Walmart

[blaque]

During my college years, I was a summer student working at Ford, and a paying non member of the CAW (summer students could not become union members, but had to pay dues)

I can't tell you how many times I was told to slow down because "when you go back to school, they're gonna expect me to do as much work as you and well, I'm just not prepared to due that".

 

Ive heard this quote verbatim from two friends of mine. EXACT situation, except replace the "Ford" with "GM".

 

They had a group of union guys waiting at the time clock when they punched out, they were threatened to slow things down. I should end my stories there, i got lots that would make ya sick.

[Fishnwire]

A lot of companies require you to supply your own safety gear. It's the same as supplying your own tools, not a big deal! If you are serious about your career then you would have all the equipment needed for that job.

 

 

I could just as easily say if the company was serious about my safety then they would provide all the equipment needed to ensure that I am working as safely as possible. Having the option to use whatever safety equipment you yourself choose to pay for and having whatever you require provided for you are obviously not the same thing, and the latter is clearly preferable to most if not all individuals.

 

You're right that "a lot of companies require you to supply your own safety gear." Most non-union shops I've worked for do just that, while every unionized outfit I'm familiar with provides all necessary equipment at no cost to the employee, so thanks for proving my point.

 

You and I must be two very different people, because I would consider the thousands of dollars of safety gear I need to to my job a very "big deal."

 

The fact is that unlimited free access to the newest and best safety equipment available, as apposed to having to scrounge up whatever you can on your own dime, is a clear example of how (in my experience) working for a unionized company is safer than working for most non unionized ones. You guys can try to ignore the obvious with illogical arguments all you want but from my experiences, in at least this one example, I happen to know that it is true.

[Whitespinnerbait]

The main reason most unionized places supply all the safety gear is not for your safety , but for the safety of the own ........knowing that most unoin guys are just waiting for a chance to go on long term disability....

[solopaddler]

There seems to be a few people here with a "me,me, me" attitude.

Amazingly the world doesn't owe you a darn thing.

Frightening concept isn't it?

[lew]

The main reason most unionized places supply all the safety gear is not for your safety , but for the safety of the own ........knowing that most unoin guys are just waiting for a chance to go on long term disability....

 

I was a hard working union member for more than 30 years but seldom get involved in these union threads because they never resolve anything, but your comment was one of the most un-informed and ignorant things I've read here in awhile.

[bubbles]

Walmart - NEVER shop at Walmart, they are not doing anyone any good.

 

Unions - they are all on their way out, they had their day and it is over. Case and point, big 3, Keeny and his kids were laughed at and bent over as they should have been. 10 years there will be no more unions, they are losing power faster than you lost money in the market last year.

[Eazy]

Let's consider one thing here.............a lot of these companys that are "buying" up corporations in North America, are third world country based, and if given the chance would bring the Canadian way of living down to their level!.....I speak from first hand knowledge as a employee of Tenaris for seven years now......and believe me a unionized workplace is definitely a must with these people! On a slightly different note: I don't think anyone should rely on a union to keep your job,ie:Lack of performance and so forth!

 

On the other hand, a fellow employee of mine told me that he had worked for Honda at one time, and said there you were treated like gold, and every day while walking thru the main gate there was always someone there from CAW union handing out pamphets and what not, but everyone was content and didn't see the need for unionizing......

[splashhopper]

Wait, There is a unionized Timmies here in London.......Go figure !!

 

There is ?

 

Which one?

 

I hope it isn't one of the ones I regularly visit

[FISHINGNUT]

I worked for union gas all it did was protect the lazy, and make you lazy, "how dare you work harder than bob who's being here 25 years"..."your making him look bad" ,"ease up!, slow down alittle., take the long way back to the shop,easy man thats a 2 man job its over 50lbs, i've heard all these at work,how about coffee at 230 quit time is at 4 but leave the coffee shop at 325 and take the long way back to the shop,park the van circle check pick nose, go inside burn the clock till 4 with small talk...etc

how about the inco boys sleeping have their shift? and many more stories too, explain that fishingwire,dont forget i have immediate family in your shoes, they'll be more than happy to come on here and back up the inco boys stories including my father a 30 year vet in the mine, not to mention your retartded 6 figure salary and ubber fat nickle bonus, but thats for another thread, unions protect the weak period. how about the many autoworkers who had only grade 10 making boat loads of money, now out of work,cant ever find a job that paid that well and frankly niether will you. isin't that why some people are crossing the line going back to work? they'll never find a job that pay's better than whats offered anyway... greedy,and selfish union workers....lets not go into bus drivers going on strike...ahhhhhhhhhhh

Couldnt have hit the nail more square on the head than that one AMEN

[Whitespinnerbait]

I worked for union gas all it did was protect the lazy, and make you lazy, "how dare you work harder than bob who's being here 25 years"..."your making him look bad" ,"ease up!, slow down alittle., take the long way back to the shop,easy man thats a 2 man job its over 50lbs, i've heard all these at work,how about coffee at 230 quit time is at 4 but leave the coffee shop at 325 and take the long way back to the shop,park the van circle check pick nose, go inside burn the clock till 4 with small talk...etc

how about the inco boys sleeping have their shift? and many more stories too, explain that fishingwire,dont forget i have immediate family in your shoes, they'll be more than happy to come on here and back up the inco boys stories including my father a 30 year vet in the mine, not to mention your retartded 6 figure salary and ubber fat nickle bonus, but thats for another thread, unions protect the weak period. how about the many autoworkers who had only grade 10 making boat loads of money, now out of work,cant ever find a job that paid that well and frankly niether will you. isin't that why some people are crossing the line going back to work? they'll never find a job that pay's better than whats offered anyway... greedy,and selfish union workers....lets not go into bus drivers going on strike...ahhhhhhhhhhh

 

 

 

 

Thats number one right there......it should be written in stone

[misfish]

I worked for union gas all it did was protect the lazy, and make you lazy, "how dare you work harder than bob who's being here 25 years"..."your making him look bad" ,"ease up!, slow down alittle., take the long way back to the shop,easy man thats a 2 man job its over 50lbs, i've heard all these at work,how about coffee at 230 quit time is at 4 but leave the coffee shop at 325 and take the long way back to the shop,park the van circle check pick nose, go inside burn the clock till 4 with small talk...etc

how about the inco boys sleeping have their shift? and many more stories too, explain that fishingwire,dont forget i have immediate family in your shoes, they'll be more than happy to come on here and back up the inco boys stories including my father a 30 year vet in the mine, not to mention your retartded 6 figure salary and ubber fat nickle bonus, but thats for another thread, unions protect the weak period. how about the many autoworkers who had only grade 10 making boat loads of money, now out of work,cant ever find a job that paid that well and frankly niether will you. isin't that why some people are crossing the line going back to work? they'll never find a job that pay's better than whats offered anyway... greedy,and selfish union workers....lets not go into bus drivers going on strike...ahhhhhhhhhhh

 

Wish that was the way mine came across.

 

 

AMEN BROTHER

[Cookslav]

I worked for union gas all it did was protect the lazy, and make you lazy, "how dare you work harder than bob who's being here 25 years"..."your making him look bad" ,"ease up!, slow down alittle., take the long way back to the shop,easy man thats a 2 man job its over 50lbs, i've heard all these at work,how about coffee at 230 quit time is at 4 but leave the coffee shop at 325 and take the long way back to the shop,park the van circle check pick nose, go inside burn the clock till 4 with small talk...etc

how about the inco boys sleeping have their shift? and many more stories too, explain that fishingwire,dont forget i have immediate family in your shoes, they'll be more than happy to come on here and back up the inco boys stories including my father a 30 year vet in the mine, not to mention your retartded 6 figure salary and ubber fat nickle bonus, but thats for another thread, unions protect the weak period. how about the many autoworkers who had only grade 10 making boat loads of money, now out of work,cant ever find a job that paid that well and frankly niether will you. isin't that why some people are crossing the line going back to work? they'll never find a job that pay's better than whats offered anyway... greedy,and selfish union workers....lets not go into bus drivers going on strike...ahhhhhhhhhhh

 

Yup,

That pretty much sum's it up IMO

[AzuluSpookd]

So true...not for all...but for many!

 

You think those places are bad, you should see "how benificial" OPSEU is....how they protect the lazy....how they abuse the Health and Safety Act...how they promote their workers to conduct frivolous work refusals....how when the Ministry of Labour is called the inspectors are OPSEU members.......how they utilize the Health and Safety Act for bargaining leverage (I'm sure others do this as well)....oh the list goes on and on and on....it is impossible to fire, let alone discipline an ontario government worker....all of these things have very very significant financial impacts...but who cares though right? Its the government....yet...people complain when their taxes go up without realizing all of the wasted financial resources that this union costs US the taxpayers.

 

Some unions are as useless as an ashtray on a motorcycle. Period.

 

 

I worked for union gas all it did was protect the lazy, and make you lazy, "how dare you work harder than bob who's being here 25 years"..."your making him look bad" ,"ease up!, slow down alittle., take the long way back to the shop,easy man thats a 2 man job its over 50lbs, i've heard all these at work,how about coffee at 230 quit time is at 4 but leave the coffee shop at 325 and take the long way back to the shop,park the van circle check pick nose, go inside burn the clock till 4 with small talk...etc

how about the inco boys sleeping have their shift? and many more stories too, explain that fishingwire,dont forget i have immediate family in your shoes, they'll be more than happy to come on here and back up the inco boys stories including my father a 30 year vet in the mine, not to mention your retartded 6 figure salary and ubber fat nickle bonus, but thats for another thread, unions protect the weak period. how about the many autoworkers who had only grade 10 making boat loads of money, now out of work,cant ever find a job that paid that well and frankly niether will you. isin't that why some people are crossing the line going back to work? they'll never find a job that pay's better than whats offered anyway... greedy,and selfish union workers....lets not go into bus drivers going on strike...ahhhhhhhhhhh

Edited December 1, 2009 by AzuluSpookd

[ch312]

When I worked for a non-union contractor I was expected to buy my own fall-arrest safety harness and lanyard or do without. At Inco I am given the best money can buy and instructed to throw it away and get a new one if any part of it shows any sign of wear or distress. Regardless of its condition it is replaced yearly. I could go on and on with similar examples. Trust me, I've feel safer every day on the job since I got on with a union company. There's absolutely no doubt about that.

 

The other thing is that the "Health and Safety Act" merely sets out minimum standards. Often they don't come close to going far enough and in most cases, could be improved. I don't know about you, but when it comes to my safety, I'm not always satisfied just doing the minimum. Often they represent a compromise between maximum worker safety and maximum production. Unionized employees are able to hold the company to higher standards more effectively than a single unrepresented worker. Worker represented joint health and safety committees are the norm in every unionized shop I'm familiar with, and I never even heard the term health and safety committee until I joined a union.

 

It's not "propaganda"...its a fact.

 

 

your strong belief in unions is from your own ignorance. either you are making up stuff as you go or you seriously dont know what the ministry of labor is for and why the CSA and ANSI are around.

 

Any contractor with more than half a brain would never let an employee work without a harness when its required. the employee would get a stiff fine and the employer would be paying out the ying yang for allowing it. if you do not feel safe you simply report to your supervisor that equipment needs to be replaced or it isnt up to par. if you get fired you simply report to the ministry of labor and let them have fun with your employer. i can speak from experience...the ministry of labor and revenue canada are the last people you want on your tail if you are an employer. just ask my old boss who had to shut down for not playing nice

 

you feel safer in a union environment? i work for a non union company and often find myself hanging 20 stories up. with my fear of heights i am the last person that would have a job like this unless i knew it was nearly impossible to fall.

 

 

 

i have worked on the same sites as union guys and its quite comical watching them work. i've never seen grown men get so bent out of shape if they start a break late or have to move something heavy themselves. i must say that is very rare though because there are usually 3 others standing around. maybe something is different in union factories, but when it comes to union guys in construction and landscaping you rarely see every guy on site doing something and there is never anyone around after 5. another funny thing i've noticed on different sites is union workers go by seniority rather than experience. seems like the total opposite of the logical thing to do, but all you have to do is think "union" to fully understand.

 

about that concrete company i mentioned before....

 

when it was non union the guys worked hard and applied themselves daily to earn raises and vacation time. when the union moved in they all became lazy because they knew there was nothing the boss could do about it. in a union you are typically a complete slacker and rely on the union to ensure you get a raise rather than working hard to earn it. in a union you are taught to abuse the system to get it YOUR way.

 

 

 

EDIT: gotta throw this in.....nice one BUSTER

Edited December 1, 2009 by ch312

[ohhenrygsr]

[Whitespinnerbait]

Any contractor with more than half a brain would never let an employee work without a harness when its required. the employee would get a stiff fine and the employer would be paying out the ying yang for allowing it.

 

 

i have worked on the same sites as union guys and its quite comical watching them work. i've never seen grown men get so bent out of shape if they start a break late

 

 

OK ...

 

Buster and CH312 ...

 

You two Dudes now have my utmost Respect , Calling things they way are right to a TEE ,,,,

 

 

That is Good Stuff right there..

[Spiel]

All this union knowledge and so little room in this thread for it.