Now there is a good question. Do union workers actually provide good service?<\/p>\n
Generally, IMHO, no.<\/p>\n
Now you are asking, “Why are you about to bring the wrath of the SEIU down on your head?”Simple really. I’ve been watching a union crew install a new retaining wall where I work. The wall is about 250 feet long and made out of concrete. They started working on it last November. They finally installed the decorative wrought iron fencing along the top this week.<\/p>\n
From what I could tell, at best this job shouldn’t have taken more then 2-3 weeks including all the preparation work they had to do. It took this bunch almost 3 MONTHS to get the job done, and they still aren’t quite finished.<\/p>\n
About the only time I saw these guys actually move was one they were pouring the concrete, and realistically they didn’t have much choice. Most of the time, it was three or four guys using shovels to hold the ground down while one guy was actually doing anything productive.<\/p>\n
My brother in-law had to deal with a union once at a previous job. He was under a deadline and the union clowns were on their 45 minute out of every hour cigarette break. He got fed up and started doing the wiring work that should have been completed several days earlier.<\/p>\n
He was just finishing up when the shop steward came in and started tearing into my BIL. My BIL wasn’t having any of that and opened fire, verbally, on the shop steward.\u00a0 Apparently the Union guy thought my brother in-law was one of his union workers and was going to rip him a new one for working during the contractually mandated break.<\/p>\n
Boy did that useless Union drone pick on the wrong guy! My BIL told him in no uncertain terms that he was not part of the crew, didn’t, never had, and never would belong to any union, and that the job was supposed to have been finished a week earlier and that if the union foreman didn’t like it, then my BIL would bring it up to his bosses.<\/p>\n
He then mentioned that he worked for a law firm and the lawyers loved to sue and since this crew was behind their contractual agreements, they were looking at owing the firm a whole lot of money.<\/p>\n
He later told me the Shop Steward turned white as a sheet and abjectly apologized for the misunderstanding. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n
I could go on about the teachers unions and other public sector unions, or I could talk about the UAW which has all but gutted the American Car industry, but what’s the point? We’re all buying Toyota’s, Honda’s and the occasional Ford. (They didn’t take the government money<\/em>)<\/p>\n So, do I think unions are still a good thing for America. Nope. They’ve long since outlived their usefulness. All the things they fought for 100 years ago have been codified into law for decades. Now all they do is loot their membership the companies that are forced to deal with them in the private sector and the taxpayers.<\/p>\n Should they be outlawed? No, if workers want to be in one, then fine. On the other hand if some workers don’t want to belong to one, then they shouldn’t be forced to. I would just take away all their special privileges and make them compete with nonunion shops. (When they are forced to, they usually lose<\/em>)<\/p>\n As to the union local working on the retaining wall, I won’t bother naming them, since I can’t be bothered to read their propaganda sign on the fence.<\/p>\n Tell us what you think. You can comment, (Registration required), or just vote in my little poll.<\/p>\n ~The Angry Webmaster~<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Addendum:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I forgot the poll. Sorry, long day doing actual work don’t you know.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n