LeftLaneUSA
05-22-2010, 08:35 AM
I've read many threads in this forum that revealed a lot of people bashing Unions, not to mention the people they represent. I've seen the term 'Union Puke' (which was apparently coined by political talk show host Rush Limbaugh) thrown around by some who are obviously a bit envious.
While I'm self-employed and have done well over the years, I grew up in the New York City area where the presence of Unions is literally a means of survival for the middle-class blue-collar workers in a place with such a high cost of living. Otherwise, most working-class people there are working 2-3 jobs, typically well over 16 hours a day and 7 days a week just to pay their $1,500+/month rent on a studio apartment and be able to eat, let alone get ahead. While no one is forcing people to stay in places like that, for some it's the only life they've ever known. If the employees are members of a Union, they really only need to work one job to afford a decent standard of living. My wife and I know that if we were still living in NYC we would both be working Union jobs.
Once one ventures away from New York or any other major city and goes elsewhere (like in Texas where we live), there's not much of a Union presence at all. I know there's more of a Union presence out on the west coast but again, that's an area with a high cost of living that would justify such an existence for the survival of the working class. Otherwise, there would be more illegal aliens doing those jobs and living among 16 others in a cramped efficiency apartment somewhere in Los Angeles- now who in the hell wants that? Certainly not me. Personally, I like being able to deliver to places where the people I'm interacting with speak fluent English and are less likely to screw something up or attempt to steal something from me.
Not long ago I had a brief encounter with someone from the Los Angeles area who absolutely hated Unions. When I asked him his reasons he whined about them 'being overpaid and getting too much for what little work they actually do'. I told him 'Not all Union workers are like that. Go to New York and see how quickly things happen at the hands of Union workers before your ignorant little mind arrives at a premature conclusion'. He walked away and then I saw him get into what appeared to be a Central Refrigerated lease-purchase Volvo that he was likely living in! Then I said to him "By the way, Union workers are not forced to live in their trucks either. They can afford a better standard of living than that!"
While there's some Unions like the UAW that represent 'snails' (and I've seen them working at the auto plants in Detroit many times), others like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Teamsters, and many others expect their workers to bust ass. I've delivered some vehicles to UPS and FedEx Ground hubs and it's obvious that the UPS guys work a hell of a lot harder than their FedEx non-union counterparts.
Now, before any of you want to bash Union workers, ask yourself this question: "If I was offered a decent job with good wages, great medical benefits, paid vacations, and a retirement program, would I take it?". Hopefully yes as it may allow you to enjoy a better standard of living than you find yourself in now. In fact, most Union truck drivers make well over $65,000 annually and are not forced to be out on the road living in a truck for days or weeks on end. Most OTR drivers barely reach the $50K mark if they're lucky and their benefits are not too great either. Let's not even talk about what little bit of money those lease or lease-purchase drivers actually make once the real math is done and the net earnings after the numerous expenses are revealed- there's a reason many of them are actually homeless.
Don't worry about what anyone else thinks or tries to tell you- it's YOUR future to live and NOT anyone else's. In other words, choose your own situation now and be very careful about your choices as YOU will be living with the consequences of them later.
While I'm self-employed and have done well over the years, I grew up in the New York City area where the presence of Unions is literally a means of survival for the middle-class blue-collar workers in a place with such a high cost of living. Otherwise, most working-class people there are working 2-3 jobs, typically well over 16 hours a day and 7 days a week just to pay their $1,500+/month rent on a studio apartment and be able to eat, let alone get ahead. While no one is forcing people to stay in places like that, for some it's the only life they've ever known. If the employees are members of a Union, they really only need to work one job to afford a decent standard of living. My wife and I know that if we were still living in NYC we would both be working Union jobs.
Once one ventures away from New York or any other major city and goes elsewhere (like in Texas where we live), there's not much of a Union presence at all. I know there's more of a Union presence out on the west coast but again, that's an area with a high cost of living that would justify such an existence for the survival of the working class. Otherwise, there would be more illegal aliens doing those jobs and living among 16 others in a cramped efficiency apartment somewhere in Los Angeles- now who in the hell wants that? Certainly not me. Personally, I like being able to deliver to places where the people I'm interacting with speak fluent English and are less likely to screw something up or attempt to steal something from me.
Not long ago I had a brief encounter with someone from the Los Angeles area who absolutely hated Unions. When I asked him his reasons he whined about them 'being overpaid and getting too much for what little work they actually do'. I told him 'Not all Union workers are like that. Go to New York and see how quickly things happen at the hands of Union workers before your ignorant little mind arrives at a premature conclusion'. He walked away and then I saw him get into what appeared to be a Central Refrigerated lease-purchase Volvo that he was likely living in! Then I said to him "By the way, Union workers are not forced to live in their trucks either. They can afford a better standard of living than that!"
While there's some Unions like the UAW that represent 'snails' (and I've seen them working at the auto plants in Detroit many times), others like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Teamsters, and many others expect their workers to bust ass. I've delivered some vehicles to UPS and FedEx Ground hubs and it's obvious that the UPS guys work a hell of a lot harder than their FedEx non-union counterparts.
Now, before any of you want to bash Union workers, ask yourself this question: "If I was offered a decent job with good wages, great medical benefits, paid vacations, and a retirement program, would I take it?". Hopefully yes as it may allow you to enjoy a better standard of living than you find yourself in now. In fact, most Union truck drivers make well over $65,000 annually and are not forced to be out on the road living in a truck for days or weeks on end. Most OTR drivers barely reach the $50K mark if they're lucky and their benefits are not too great either. Let's not even talk about what little bit of money those lease or lease-purchase drivers actually make once the real math is done and the net earnings after the numerous expenses are revealed- there's a reason many of them are actually homeless.
Don't worry about what anyone else thinks or tries to tell you- it's YOUR future to live and NOT anyone else's. In other words, choose your own situation now and be very careful about your choices as YOU will be living with the consequences of them later.