Thanks skillz

Having grown up where my father was in union and having belonged to unions myself, it deffinately is the only true way to be able to appreciate them. The argument is it protects shitty workers. Sure, that is true. To an extent. But if there is just cause to fire someone, it will be done! My old supervisor and I got into an argument and he tried saying that union workers are uneducated. I just laughed at him and said what gorious education got him his job (he was making a marginal amount more than me) and then another guy I worked with said "Hmmmm....last time I checked teachers and doctors are unionized aren't they?" The fact of the matter is unions are there to protect the workers. The negative aspect comes from workers with poor work ethics and just as poor an attitude. Imagine your company deciding to give a 30% wage decrease right across the board...what would you do? You shouldn't have to look for a new job due a companies mismanagement and overspending...nor should you have what you had taken away form you.

But then again, any social program should be scrapped too then. Cause if you are on welfare you are either an irresponsible whore or a lazy bum. If you are on unemployment you are a perpetual screwup and a drain on society. If you are on workers comp. you are a clutz and a hazard anyway...sounds stupid to categorize one institute based on a few unworthy members doesn't it?

The fact of the matter is, there are very educated, capable and extremely reliable workers in unions. And for the most part, any company that has a union...there is a reason for it!

And as for their usefulness ending...recently there was a situation hre in Canada where the company wanted a 30% wage rollback. Is that fair? FUCK NO!! The union stepped in on behalf of the employees. Sure, they were making $30/hour to deliver beer...but why would the company give them such a contract if they couldn't maintain it. Think of it...30%!!! Individually all they could do was look for new jobs...but why should they have to?

Maybe a little history will help. . . Unions, when they evolved form the Guild System, helped to create safer working conditions in the factories during the Industrial Revolution. This was a good thing. Lately Unions have been using Strikes to get more and more in wages and benefits out of employers. . . this is bad thing. When you force an business owner to pay more and more for wages and benefits, you start to lose your job security, because as the employer pays more in wages, his profit margin drops, he begins to lose money. He'll eventually start haveing to lay off his employees because he cannot afford to pay them. This is why everybody complains about the Unions.

If it weren't for BC Ferries Corporation I wouldn't be able to live. I live in an area that is 9 miles from Vancouver, yet am seperated by a HUGE peninsula, there is no overland route to the city. All of the food that comes to my town is brought over on "The Ferry". Whenver the Ferry Workers Union decides to go on strike, it paralyzes my small community. I can identify with LoP.

I live in a logging town, I'm surrounded by Unions, I see the good that they do. I have a friend who at one point worked at a log sort(not a place you want to work). The place is run by idiots who have no respect for the workers. The workers were compensated by excellent benefits, safe (as safe as can be we using chainsaws, skidders, cranes, log booms, and massive mulchers anyway)working condidtions, and wages bordering on hazard pay. They deserve it all, believe me, I've seen what they do all day. I can identify with Snag.

Unions are a double edged sword, they bring good and bad with them. . . and you can't have one without the other. We need them, but we can't stand them.

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...TheKiller