Would you cross a picket line?

[Mrs.Toad]

you can take politics and religion away but the folks on the DIS never change. All I see on this thread is sour grapes.

That's funny, because to me, the most sour posts are coming from the pro-union side.

Read through "most" of these posts. It's a simple case of "If I don't have it, why should you?!" Sad!!!

Not really. It's a personal responsibility thing. I feel that each person should be responsible for choosing the job he/she wants, negotiating the salary and benefits, and if the company doesn't offer what a person wants, they should look elsewhere. If they don't have skills for other jobs, they should obtain them. It's that simple.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Would NEVER cross a picket line, never.

 

[Christopher Robin]

When I was on school board, the teachers' struck, and actually PICKETTED MY HOUSE while I was at work. One neighbor asked them if they realized that they were pickiting my wife and son (the only ones at home) and told them I was at work. They asked him where I worked, and my neighbor laughed at them and walked away. Another nieghbor came down and told them if they set one foot on his property, he would call the police. My wife took pictures. The picketers were pathetic.

So, yes, not only would I cross a picket line, I have, and I would go out of my way to do so again.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

I would definitely cross a picket line, but then, I'm not in a union and no one in my family has ever been in one either. I have no loyalty to the concept of a union and I personally think that unions have served their purpose but are becoming obselete. I also think that unions have placed a significant drag on cost control and profits for most American manufacturing companies, which is why they've moved overseas. Not looking to start a fight, that's just my opinion.

I've represented companies in negotiations with their unions, and I've actually represented a union national in other work. The people at that union's national HQ are really nice and I've enjoyed working with them. Still, I don't know that what they do is really essential anymore. But again, that comes from the perspective of someone who has never benefited personally from the positives of a union.

With the destruction of the middle class that has been going on, unions are not obsolete and more important than ever. I can tell you personally what my company has done to me (non-union) and its not pretty lol. You have much more safety and job security. You can voice your concerns w/o retaliation, something that you cannot do at my company. Most of my family are union and my father rallied in Washington for his union workers bf he retired. Wo a union you are at the mercy of whatever your company wants to do, etc. Many companies try to break unions tho at least in our experience, they are absolutely not obsolete. Some unions are better than others. Union jobs where I live are precious and many are offered non-union including my husband who wouldn't dream of leaving his union job.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I would not cross a picket line.

That being said, I did once cross a protest line. It was at college and they were out in front of our student union. I don't think I offended them by passing through to get lunch.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Oh, hell yes.

If you don't like your j-o-b, go get one you do like and let someone who wants it have yours. There is no way in hell that I'm going to alter my life because you're having temper tantrums, you big babies. Go on strike. Stay on strike until you die for all I care. Ugh.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Uh, maybe because the COMPANY is paying his salary so he can survive and feed his family?

Are the unionized employees worried about the company or other employees or only about themselves? ESPECIALLY in this economy?

I started my career working for Western Electric and was forced to join their union (I later moved into management). I know all about unions and in my opinion they have done more harm than good. The worst thing they do is protect bad workers.

All you have to do is look at the automotive industry to see the harm unions do in the long run.

Capitalism at its worse and greed destroyed the automotive industry from ther higher ups, not the poor union workers. The same thing that caused our other probs. Please.

 

[JPN4265]

If I needed the job, absolutely.

 

[hornedfrog]

No one is asking for more but only to keep what we have.

Isn't the union asking for more in regards to these 'safety' issues?

 

[ols386]

Capitalism at its worse and greed destroyed the automotive industry from ther higher ups, not the poor union workers. The same thing that caused our other probs. Please.

I think the higher-ups and the union BOTH played their own parts.

 

[jordansmomma]

I am a union worker, not by choice, but because the company I work for has been union forever.
I am on the fence about this. Depending on the situtation I wouldn't cross the picket line. But on a level that I am a single parent with 2 kids, I need the money. Even if I didn't agree with the offer on the table, I still need to feed my kids, keep a roof over their head & pay the bills. I don't think my landlord would be ok with not getting my rent money because I am on strike.

Union employees don't pay anything at all monthly for healthcare. Period. Right now they only pay doctor co-pays. Everything else is covered 100%.

I am a union worker, I have to pay for my own healthcare.

 

[disneystacy]

I am a union worker, I have to pay for my own healthcare.[/QUOTE]


AT&T union workers only have to pay for co-pays, not all unions work the same or offer the same.

 

[S. C.]

Oh, hell yes.

If you don't like your j-o-b, go get one you do like and let someone who wants it have yours. There is no way in hell that I'm going to alter my life because you're having temper tantrums, you big babies. Go on strike. Stay on strike until you die for all I care. Ugh.

I detest unions??? Whether you accept this fact or not everything in your life at one time or another has been touched by a union worker. Order something on EBAY. Buy some gas. It hasn't even been a hundred years since we had kids working in factories. Who stood up? Unions. Do you like a 40 hr work week paid vacation and days off. Do you like to be treated fairly at your place of employment and not being sent home for the way you look. Unions gave workers a voice in the work place without fear of retaliation.

We detest teachers, nurses, postal workers, UPS, electricians, plumbers, people building planes and ships and submarines for our kids to fight our wars with. What is with the hatred of unions? They have their issues just like any other organization but they do try to keep equality in the work place. Police officers and Firemen are union too.

Truth be told large corporations like unions for 2 reasons. Fixed costs for the duration of the contract and unions can mobilize politicians when legislation needs to go a certain way. Large corporations use its union members to call and write legislatures to pressure them into voting certain ways. Unions have very good organizing lists and very good ways to mobilize and get information out quickly. My company and its union members have partnered in many legislative issues. There are also work rules which create order and also gives management ways to begin termination.

Are there really people out there who are unaware that medical insurance premiums have skyrocketed and just about every employee in America has had to kick in more of their money to stay insured? I guess so.

Nothing is happening to AT&T employee benefits that hasn't happened to me and everyone else I know. A company will not stay profitable if they let their expenses rise out of control. Everyone agrees it stinks, but until we change the way we handle health insurance and medical care in the country, we are stuck with it.

Then let the cuts happen across the board! Most of the time the CEO's of the companies still get their raises, millions in bonuses, free trips and cars while it is the worker that takes the cuts. These people took concessions years back which helped the company to be profitable today.

 

[ntsammy5]

I have in the past - I had no choice though, I didn't belong to the union - if I didn't cross I would have been fired.

 

[Lib E]

Then let the cuts happen across the board! Most of the time the CEO's of the companies still get their raises, millions in bonuses, free trips and cars while it is the worker that takes the cuts. These people took concessions years back which helped the company to be profitable today.

Actually, executive compensation dropped 5% in 2008. The first drop in 5 years.

 

[druidia]

Yes, I have crossed the line to go to work and I would do it again. DH and I both worked for UPS during the big strike in 1997? 98? Can't remember now.

I was in college, it was nothing but a part time job to me, and I came to work to work, not support the union fat cats who never did anything for me or my co-workers.

During the strike the union stewards were standing on the side of the entrance to the customer counter throwing things at the customer cars and spitting and cursing at them. It was disgusting and shameful.

If I ever had any interest in being a union loyalist, seeing their behavior took care of that. Pathetic.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I've crossed both the actor's strike picket lines and the more recent writer's strike picket lines. I'd do it again in the future.

I have to as I'm not in the union and I'd lose my job.



I personally think that unions did this country a great service in the history of the worker.

But, in my industry, I think they are now doing more harm than good. Workers don't need the protection they needed decades and decades ago. And frankly, there has been a recent change in my industry that has actually HARMED the worker that the unions agreed to do but I won't write it here as it it very detailed, boring, and job-specific.

 

[birdiesunshine]

http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/annual_report/proxy_statement_09.pdf

The above is a link to the at7t proxy statement.

If you want to see a real life example of where your money goes when you pay your AT&T bill use the link and read page 10 of the original document and page 16 of adode file where it tells you what AT&T did for its paid executives.

Not union propaganda it is from the at&t proxy statement.

So its the union workers who are greedy?????????????

To the comment about wanting more safety as in 2 man areas and man hole coverage the answer is we want the same. We had 2 people and they took it away so we would like it back so we can return home from work safely to be with our families.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

To me it is not about we odn't have it so why should you mentality. To me it is about treating all fairly. We have examples on this trhead which you have blatantly ignored of how the union's healthcare policies have completely screwed the non union employees of the same company. I would love for everyone to have free health care (minus copays) but that simply isn't realisitc in today's economy.

The long and the short of it is that we are in a recession. That free health care is going to cost the company a lot in the coming years as their profit base dwindles. They can either help to offset those costs by asking you to start paying premiums now, they can further make health care unaffordable for those who are not union, they can pass on the added cost to customers who are already hurting and risk losing more customers as they seek cheaper service elsewhere, or they can start laying off people when they begin to lose money.

I would much rather the company take a proactive step now than result to more drastic measures. The health care you enjoy is coming at the expense of other employees and that is flat out wrong. The health care you enjoy has the potential to put your company in dire financial straits. Wouldn't you rather have a job where you have to pay premiums (like most of the world) or not have a job at all and therefore have no healthcare. A company does not continue to exist if they do not change with the times. Just because they made a profit last year does not mean they can go on their merry way and think the recession won't affect them.

 

[birdiesunshine]

To me it is not about we odn't have it so why should you mentality. To me it is about treating all fairly. We have examples on this trhead which you have blatantly ignored of how the union's healthcare policies have completely screwed the non union employees of the same company. I would love for everyone to have free health care (minus copays) but that simply isn't realisitc in today's economy.

The long and the short of it is that we are in a recession. That free health care is going to cost the company a lot in the coming years as their profit base dwindles. They can either help to offset those costs by asking you to start paying premiums now, they can further make health care unaffordable for those who are not union, they can pass on the added cost to customers who are already hurting and risk losing more customers as they seek cheaper service elsewhere, or they can start laying off people when they begin to lose money.

I would much rather the company take a proactive step now than result to more drastic measures. The health care you enjoy is coming at the expense of other employees and that is flat out wrong. The health care you enjoy has the potential to put your company in dire financial straits. Wouldn't you rather have a job where you have to pay premiums (like most of the world) or not have a job at all and therefore have no healthcare. A company does not continue to exist if they do not change with the times. Just because they made a profit last year does not mean they can go on their merry way and think the recession won't affect them.

You make some very great points. It is unfair that some management employees pay so much for their benefits but you can bet they are fighting for us to keep our level of benefits or else the company will ask them to dig even deeper.

Factually it is proven that public utilities do better in a recession than in a good economy. People stay home using more phone, tv and electricity instead of vacationing and going out to dinner.

Public Utilities were in trouble when everyone wss making money in the dot com era. Thats why we now only have 3 major telephone companies now because the smaller ones got gobbled up because they weren't doing well. Verizon , SBC now AT&T , and Qwest are really the 3 major players.

I think that this company is cetainly not in financial trouble and I believe that although healthcare costs have sky rocketed the amount of employees being covered has diminished due to people being laid off, retirees dying, people quiting or being fired and the fact that there has been a hiring freeze. They only have been hiring Prem Techs to install there new Uverse Tv product by the way has over 1,000,000 customers. The average customer has 3 set top boxes at a rental fee of 7 dollars a month. That is 21,000,000 dollars in set top box rental a month. Boxes just sitting on top of a customers TV.263,000,000 dollars a year.

If AT&T would support healthcare reform maybe this problem could be resolved. Why if healthcare is such a burden on AT&T why are they not supporting this legislation. Lastly they say the cable companies can under cut their pricing because Comcast, Charter, Cablevision use non-union employees. Why isn't AT&T supporting the Free Choice Act where it makes it easier for workers to organize their workplace. If the cable companies became unionized AT&T wouldn't have to slash their prices to be competitive.

Makes me wonder what the real issues of not giving the union workers healthcare is.

It certainly isn't about the money.