Jul 28, 2023Liked by Amelia Mavis Christnot, George Takei
My husband is a retired union plumber … he always says they never did him wrong. My friend made a comment on day about how union workers stand around with their thumb up the a** and I politely told her those were non-union works because they aren’t making a fair wage. Her husband is a carpenter making a very small wage because he has nobody to ensure he gets a fair wage.
When I was growing up, my dad was in management at CAT. The UAW was the enemy, destroying not only CAT but the automakers as well. Now I realize that all the pay and benefits my dad enjoyed were because of the UAW, not in spite of it. They didn’t give these benefits to management out of the goodness of their hearts, but because the union demanded these benefits. Management was simply riding the union’s coattails without consideration or appreciation. I’m glad to see the tide shift to everyone sharing in a collective, collaborative prosperity, hopefully in a more just and sustainable manner this time around.
I'm a pre-boomer and child of very pro-union FDR Democrat parents, though my father eventually ended up in management at a minor level. So I too have been very pro-union, though never in a job where unions were involved. I am a retired surety bond claims attorney, and I did run into one place where the union--or rather its trust fund--acted unconscionably.
As the recession was settling in, we bonded a smallish contractor who ran into financial difficulties. He did public works jobs, and always paid prevailing wage, but the union dues and trust fund contributions were too much. So he wrote to the union withdrawing his participation, as was allowed.
Only he apparently got the wording or the timing wrong. It was the equivalent of saying you could only send such notices on a Tuesday after a full moon. So the trust funds came after him and his bond for a couple of hundred thou of trust fund contributions. Remember he PAID his guys the wage required. He had notified the union of his withdrawal. And not one of the guys he hired after his letter was union (he couldn't then hire union labor) so not one of those guys would get any benefits at all from the funds.
I struggled with my pro-union stance as the arguments back and forth about the validity of the claim flew. But I told myself "these aren't really union guys. They are financial guys drunk with too much apparent power."
Karma struck. Amidst all the arguing the trust fund attorneys missed the actual statute of limitations on their claim. Advising them of that was one of the most satisfying letters of my career.
My husband is a retired union plumber … he always says they never did him wrong. My friend made a comment on day about how union workers stand around with their thumb up the a** and I politely told her those were non-union works because they aren’t making a fair wage. Her husband is a carpenter making a very small wage because he has nobody to ensure he gets a fair wage.
Unions, done right, look out for ordinary workers. That’s been missing from our system for a long time in many sectors.
Starting with the Reagan regime, antitrust laws morphed from a tool to ensure fair competition to a vehicle for union busting.
When I was growing up, my dad was in management at CAT. The UAW was the enemy, destroying not only CAT but the automakers as well. Now I realize that all the pay and benefits my dad enjoyed were because of the UAW, not in spite of it. They didn’t give these benefits to management out of the goodness of their hearts, but because the union demanded these benefits. Management was simply riding the union’s coattails without consideration or appreciation. I’m glad to see the tide shift to everyone sharing in a collective, collaborative prosperity, hopefully in a more just and sustainable manner this time around.
I'm a pre-boomer and child of very pro-union FDR Democrat parents, though my father eventually ended up in management at a minor level. So I too have been very pro-union, though never in a job where unions were involved. I am a retired surety bond claims attorney, and I did run into one place where the union--or rather its trust fund--acted unconscionably.
As the recession was settling in, we bonded a smallish contractor who ran into financial difficulties. He did public works jobs, and always paid prevailing wage, but the union dues and trust fund contributions were too much. So he wrote to the union withdrawing his participation, as was allowed.
Only he apparently got the wording or the timing wrong. It was the equivalent of saying you could only send such notices on a Tuesday after a full moon. So the trust funds came after him and his bond for a couple of hundred thou of trust fund contributions. Remember he PAID his guys the wage required. He had notified the union of his withdrawal. And not one of the guys he hired after his letter was union (he couldn't then hire union labor) so not one of those guys would get any benefits at all from the funds.
I struggled with my pro-union stance as the arguments back and forth about the validity of the claim flew. But I told myself "these aren't really union guys. They are financial guys drunk with too much apparent power."
Karma struck. Amidst all the arguing the trust fund attorneys missed the actual statute of limitations on their claim. Advising them of that was one of the most satisfying letters of my career.