Posted on 09/11/2011 5:12:05 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
This summer, something remarkable happened: 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike, and no one — save a few customers dealing with service interruptions — much cared.
The communications behemoth wanted more than 100 concessions on health care, pensions, sick days and outsourcing. Unions representing the workers said Verizon sought to void 50 years of collective-bargaining gains for middle-class workers, despite posting a 2.8% jump in revenue in the second quarter, up to $27.5 billion.
Thirteen days later, those on strike went back to work on good faith, the company guaranteeing nothing other than continued talks.
It’s an indictment of how anemic the labor movement in America has become, how irrelevant to the average worker that, even in this ever-contracting economy, the lower and middle classes couldn’t be agitated to care.
And why should they? Private-sector unions in the US are nearly extinct, having long ago abandoned an unwinnable fight against big business. Meanwhile, public-sector unions are thriving by comparison, even though public opinion has been on the decline since the rise of unions in the 1930s, when 72% of Americans had a favorable view of them.....
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Public sector unions simply rape the people of every town, county and state to pay for exorbitant benefits and monstrous pensions.
“Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.”
OMG - I could only get through about a page and a half. This is written from the point of view that unions are great and only the increased meanness of the private sector and a few strategic miscalculations on the part of union leadership are the reasons unions are in trouble.
The give away phrase is “public sector unions, who are subsidized IN PART by taxpayers...” Huh? In part? Which part is not?
Maybe it got better at the end, but I was feeling queasy.
New York is New York.
Maybe people viscerally figured out what academic studies have now shown-- that union and union-promoting government policies had a hand in causing and prolonging the depression. Like the Solyndra debacle now, where "3000 union construction workers working two shifts/ day 6 days a week" undoubtedly chewed through a large part of the $500m that Obama advanced to a company that never made a dime.
That day is almost over. Like McMansions, Hummers, No Doc Refis and going out to eat, we can’t afford that anymore.
You are right, but normally the Post is better than this. Of course, normally they have short editorials too. This one was plain strange.
The communications behemoth wanted more than 100 concessions on health care, pensions, sick days and outsourcing. Unions representing the workers said Verizon sought to void 50 years of collective-bargaining gains for middle-class workers, despite posting a 2.8% jump in revenue in the second quarter, up to $27.5 billion. Thirteen days later, those on strike went back to work on good faith, the company guaranteeing nothing other than continued talks.It's a strange bedfellows phenomenon -- the left wing began as vociferously pro-union and pro-organizing (and pro-strike, pro-violence); but there's no room in the single party state for powerful entities which are not controlled by the single party, so independent unions had to be completely dominated. That didn't work -- unions acted on behalf of members (often a.k.a. member greed).
What’s interesting is that when you talk to people from NY, not Manhattan, a good number of them all say they vote republican and they’re conservative. But almost all are connected to a union of some sort or have a family member that is. So, no matter where they may stand on certain issues, a very large majority have a stake in the unions presence.
Public Sector Unions are the ones that most need to be sharply curbed. They are sucking the life out of Cities, States and the Country. Other than the members themselves few would care.
The cemeteries of the world are filled with indispensable people.
In this world, if you don’t like your job someone will step up and take it.
Even the Department of State, 15,000 employees authorized strength by Congress, has a Union to fight for employee benefits. Last few years they fought to get the Washington DC Locality Pay for employees living overseas, drawing their Cost of Living Allowances, Hardship and Differential payments (if authorized). So while working in Brazil with 50% COLA (formula benefit and not acutal percentage of pay) and 10% Differential (due to crime which is straight 10%), and approximatley 15% of the 26% Washington Locality pay. Personally, I urged the Union against this bargining but they prevailed - yes, I am better paid but the Foreign Service already gave me types of pay to offset my hardships or due to the weak dollar (abit not actually enough), it helped. Sometimes the Union will helps individuals with Grivances which is what I think their actual role should be - e.g., somewhere inbetween EEO and Inspector General for helping employess who have bad coworkers or managers/supervisors. The US Government already has a pretty good set of incentives for all employees.
Verizon upper management are now taking steps to ensure they are not put in this situation again.
For one thing, many of the lower level managers are receiving refresher training on things like fiber so that next time the workers go on strike, managers will be able to handle most of the service tickets. They are also investing heavily in security, such as surveillance cameras at fiber facilities so that it is more likely that saboteurs will be caught red-handed. Many of the striking workers who misbehaved during the past strike have already been fired and Verizon is taking a zero tolerance policy on this matter.
Long term, it appears that Verizon is taking steps internally to make these union workers non-essential so next time they go on strike, Verizon might not be as inclined to take them back. Most Verizon managers are working overtime to clear up the open tickets (from the strike) and train themselves to do the job so they can train new workers themselves should it come down to it.
I say good riddance to these union thugs.
It is the Public Employee Unions who have generated the negative Public Opinion.
Obama’s Storm Troopers have not helped the Public’s Opinions of the Master Community Organizer.
Really? Someone tell that to the Free Traitor battalion that lurks on FR that the war on Union-ism is over. Oh yeah, I forgot about over regulation, one red herring left for the Free Trade crowd to wave in our face.
It’s also written from the viewpoint of a 5th grader who is, at best, a C student.
Sounds about right: liberalism is childishness and mediocrity if nothing else....
” was flourishing in the public sector largely due to labor powerhouses such as the AFL-CIO and the UAW”
At least it’s truthful , identifying United Auto Workers as “public sector.” I’m not sure whether that’s “/sarc” or not.
A 24% drop over 80 years is ‘so sharply’?
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