A
anonymous6
Guest
same as shoplifters. getting something and not paying for it.
I'm in a closed shop so I can't imagine how this works. Are the non-union harassed more, fired? With no protection, it would seem to me, you are at their complete mercy.
Do union members watch these scabs like a hawk, in order to make sure they don't get away with anything? It would burn me knowing they take home almost $1000 extra dollars per year because I pay union dues.
I'm in a closed shop so I can't imagine how this works. Are the non-union harassed more, fired? With no protection, it would seem to me, you are at their complete mercy.
Do union members watch these scabs like a hawk, in order to make sure they don't get away with anything? It would burn me knowing they take home almost $1000 extra dollars per year because I pay union dues.
I see them written up for more things they blindly initial or sign whatever they are "told" to sign and have no clue as to their rights under the contract. They're shuffled around the hub to help whatever area or belt needs help, getting sent to unload trailers only to be loading those same boxes 30 minutes later when they return to an egress infested belt. Sucks to be them - they get what they pay for...
At the same time I don't see much effort put forth by the IBT to sign these folks up either and it's definitely not part of their new hire orientation...
Contractually, in RTW states, union stewards are given 15 minutes on the clock to hand out union cards and encourage new hires to join the union. If this isn't being done in your hub, then the local needs to be informed because that's the first and best chance for us to sign up new members.
We also do quite a bit of internal organizing in RTW states, where the locals puts stewards on lost-time and we sit outside the hub talking with members and signing up those that are willing.
First phone call I make Monday morning will be to the local.
We have one steward inside our hub and they work preload (M-friend), we don't have a steward on my sunrise sort (T-S).
So what happens when someone gets jammed up on Sunrise? That's no bueno.
I would tend to place some of the blame on the union as well though. I make it a point to chat with the brand new people for a few minutes and let them know who the stewards are. I tell them what they are getting in return for their dues. I think sometimes, people don't know what they have.
I do it on my own time. I start about half an hour earlier than the hub does shifting cars. So I have to do it after the sort. Or during break, but I don't like to intrude on folks only 10 minutes to zen out. We have supervisors that actually like the union because of the shafting they get day in and day out. So when there's trainees they tell me where they camp out and if I decided to help load a trailer I can talk about whatever I want so long as we stay productive. Is it a huge responsibility? Sure...but I look at it as giving out info and protecting basic union rights. If things are really hairy, my job is to take notes and have my guy keep his mouth mostly shut and say yes, no, and I don't recall. My BA handles the hairier crap that's beyond my ken.Oh, and yes, it is demoralizing to have such low PT membership and to watch people getting jerked around the hub like yo-yo's.
I unload trailers so there isn't an opportunity to "socialize" the benefits of being a union member to the new hires as we're typically by ourselves unloading a trailer.
I have given consideration to try and become a steward but I do realize there is an incredible amount of responsibility that comes with that role, especially if you had to provide proper/correct representation to someone facing termination.
The Fulltime Scabs,Freeloaders an Moochers are employees with 20 years plus seniority. I take great pleasure of informing them of their statusExactly the point I made a few days ago on another thread. All this "scab" and "freeloader" talk doesn't accomplish anything positive. All it does is drive a wedge between current members and potential members. And people claiming that a steward should give minimum representation (or less) is about the dumbest idea there is. The intelligent approach would be to show the potential dues payer that the dues are well worth the money they'd be paying. The idea is to make them want to join by showing them why they should. Not by childishly belittling them by calling them names and withholding representation like a sulking child that doesn't get their way.
Exactly the point I made a few days ago on another thread. All this "scab" and "freeloader" talk doesn't accomplish anything positive. All it does is drive a wedge between current members and potential members. And people claiming that a steward should give minimum representation (or less) is about the dumbest idea there is. The intelligent approach would be to show the potential dues payer that the dues are well worth the money they'd be paying. The idea is to make them want to join by showing them why they should. Not by childishly belittling them by calling them names and withholding representation like a sulking child that doesn't get their way.