I am a union man, born and bred and I'll die a union man.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by icenine

They dont go away....the positions will remain...but what type of services will you get if they are underpaid and/ or at the mercy of the current administration. Political patronage can be a bad thing....sorry if I offended you but I am a public employee myself..

The current antigovernment vibe isjust too much for me sometimes....

I just retired with over 38 years in Federal service myself. I'm by no means anti-government, but still don't support public sector unions (nor did FDR, BTW).

[Oerets]

Originally Posted by finnbow

I don't buy the whole "race to the bottom" rhetoric when it comes to public sector employees. For the most part, there is no threat of outsourcing police, firemen, teachers/professors, school employees, etc.

My Governor who will be at Prude soon, never saw a Government Job that couldn't be outsourced. Big on privatizing public sector employees. Took what he could of state jobs and now they work for out of state companies and lost all of their seniority and retirement. Thirty year employees getting ready to retire at 55 now have to go to in their late 60's to get he same benefits. If they were even rehired!

Sold off the Lottery and Toll roads for a one time payment that was given out as a tax rebate and spent years ago.. Now has I69 needing funding and the money was to go to, underfunded for the next Governor.

But he cut Taxes!!!



Barney

[icenine]

Originally Posted by finnbow

I just retired with over 38 years in Federal service myself. I'm by no means anti-government, but still don't support public sector unions (nor did FDR, BTW).

Ok my fellow GS.....you may not have joined the union but I think we do benefit from its presence.....our federal jobs are so good we don't really need it...I joined the AFGE just in case I needed their help..I'm just a gs-7 low on the totem pole. I have it pretty easy though I know how lucky I am...

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by icenine

Ok my fellow GS.....you may not have joined the union but I think we do benefit from its presence.....our federal jobs are so good we don't really need it...I joined the AFGE just in case I needed their help..I'm just a gs-7 low on the totem pole. I have it pretty easy though I know how lucky I am...

Just don't ask them to negotiate wages and benefits.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by Rex E.

For how many years though before someone took a look at those saintly public union employees.

Notice Dave, it was the fat asses sitting behind the desks with most of the abuse. guess what, they are in unions also.

A drop in 57K hours in two years does not alarm you? That is 6.5 years worth of sick time abuse that's been going on for how long..........?

The point is....It's behind you. Why are you still going on about it? What? You're going to continue to punish people for something that used to be?

What is that?

[bobabode]

Yawn. Just slept thru most of a couple segments on '80s tech Modern Marvels. Whooo hooo! Old fartdom has been achieved when an early evening nap is a highpoint in my day. Didja know Deloreans are still available being built from left over parts? Only $40k, I need a bigger change jar.
Now the air is cool enough to fire up the Maggotbox Deluxe space heaters and listen to some Peter Gabriel.

Yawn, Scratch & Belch a LLC law firm and financial ad-vice-rs have advised me to try to not crap on my friends as they're my only fungus filled assets left.

That's not to say we can't engage in a little wing chun (slap fighting) sticky hands sparring. Oops my orthopedist Dr. Phuck No just emailed me and said that doesn't count as a physical therapy session. So no bitch slapping...

[icenine]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Just don't ask them to negotiate wages and benefits.

Never....we cant anyway even if we wanted...I'm just lucky I have a job...there has been a wage freeze for three years...but I am not complaining.

[merrylander]

Does Amerca specialize in doing everything bass ackwards? I worked for a company where employees received all sorts of training - they did not whine about being unable to find trained people.

We knew we were paid somewhat less than other companies but the benefits and pensions were good - and fully funded. There was no filing bankruptcy and getting some tame judge to let them off the hook and pass the pensions over to the government.

Union membership is quite high and sensible. As was noted earlier it was easier for the politicians to promise all sorts of things for which the bill would not come due on their watch - so maybe what the critics should be saying is that it is time to elect people with brains and cojones.

We got paid if we were off sick but there was none of the x number of sick days per year. Here a small fortune it generated by over the counter drugs so sick people can go to work - and infect the whole staff. My staff were told to stay home with their germs.

Churchill was right.

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by finnbow

I don't buy the whole "race to the bottom" rhetoric when it comes to public sector employees. For the most part, there is no threat of outsourcing police, firemen, teachers/professors, school employees, etc.

what is to stop a corporation like Halliburton from buying local elections and then signing contracts with these cities to provide fire and police, teachers, and school employees?
Then out sourcing workers?

Frankly I would be surprised if serious consideration to such a plan had not been discussed by many multinationals already.

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Sorry if I offended you. It just seems so blatantly obvious to me that public sector and private sector unions have damn near nothing in common, other than a name and their support for the Democratic Party. In the case of private sector unions, that's reasonable and expected. As for public sector unions, it's actually kind of incestuous. .

I totally agree. public workers are not paid in a healthy economic supply and demand manner which is why (at least out here) it takes years and years to get a public job.