Speak Out: Some Of The Unions Don't Seem To Be Too Happy

Replies (10)

• I belonged to the Bakers, Confectioners & Tobacco Workers Union back in the 1980's when the Bunny Bread Bakery was in town. When convention time came around the Union Representative and a couple of guys from the local represented us. Upon their return I learned two valuable lessons.

  1. Our local guys had one heck of a party that weekend.

  2. The national leadership was unopposed and won by acclamation.

  Some times it is NOT the businessman who is taking advantage of the workers!

  -- Posted by Robert* on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 4:25 PM

• Trumpka was talking like he was the one that put Obamacare together. Was he at the midnight session that approved the 20K page bill that will nail be coffin shut on America's economy?

  I took exception to the words it helped a few. It didn't help the union man and sure as heck didn't help most people by far. He also said healthcare will be better. I would like to know how because quality will be replaced by quantity.

  But Spaniard and Common will get their so called free healthcare since everyone will pay double or more for theirs.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 4:46 PM

• Let's abolish all unions and go back to the good old days of $1.25 an hour.

  -- Posted by Dexterite1 on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 5:03 PM

• Let's abolish all unions and go back to the good old days of $1.25 an hour.

  -- Posted by Dexterite1 on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 5:03 PM

  I remember being happy to get a $1.25 and hour Dexter, and gasoline was $0.17 to $0.18 per gallon over at Thoni's on Page. Anybody remember when we had the last price war, or what was the last prize you got for buying gasoline. I could buy a little over 7.35 gallons with my $1.25 Dexter. Let's see now, 7.35 gallons X abt $3.48 last time I looked.............. would require abt $25.57 an hour to do as well.

  Flunkies without a trade could make $1.25 an hour in that day....... Flunkies are not making $25.57 an hour today Dexter. Were we better off then or now?

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 5:25 PM

• Dis

  Dexter still thinks the union is cheated. Those guys should be making $75 and hour for the lowest scale.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 5:41 PM

• So from what I can gather, unions were for obamacare before theyy were against it. Or some such.

  -- Posted by FreedomFadingFast on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 6:59 PM

• -- Posted by groucho on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 5:40 PM

  Groucho,

  That would have been 1956-1957. To go to Thoni's you really should have been packing. It was over in the area of Page where they were barbecuing in bathtubs.

  I had a job that was paying me $1.25 an hour and I got to work 6, 10 hour a day shifts per week for that. Nice and simple to figure, straight time, no time and a half. It taught me that when later I was working for myself and doing 12 to 14 hour days that life was good back then.

  I remember one Saturday night, hotter than the hubs of hell and I was coming home from a service call about 10:00 pm after running a no cooling call for a good customer. A pickup load of drunks, one of which I knew went past me and the one I knew hollered out at me..... "Scab". He was a union carpenter.

  Later, when he was in trouble and needed a new boiler to heat his house and quickly, I got my evens for that slur he threw at me, while trying to service a customer. I put in his boiler, and I did a good job, and I threw in an extra charge, which I didn't itemize, for the Saturday night insult.

  Groucho, I think people like us are living proof.... "A Country Boy Can Survive".

  I;m proud of you.

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 7:16 PM

• Wish to hell I could hit the keys I was aiming at.

  I'm not going to start naming names, but there are a good number of poster's on here that came up the hard way as I did and I am proud to say I was one of those SEMO hillbilly's that made it without benefit of someone else looking out for us.

  Today is a different day, and there are some that I know, and some I am related to that I am very disappointed in for their lack of what it takes or pure laziness, not sure what it is, but they would rather stand there with their hand out rather than get out there and scrap for a living.

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 7:25 PM

• They are not in business to lose money

  -- Posted by *Dissident on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 5:44 PM

  According to the Democrats they are. Remember, they didn't build that.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 7:32 PM

• Yes Groucho,

  No... Welfare was not an option. It was not talked about or even thought about. Two years into our buisness, the accountant said to my wife and I, you know the two of you could get a job and make more money, I would consider closing shop. Well we didn't, things got better and this year, although we have no financial interest any longer, the company celebrates 50 years in business. I think the fact that we did not take his suggestion and quit had to do with our upbringing in the hills of Bollinger County. Never give up.

  Things ran a little thin from time to time, but you kept your head down and kept working, and I think we are better off for it. A little hardship early on makes a person appreciate his earned returement even more.

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Sep 2, 2013, at 9:20 PM