It is interesting to note that many unions of late seem to be in a destructive mode. In these tough and uncertain financial times, many of them would rather see the companies that employ them go under and everyone lose their job than accept some cuts and save jobs. Isn't the point of the unions to keep the jobs?
The one I absolutely could not fathom was UAW at the end of the year. The government was willing to give money to keep the automakers afloat, but they wanted concessions across the board. Would UAW? No. Wait a second! If the companies don't get the money and go under, doesn't EVERYONE lose their job? That seems quite the opposite of what unions claim to stand for.
I mention this because our own beloved IAM seems to have a history of self-destructive behavior. Red-circled employees, health care, relations with the employees and company are all things that this union has shown they are not capable of handling. A previous employer of mine had been unionized just before I hired on. The relationships between the union, company, salaried and hourly were about a thousand times better than they are here. While no one side particularly liked the other, they at least respected the other's presence. Maybe after so many years here, the IAM has lost sight of that. When you treat a company as an adversary and do not respect their responsibilities, what do you think the company is going to do? The company is going to have disdain for the union.
I still find it odd that the union claims how much they do to promote workplace safety. Oddly enough, most of the "accidents" that I've seen in my work areas are caused by individuals bypassing the safeguards that are in place. It's that complacency that the union seems to have lately. When you get into a rut, things are overlooked. Perhaps it is time to give the union the boot and, once the dust has settled, bring another that would better represent us. The only other alternative would be to completely remove every "elected" union official and replace them with someone new. However, the nepotism that I've seen would not allow that to happen.
This is not said out of anger, but out of disappointment. The union claims to listen to its members, but when those members express their concerns, the union ignores them. When they can no longer support an organization that does not support them, the union ignores them with a vengence. All the while claiming to represent these employees. Well, which is it, IAM933? Are you listening to those you represent? Or are you still being a childish, slow acting, ignorant machine? You can't have it both ways. That is why this petition is going to be filed. One way or another, the union will listen to those it claims to represent. If they won't listen now, they will listen when those petitions come around.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Rumors and Karma
It has been mentioned in passing that the union is trying to stir things up by pointing out misdeeds by non-dues paying employees while not reporting those by dues-paying members. While I have not been told exactly what was said by whom and when it was said, I have a piece of advice:
Those that live in glass houses should not throw stones.
By no means am I saying that employees that do not perform their jobs in a satisfactory manner should be kept on. Quite the contrary. What I am saying is that if this is the work environment the union wishes, then so be it. All of us can start recording every miniscule item of note when someone does something inappropriate and turn it in. We can go around and around and do this all day. And at the end of the day, no one will have a job. Is that what the union would like?
During these times of economic uncertainty, the union raises dues. Instead of "protecting" those it says it represents, it is on a witch hunt to get them fired. Again, I am not in favor of protecting those that break the rules, but the union seems to have a double standard when it comes to the employees it likes, and the ones it doesn't like. I have heard from union members, stewards, and other union elected officials that the union represents all hourly employees whether we like it or not. But their actions do not indicate such. They expect our support, but give no support to the employees that they say they represent.
The fact is, the union is on the brink of decertification. They are here because of their own mismanagement. They continue to blame everyone else for their failures. They have already started to blame us for a bad contract in November. WHAT? They haven't even began negotiations yet and they are admitting failure and placing the blame on someone other than themselves. Is this an organization you want representing you? No number of union pride shirts could replace that. Perhaps that is what all those increased dues are going to.
We do not collect dues because we don't need to. Everything that we do is funded by the employees that are interested in a chance for a better workplace. The working relationship with the company has been fractured for the past several years. We want the opportunity to try something better. That opportunity doesn't take money, just your signature. When the decertification petitions begin, please take a moment and sign it. Talk to the person with the petition if you have any questions. We can't promise what the workplace will be like without the union, but every one of us already knows what it is like with the union.
Those that live in glass houses should not throw stones.
By no means am I saying that employees that do not perform their jobs in a satisfactory manner should be kept on. Quite the contrary. What I am saying is that if this is the work environment the union wishes, then so be it. All of us can start recording every miniscule item of note when someone does something inappropriate and turn it in. We can go around and around and do this all day. And at the end of the day, no one will have a job. Is that what the union would like?
During these times of economic uncertainty, the union raises dues. Instead of "protecting" those it says it represents, it is on a witch hunt to get them fired. Again, I am not in favor of protecting those that break the rules, but the union seems to have a double standard when it comes to the employees it likes, and the ones it doesn't like. I have heard from union members, stewards, and other union elected officials that the union represents all hourly employees whether we like it or not. But their actions do not indicate such. They expect our support, but give no support to the employees that they say they represent.
The fact is, the union is on the brink of decertification. They are here because of their own mismanagement. They continue to blame everyone else for their failures. They have already started to blame us for a bad contract in November. WHAT? They haven't even began negotiations yet and they are admitting failure and placing the blame on someone other than themselves. Is this an organization you want representing you? No number of union pride shirts could replace that. Perhaps that is what all those increased dues are going to.
We do not collect dues because we don't need to. Everything that we do is funded by the employees that are interested in a chance for a better workplace. The working relationship with the company has been fractured for the past several years. We want the opportunity to try something better. That opportunity doesn't take money, just your signature. When the decertification petitions begin, please take a moment and sign it. Talk to the person with the petition if you have any questions. We can't promise what the workplace will be like without the union, but every one of us already knows what it is like with the union.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
A Different Rant
Normally, we like to take a look at the things the union has done that are unfair, immoral, and, at times, illegal. It has been brought to my attention that some may read this to mean that I find the company to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. That is far from the truth. The last two years have proven more than anything that this union/company relationship is broken and one step to resolving that is getting the union out of the workplace.
How many of you take pride in your work? How many of your coworkers do? Do they take pride in their work or their union? And does management make these workers do their job effectively, or do they sweep it under the rug? It would appear that many of the supervisors and managers that deal with hourly employees have taken their leadership training from this union.
Most of the hourly management is so poorly equipped to promote their employees to succeed that they reward mediocre performance. What is the incentive going to be to get that lazy substandard employee in your area to do a better, more reliable job? He or she is going to be paid the same regardless. They aren't going to be fired. So what is the motivation? This isn't something that the union can control, but it is a side effect of the union being here. Management has failed in coming up with ways to make every employee as productive as possible. This problem will not suddenly disappear once the union is gone, but the system can begin to be repaired.
Would you reward your kids equally with the same allowance if one of them does all of their chores while the other one does only half of them? No, I didn't think so. So why should grown adults expect that treatment? It's time to cut some of the dead weight.
Management also had a gigantic failure in the way it allowed attitudes to be carried over from the last two contract negotiations. The attitudes have created such a pleasant working environment that several salaried people don't even want to come to work and deal with the union. Not only did the management fail the hourly workers in mending relations, they failed the salaried that work with the hourly. This causes a serious ripple effect. It demotivates workers, making them less productive, and puts a strain on employees.
I don't believe that once this union is gone everything will suddenly be roses and sunshine. That is foolhardy. But with the current set-up we can not even hope to have a better work environment. We can not hope to be treated as a valuable employee instead of a piece of equipment. Without this union, we can work towards bridging the chasm that has been created between employee and employer. That is why I AM NOT 933!
How many of you take pride in your work? How many of your coworkers do? Do they take pride in their work or their union? And does management make these workers do their job effectively, or do they sweep it under the rug? It would appear that many of the supervisors and managers that deal with hourly employees have taken their leadership training from this union.
Most of the hourly management is so poorly equipped to promote their employees to succeed that they reward mediocre performance. What is the incentive going to be to get that lazy substandard employee in your area to do a better, more reliable job? He or she is going to be paid the same regardless. They aren't going to be fired. So what is the motivation? This isn't something that the union can control, but it is a side effect of the union being here. Management has failed in coming up with ways to make every employee as productive as possible. This problem will not suddenly disappear once the union is gone, but the system can begin to be repaired.
Would you reward your kids equally with the same allowance if one of them does all of their chores while the other one does only half of them? No, I didn't think so. So why should grown adults expect that treatment? It's time to cut some of the dead weight.
Management also had a gigantic failure in the way it allowed attitudes to be carried over from the last two contract negotiations. The attitudes have created such a pleasant working environment that several salaried people don't even want to come to work and deal with the union. Not only did the management fail the hourly workers in mending relations, they failed the salaried that work with the hourly. This causes a serious ripple effect. It demotivates workers, making them less productive, and puts a strain on employees.
I don't believe that once this union is gone everything will suddenly be roses and sunshine. That is foolhardy. But with the current set-up we can not even hope to have a better work environment. We can not hope to be treated as a valuable employee instead of a piece of equipment. Without this union, we can work towards bridging the chasm that has been created between employee and employer. That is why I AM NOT 933!
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