Updates?

One week of negotiations and what updates do we have? Reading the union's website doesn't yield any results. This is not surprising as this union has repeatedly yielded no results. What is also not surprising is the union's posting about "rumors". I particularly enjoy the part about only listening to information disseminated through their channels. Yeah, we did that last time, remember? Does the phrase "Not Interested" ring any bells?

I noticed on the other blog that someone asked what it would take for the union to get the support of their detractors. I would like to point out that this is the first time someone has posted that question. It is the first time that someone has asked, without malice, what the union could do better. It may not get many people interested, but it got me interested. I just wonder why it took so long.

What would it take? I could probably make a list a mile long. But the first step would be respect. You were given the trust and respect of these people and you used and abused it. Once you abuse the trust of those you claim to represent, you lose their respect. That takes a while to earn back. It will take more than the three weeks of negotiations you have remaining. I am not willing to let the years of disrespect vanish overnight. You will have to show me that you are serious. From the comments left on the other blog (and even on this blog) I do not believe that the union is serious about engaging their detractors in a serious, respectful, or productive manner.

If the union cannot engage those that they claim to represent in a respectful and productive way, then how am I expected to believe that they engage the company in respectful and productive way? I find that almost impossible to comprehend. The union says negative things about the company every chance they get. I doubt that they suddenly have a change of heart once the doors close and start considering the company as an equal when negotiations begin.

It would be nice for the union to be forthcoming with the information from negotiations. Showing some transparency would be a step in the right direction. Instead, they put updates telling their membership to only listen to and believe what the union tells them. While I am all for getting accurate information, I am also in favor of verifying information that is given from a questionable source. The union has not shown me that they are a reliable source of information, so I will continue to question the "information" that they provide.