The Political Party

[Marko]

I’ve been through quite a few principles in my 20 years teaching (career-tech), and a couple times I had principles who wanted to get rid of me. One, for what reason I don’t know, but he and the superintendent at the time seemed to hate teachers, got rid of two, but couldn’t “get me” for whatever reason.

The other, I didn’t kiss his ass or scare (perhaps a fault, but I just can’t do that) when he wanted us to do something that just wasn’t right, and although his idea failed on its own, he did everything he could to wreck my life, at least before he was forced to retire ‘cause he was a genuine asshole.

I’ve had no problem with anyone else before or since, not even him before this problem, but all I can say is I’d have lost my job because of some tyrant hater were it not for belonging to a union.

And let me tell ya, 37 years of union, construction (industrial carpenter and millwright, local 171 Youngstown, local 1871 Cleveland) and teaching, I’ve never seen ONE lazy a’hole who got away with it. “Union” doesn’t mean that you can’t be gotten rid of if you’re a slack-ass, and they want to get rid of you, they can.

Construction, you can’t get “fired” from doing construction, but there are “one-man layoffs” all the time, and if you’re a slackass or incompetent, the business agent isn’t gonna call you.

In my experience, “union” always meant pride and professionalism, and non-union meant untrained, unqualified, and an inferior product.

As a Millwright, I was the Steward on a few jobs, two of which were from out of town, very non-union contractors.

One was Haliburton at a shit plant job (pile driving), and one at the Lordstown GM plant, and you could just feel the negativity and hate from them.

The GM job was kinda tough, ‘cause a buncha guys from southern Ohio were brought in ‘cause many millwrights were needed. At least a couple of them were really screwed up, and I had to deal between the contractor and the workers.

One worker got his foot smashed so I took him to get it taken care of, they layed him off, but didn’t want to pay him upon layoff (which was required by the union), so I had to diplomatically talk them into it, because ya know, they have a lot of power, and the fact that the worker was “union” didn’t really hold much real power.

To get him paid, the best I could come up with at the time was telling them that this loser was in from (wherever), stupid and drunk, and we and our families were driving the same streets as this a’hole, and for a couple/few hundred bucks, wouldn’t be worth it just to get this yahoo the fuck back to his trailer home and away from us?

Amazingly it worked (I was kid compared to these hard-core contractors/businessmen), but if I played hard, I think I’d have lost.

Okay, I’m off to rambling now so I won’t get into other experiences, there’s just so much to say, but I just wanted to relate my experience for what it’s worth.

[guido61]

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Marko wrote:

I’ve been through quite a few principles in my 20 years teaching (career-tech), and a couple times I had principles who wanted to get rid of me.

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Maybe because you couldn't spell "principal"?

[RedRoadEnsemble]

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guido61 wrote:

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Marko wrote:

I’ve been through quite a few principles in my 20 years teaching (career-tech), and a couple times I had principles who wanted to get rid of me.

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Maybe because you couldn't spell "principal"?

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Just on the latter statement.

[savoldi]

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nedezero1 wrote:

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savoldi wrote:

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1. Sure, but you brought them if you could and it was feasible. All paid for.

2. What was available is key. Otherwise there would have been standing room only in Hawaii.

3. Moving expense is a big reason why people don't move, especially the minimum wage types.

Let's face it, ned. The military is one of the best unions you can join whether or not it's spelled out like that. Fuil of socialist-type perks, too. The reason it's like that is because that's what works in that situation.

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You still seem to think expenses is the primary reason why people don't want to move.

How do you explain people who won't even look for jobs in other states....when many employers will pay for relocation?

No, the reaosn people don't want to move is becasue it's not "home". Plain and simple.

And if we have it so easy in the military, then I anxiously await your enlistement.

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I did 10. None of it was easy, but the benefits are undeniably the best.

[Marko]

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guido61 wrote:

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Marko wrote:

I’ve been through quite a few principles in my 20 years teaching (career-tech), and a couple times I had principles who wanted to get rid of me.

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Maybe because you couldn't spell "principal"?

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Embarassed… (did I speel that rite?)

I blaim it on the cheep whine! 

I swear, every time I post while drinking, I regret it…

I’d probably have a thousand more posts if I didn’t delete them upon waking up in the morning, haha.

[RedRoadEnsemble]

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Marko wrote:

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guido61 wrote:

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Marko wrote:

I’ve been through quite a few principles in my 20 years teaching (career-tech), and a couple times I had principles who wanted to get rid of me.

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Maybe because you couldn't spell "principal"?

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Embarassed… (did I speel that rite?)

I blaim it on the cheep whine! 

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Ice storm. It was a bizarre day.

[Marko]

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RedRoadEnsemble wrote:

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Marko wrote:

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guido61 wrote:

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Marko wrote:

I’ve been through quite a few principles in my 20 years teaching (career-tech), and a couple times I had principles who wanted to get rid of me.

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Maybe because you couldn't spell "principal"?

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Embarassed… (did I speel that rite?)

I blaim it on the cheep whine! 

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Ice storm. It was a bizarre day.

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[nedezero1]

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savoldi wrote:

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nedezero1 wrote:

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savoldi wrote:

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1. Sure, but you brought them if you could and it was feasible. All paid for.

2. What was available is key. Otherwise there would have been standing room only in Hawaii.

3. Moving expense is a big reason why people don't move, especially the minimum wage types.

Let's face it, ned. The military is one of the best unions you can join whether or not it's spelled out like that. Fuil of socialist-type perks, too. The reason it's like that is because that's what works in that situation.

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You still seem to think expenses is the primary reason why people don't want to move.

How do you explain people who won't even look for jobs in other states....when many employers will pay for relocation?

No, the reaosn people don't want to move is becasue it's not "home". Plain and simple.

And if we have it so easy in the military, then I anxiously await your enlistement.

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I did 10. None of it was easy, but the benefits are undeniably the best.

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Okay well you're opinion stands as valid. Mine may differ, but if you're telling the truth, then yours is no more or less valid than mine.

[savoldi]

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Hoddy wrote:

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savoldi wrote:

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Hoddy wrote:

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radomu wrote:

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Hoddy wrote:

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radomu wrote:

It's nice to see that the public relations industry has succeeded in brainwashing a large minority of the middle class to believe in policies that go directly against their interests, which refers to the destruction of trade unionism in the United States.

guido61 wrote:

For fuck's sake...

...only in America, I suppose, can you find people so stupid that they actually CHEER their own wages being reduced......

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They can't connect these dots. What do you expect?

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How many US trade unions have you been a member of?

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What does that question have anything to do with it? The evidence is clear: the decline of unionism dirrectly leads to the decline of material equality in any industrial society. It's obvious why: when there is a political and economic opposition to corporate anarchism in order to protect worker interest, the results are clear enough.

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Maybe part of the reason for the decline of unionism is the unions themselves...over the years I've belonged to four trade unions...laborers, steel workers, carpenters and operating engineers. In all of those I saw corruption, favortism and nepotism. I saw union foremen and supervisors involved in loan sharking and extortion among other things. The best move I ever made was getting out of them.

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Right, because look where you are now.

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The construction industry tanked in our area...affecting both union and non-union tradesmen.

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Lots of things affect both, especially union wages.