Hello from NY

[MikeG22]

Hi all, thought I would join in on some of the discussion here. I am from NY, quite unhappily. This state is a wreck. I always leaned right in my thinking on issues but lately can't stand the party, not that I ever considered myself a member of it. Not really sure what you would politically call me since I take many different stances from different sides. Not an huge Obama fan, but at the same time was not going to drink the Romney-Paul kool aid. I am a union worker and after seeing the crap coming from that camp on banishing unions it will be awhile before I consider the right a friend of mine.

In any case I am happy to finally join this site and be able to offer some input whether you agree or not.

[bobabode]

Welcome, Mike. Enjoy your time here.

[BlueStreak]

Welcome from Virginia!
Come on in, have a seat.

These are bewildering times, arent they?

Dave

[Oerets]

Welcome aboard!



Barney

[merrylander]

Welcome from Maryland. You think you have problems? I am a former union rep and a former mamber of the Conservativ Party in Canada.

[MikeG22]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Welcome from Maryland. You think you have problems? I am a former union rep and a former mamber of the Conservativ Party in Canada.

Glad to see more union guys current or former. I am actually a water/sewer municipal worker for a local government. We are constantly bashed because ugh god forbid your union and live on tax money. They don't complain when shit is backing up at 3 in the morning but when it comes time to pay, watch out. Our union was tough for us a few years ago when everything seemed to hit the fan. Our contract was over for two years and were at a stalemate in negotiations. The union held their ground despite dumping money on lawyer fees that they knew they would never recover and got us a very acceptable contract.

I am a firm believer in organized labor. I think it is a driving force behind me pulling away from the right. This last election really showed who your ally was if your a union worker.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by MikeG22

Glad to see more union guys current or former. I am actually a water/sewer municipal worker for a local government. We are constantly bashed because ugh god forbid your union and live on tax money. They don't complain when shit is backing up at 3 in the morning but when it comes time to pay, watch out. Our union was tough for us a few years ago when everything seemed to hit the fan. Our contract was over for two years and were at a stalemate in negotiations. The union held their ground despite dumping money on lawyer fees that they knew they would never recover and got us a very acceptable contract.

I am a firm believer in organized labor. I think it is a driving force behind me pulling away from the right. This last election really showed who your ally was if your a union worker.

What so many seem to forget is that the unions were the reason we used to have a middle class. It was that middle class that consumed goods made here and drove 70% of the economy. Talk about shooting oneself in the foot. Dumb and dumber.

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by MikeG22

Glad to see more union guys current or former. I am actually a water/sewer municipal worker for a local government. We are constantly bashed because ugh god forbid your union and live on tax money. They don't complain when shit is backing up at 3 in the morning but when it comes time to pay, watch out. Our union was tough for us a few years ago when everything seemed to hit the fan. Our contract was over for two years and were at a stalemate in negotiations. The union held their ground despite dumping money on lawyer fees that they knew they would never recover and got us a very acceptable contract.

I am a firm believer in organized labor. I think it is a driving force behind me pulling away from the right. This last election really showed who your ally was if your a union worker.

Welcome Mike.

I am union at heart. But I have come to recognise that a lot of municipalities cannot afford some of the unions. In too many instances the unions become inflexible and myopic.

BTW I am a NY resident.

[d-ray657]

Welcome Mike. Always nice to see a union guy around, but you would also be welcome if you were a staunch capitalist.

My dad was a postal worker and union steward. I was briefly a member of the IBEW. I worked summers at a manufacturing plant that was IBEW represented. I wasn't eligible to join the first summer I worked there. The second week of the second summer I worked there, I went to the union hall to sign and be sworn in. I remember walking into work late and the foreman telling me I was tardy, and I just smiled and told him that I was getting sworn into the union.

Now I am a member of the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, and practice labor law in the red state of Kansas. I have started working in Kansas after practicing in Missouri for over 20 years. Despite the redness of Kansas, I am finding out that it is fairly progressive when it comes to the protections afforded to public sector labor unions. I hope that the ability of public sector unions to hang on during the decline in union representation will maintain life in the labor movement - enough life that unions will still be a viable force when private sector workers wake up and realize that collective action is the only way to take on the power of capital.

Regards,

D-Ray

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by d-ray657

Welcome Mike. Always nice to see a union guy around, but you would also be welcome if you were a staunch capitalist.

My dad was a postal worker and union steward. I was briefly a member of the IBEW. I worked summers at a manufacturing plant that was IBEW represented. I wasn't eligible to join the first summer I worked there. The second week of the second summer I worked there, I went to the union hall to sign and be sworn in. I remember walking into work late and the foreman telling me I was tardy, and I just smiled and told him that I was getting sworn into the union.

Now I am a member of the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, and practice labor law in the red state of Kansas. I have started working in Kansas after practicing in Missouri for over 20 years. Despite the redness of Kansas, I am finding out that it is fairly progressive when it comes to the protections afforded to public sector labor unions. I hope that the ability of public sector unions to hang on during the decline in union representation will maintain life in the labor movement - enough life that unions will still be a viable force when private sector workers wake up and realize that collective action is the only way to take on the power of capital.

Regards,

D-Ray

The IBEW is a great union here in the city. Made tremendous effort to train, and educate its members. Also recognised the need to be inclusive, the importance of health care and that its finance should be above board....provided reasonable pension for its members.