-5 yrs with non-union outfits such as Asplundh, Nelson, etc. I worked for a few others and more examples of poor treatment were no bennies, being sent home without pay cause the GF lost my truck keys, workin 8 hrs Saturday only to find out pay day the following week they considered that voluntary so only straight time, no formal training, no vacation, poor equipment, no sick time, no damn raise for years at a time (and today a trimmer in that same position near where I was only makes about $2 more an hour, 15 OR SO YEARS LATER!!!!), no formal system for promotions or grantin days off (in other words seniority), AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...NO ONE TO FILE A GRIEVANCE WITH ABOUT ANY OF THIS!!! IN OTHER WORDS NO VOICE!!!

WHEW! That's not even all of it but I'll save some!

NOW THE UNION LIFE! I quickly learned I have rights and a voice to express them with! In other words Greg I wouldn't have to quit a company and leave state just cause they wanna discipline me for some ignorant safety rule you know like what happened to you! My pay increased considerably (I know your reasoning for the down fall of our great nation right!), received bennies, a retirement, training, proper equipment, sick time like now....I cut my left thumb tendon 3 or 4 weeks ago and I get sick time for it! Yeah I know you probably don't like that one either..SHOULD'VE STUCK WITH THEM HUH!!! Also I get vacation, holidays, and personal time off. Plus I get to take part in searchin for a diagnosis for my sons illness but not all of that is paid. The important part is because I'm under a collective bargaining unite I can not be terminated or harassed because of it!! I know, FMLA will protect me right? Yeah right that works real well in an "At Will" state! Do you know what that means Greggo..."At Will"? Means an employer can just conger up some nonsense to fire an employee they don't like for almost any reason!

You still with me Greg? Usually you don't make it past the first line or two! Come on now I read your sh!t! You wanted this!!!

Now, here's some good qualities instilled in me by the Union...I was taught you followed the rules the Union AND the company established not only for the Union but also the company cause after all we know you need the company too!! Yep that's right Greg....The Union taught me that! Go figure huh? I was told to bust my @ss cause there's a line of hundreds back at the Hall waitin for their turn! Also, I was taught to help out those in jobs that were not Union like waitresses and service companies! "That women makes less than minimum wage so you better tip her right!" That's what a crew leader yelled at me when I tried leavin a 20% tip about 10 years ago! Gish! He must tip at 50% now!

Now if that's what they teach all members then there's one reason they benefit America!

Well I have more like the charities we donate too or the needy (which of course is more and more now!) we help each year (not all Union either Greggy!) but I gotta leave somethin for the others to type!

But hey Greg! In these bad times when some non-union folk can't find a job I'm still workin because of my Union and we did take major concessions in our recent contract so hopefully we will hire some new people! Just doin our part!

Now go a head Greg...Chop away!!!

[MI-Lineman]

Naw...I ain't gonna "chop" Mike. Will ask ya this though....


And...you Joined LU 17... and your wages jumped to "almost"$20.00 an hour! As a "Tree Trimmer" in LU 17?

Were you "trimmin Trees" for that "A-Foreman job"...or were you workin in the LINEWORK section of Asplundh? AND...your $12.70 an hour...is complete Horseshit. You ain't that old kid. Pike hired Grunts for that in 98.

Where'd ya get your "Linework" "Training"??? Did ya do "Union School" or somethin? What makes YOU a better Lineman...than me?

Hey dip sh!t if ya don't believe me call Davey up here and ask'em how much their A-foreman makes!! Simple thing! It'll be around $14 somethin an hour so you can believe in 94 or 5 it was what I said!! I'll even get the number when ever I get back to work! Actually a journeyman tree trimmer at 17 when I left in 97 was $18.50 an hour! That I remember. Plus I never did Line work for Asplundh only trees!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST O'INSECURE AND UNSURE GREGGO I NEVER SAID I WAS BETTER THAN ANY ONE! JUST THAT YOU DON'T SEEM AS SMART AS YOU IMPLY!! Remember the 120/208 question Danny posted where I said I got part of it wrong and you chimed in and again planted your foot square in your pie hole? I said that cause someone MISUNDERSTOOD my response and thought I was wrong but take a closer look at what I said and the drawing Dallas posted and they're the same SMART GUY!!! AND HE GOT IT RIGHT!! But I didn't see the need in throwin it in your face cause I'm not so damn insecure like you are and I know what I know and what I can do!! To bad your "40 years" didn't catch it? But you just keep tryin to change the subject into the Union/non-Union argument!! No one can see threw your smoke screen! Nope no one!

BTW to answer your last question I went through ALBAT in Ohio at an old Air Force base then a 24 hour commercial airport! Class from 8am till 9,10, or even 11 at night for 3 weeks with out pay in damn run down barracks with no heat! BEST DAMN TRAINING I HAD!!! Did almost 4 yrs in Detroit for an apprenticeship after that!

AND DON'T EVER CALL ME A LIAR!!!!!! YOU WOULDN'T TO MY FACE SO DON'T DO IT NOW!!!

[never_forget_our_brothers]

Pike hired Grunts for that in 98.

HORSESHIT!

I hired on with pike as a green grunt in 98 making $9 an hour with a 7 man linecrew.

pike wouldnt hire green grunts for $12.70 an hour IN THIS DAY AND TIME! You might get $13 if you have CDL's. Another post, another dumbass statement as usual swamp.

[MI-Lineman]

I was gonna say at that wage if I heard about that I might have got sucked in to that outfit as a kid! Thank God I found the Union first!

Make no mistake! I am not sayin Union Lineman are better!!!! Just SOME of the GOOD they've done for me!!!!

[MI-Lineman]

There's really no union/non union argument. If ya want to be union, join the unon. If ya don't? Than there's plenty of good utilities and co-ops that aren't union.

I don't see a damn thing wrong with employees of a company wanting to orgaqnize either. Get the percentage of employees to sign and hold a Secret Ballot vote. Of ALL company employees.

Fair enough! Your opinion and we all have one don't we?

Thanks for your GENUINE input and restraint on the issue! It is much appreciated!!!

[Highplains Drifter]

At Greg's request (cause he's so deserving of such requests?) I have started a thread on "The benefits for me and America" from Unions....

First off for me personally I started out of high school trimmin trees for Asplundh non-union. I made my way up to A-foreman at around I think $12.70 an hour! I joined LU 17 in Detroit and my wage jumped to almost $20.00 an hour. I had a truck when I was non-union that had no heat and failed an inspection cause the mechanic noted half the pins and bearings were beyond their tolerances! Guess what! I either used it or went down the road! My journeyman and I froze our @sses off in that old truck one winter and finally I was able to go home WITHOUT PAY when the outside temp was near 15 below! Actually we just went back to the show up and left! the next day I returned to have my @ss chewed for leaving so I when I thought the GF was done I asked him if he was and he said yes and I replied so am I and I threw the keys in his drivers window and went to 17! Man did he cry like a little b!tch after that!

OK! That's my abbreviated 4-5 yrs with non-union outfits such as Asplundh, Nelson, etc. I worked for a few others and more examples of poor treatment were no bennies, being sent home without pay cause the GF lost my truck keys, workin 8 hrs Saturday only to find out pay day the following week they considered that voluntary so only straight time, no formal training, no vacation, poor equipment, no sick time, no damn raise for years at a time (and today a trimmer in that same position near where I was only makes about $2 more an hour, 15 OR SO YEARS LATER!!!!), no formal system for promotions or grantin days off (in other words seniority), AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...NO ONE TO FILE A GRIEVANCE WITH ABOUT ANY OF THIS!!! IN OTHER WORDS NO VOICE!!!

WHEW! That's not even all of it but I'll save some!

NOW THE UNION LIFE! I quickly learned I have rights and a voice to express them with! In other words Greg I wouldn't have to quit a company and leave state just cause they wanna discipline me for some ignorant safety rule you know like what happened to you! My pay increased considerably (I know your reasoning for the down fall of our great nation right!), received bennies, a retirement, training, proper equipment, sick time like now....I cut my left thumb tendon 3 or 4 weeks ago and I get sick time for it! Yeah I know you probably don't like that one either..SHOULD'VE STUCK WITH THEM HUH!!! Also I get vacation, holidays, and personal time off. Plus I get to take part in searchin for a diagnosis for my sons illness but not all of that is paid. The important part is because I'm under a collective bargaining unite I can not be terminated or harassed because of it!! I know, FMLA will protect me right? Yeah right that works real well in an "At Will" state! Do you know what that means Greggo..."At Will"? Means an employer can just conger up some nonsense to fire an employee they don't like for almost any reason!

You still with me Greg? Usually you don't make it past the first line or two! Come on now I read your sh!t! You wanted this!!!

Now, here's some good qualities instilled in me by the Union...I was taught you followed the rules the Union AND the company established not only for the Union but also the company cause after all we know you need the company too!! Yep that's right Greg....The Union taught me that! Go figure huh? I was told to bust my @ss cause there's a line of hundreds back at the Hall waitin for their turn! Also, I was taught to help out those in jobs that were not Union like waitresses and service companies! "That women makes less than minimum wage so you better tip her right!" That's what a crew leader yelled at me when I tried leavin a 20% tip about 10 years ago! Gish! He must tip at 50% now!

Now if that's what they teach all members then there's one reason they benefit America!

Well I have more like the charities we donate too or the needy (which of course is more and more now!) we help each year (not all Union either Greggy!) but I gotta leave somethin for the others to type!

But hey Greg! In these bad times when some non-union folk can't find a job I'm still workin because of my Union and we did take major concessions in our recent contract so hopefully we will hire some new people! Just doin our part!

Now go a head Greg...Chop away!!!

What a great post, thanks for sharing. I enjoyed this thread.

[Highplains Drifter]

Than there's plenty of good utilities and co-ops that aren't union..

I agree with you with that statement, there are lots of good places to work that treat and give their employees good bennies, but you are making a smoke screen again. You act like you are the Business Agent for Pike on this forum. For someone that is a Line God what are you negotiating for your self that none of the other Pike lineman receive? From what I have comprehended you started out outside Union, went to a non union muni and was in management over seas. So what is your vendetta with construction Union Journeyman? You say you don't like a private vote, what happened did you receive a Black Ball in the Masons?

Of the 66331 posts on this forum 15% are yours and 10% of the 4266 threads you have started. If I had to spend all my time every day doing line work on a key board I wouldn't be braggin how good and enjoyable my retirement was. I really can not tell you to get a life but honestly I don't think you had a life as a lineman.

[scratchpad]

AND...your $12.70 an hour...is complete Horseshit. You ain't that old kid. Pike hired Grunts for that in 98.

haha pike to this day hires green apes out of lineschool and puts them in the primary for $15 an hour. guess what if they're really lucky they'll still be alive after a year and a 50 cent to a dollar raise. facts

[scratchpad]

Well....Know what? "Kid" in California"....with no profile.

I can only speak of the Pike Company I worked for here in Florida, and the wages they payed here in Florida.

I still maintain...they are a Good company to work for. I'd like you to Clarify this if you would please.

"pike to this day hires green apes out of lineschool and puts them in the primary for $15 an hour."

Where is this happening? Like I said....I'm only familiar with Pike, and the workings of Pike in Florida.

What the hell YOU know about Pike...out in Cali? they ain't even out there.

Texas

I know they are the rattiest POS company on the face of the earth. several friends went to work for them, i didnt. thank god they made it back to california and to the ibew. its hard to believe the stories they have. like i said they are lucky to even be alive.

[electriklady]

For the dozenth time........


As The Christian Science Monitor has noted, "The proposed law gives workers a choice of forming a union through majority sign-up ('card check') or an election by secret ballot." Indeed, as The New York Times reported, "Business groups have attacked the legislation because it would take away employers' right to insist on holding a secret-ballot election to determine whether workers favored unionization" [emphasis added]. Employee Free Choice Act supporters say employers often use the election process to delay, obstruct, and intimidate workers in an effort to resist organizing efforts.
Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor and a leading proponent of the Employee Free Choice Act, has addressed the "myth" that the bill eliminates the secret ballot:

MYTH: The Employee Free Choice Act abolishes the National Labor Relations Board's "secret ballot" election process.
FACT: The Employee Free Choice Act does not abolish the National Labor Relations Board election process. That process would still be available under the Employee Free Choice Act. The legislation simply enables workers to also form a union through majority sign-up if a majority prefers that method to the NLRB election process. Under current law, workers may only use the majority sign-up process if their employer agrees. The Employee Free Choice Act would make that choice -- whether to use the NLRB election process or majority sign-up -- a majority choice of the employees, not the employer.


I dont have a problem with it at all! It should be our choice not the employers! When you are union you are used to abiding by what the majority want......and I cant see a lot of brothers and sisters negating the secret ballot unless they feel the company is going to intimidate the employees and start their massive anti union campaigns bringing in the tough guy union busters. I know......you dont believe companies do that...........jackasses have wings and can fly too.....Who the hell do you think spread all the misinfo that EFCA takes away your right to a secret ballot