Winter officially begins in our neck of the woods.
- Thread starter #juan
- Start date
How true!
On the BC side when they privatized the foreman got in on it and started his own contract company and with help from friends won the contract but thats union and ndp friendly elk valley B.C. where buds help buds out regardless of qualifications or service.
That old boy network didnt fare too well here in Alberta,Volker Stevens not only outbid the scumbags that thought their buds would help them out,but they actually did a better job hoping to win the next contract.
They kept a few good workers on and turfed the rest,that got rid of all the old government workers who thought they were entitled to a job.
I saw both sides of the coin,as a teamster(IUOE) for over 20 years I worked hard for my union and the brothers and sisters but got sick of watching the old boys network,nepotism,graft,corruption,greed and a host of other things that didnt sit well with me.
Now that I have left I saw how unions really roll,took me many years for my old union to actually find my pension that was 6 figures and I paid into for 22 years,once I left they basically did everything they could to keep me in the dark and only a threat from the RCMP commercial crimes division got me my documents within 3 days.:angryfire:
I also was a member of C.L.A.C.(Christian labour association of Canada)but only because I had to be.
That isnt even a union,I was in the Kamloops division and they took my dues for 3 years before telling me that we didnt have a collective agreement and they would return all dues but it was going to be complicated because of revenue Canada.
2 years later and I still havent heard back from them,I should phone rev Canada and turn them in but that could be a lose lose situation.
I should just start a topic about unions and how they have hurt privatization and the little guy that just wants to make an honest living,something they are supposed to stand for,the little guy.
I so agree with you regarding the uselessness of unions. The rules are there for senior employees (those with over about 10 yrs. ) and the rest of us peons get all the crap shifts and jobs. If I didn't have to pay union dues to send union members on nice holidays (don't know why anyone heading up the union I belong to need to meet in the United States since we only have stores in two provinces) I would bring home a much better pay cheque. On a personal level, I believe that the boss man is doing all he can to send the store I work in spiraling to the bottom so it closes. That way, in a couple of years he can re-open it as the same store with a different label and no union employees. I'm not alone in my beliefs. It's funny to watch the "higher ups" walk around with their nose in the air thinking they will always have a job and that it will always be what it is. I'm pretty certain I am right and even I know the ones that will get turfed. It won't matter to me because by the time it happens I will be long gone.
I understand that there are problems with some unions, BUT I remember as a child, when there were no unions, and that was
horrible, so I would never say to anyone, I wish there were
no unions. Employees were treated very poorly, employers were
the power and could do and say anything, fire people for no
apparent reason, no benefits, long hours, very poor pay, favouritism, poor working conditions, poor safety procedures.
So, even though there are many companies who operate satisfactorily
and fairly at present, without a union, it was the first unions
who brought that about, and we all should never forget that.
People fought and died in some cases to bring about unions and
fair treatment of employees long ago.
horrible, so I would never say to anyone, I wish there were
no unions. Employees were treated very poorly, employers were
the power and could do and say anything, fire people for no
apparent reason, no benefits, long hours, very poor pay, favouritism, poor working conditions, poor safety procedures.
So, even though there are many companies who operate satisfactorily
and fairly at present, without a union, it was the first unions
who brought that about, and we all should never forget that.
People fought and died in some cases to bring about unions and
fair treatment of employees long ago.
We used to have a saying that the only reason for a union was bad management.
They have outgrown any usefullness now,we have labour laws and human rights laws that look after peeps pretty well without having to shell out dues so some big union exec can do nothing on your dime.
I've seen the UMWA,the 115 IUOE,the steelworkers and a few others cause the loss of thousands of jobs in my neck of the wood's here.
They caused the bankruptcy of B.C.'s biggest coal mine more then once.
I saw "scabs" beaten on the bus as it tried to go through a picket line,people and fuel trains shot at by union members,peeps having their garages torched while they worked nightshift as a "scab" after a year long strike.
My stepdad worked at the giant mine in Yellowknife and was sick the day a union "brother" decided to set off a bomb killing a bunch of miners.
I have no love of unions anymore.
I was a Union member for over 25 years. I think Unions have a role to play- monitoring safety PERIOD. In all those years I found very few other benefits. All they are capable of measuring is seniority. As a Union member and as a supervisor. over the years I was engaged in conflicts with employees. Most of the conflicts involved one of two things, either not fulfilling their job descriptions (mainly "dropsy and heart fever"- dropping down on their ass and not having the heart to get up) and disputes over entitlements they felt they should have and I didn't. It was my experience that in virtually every case the Union backed the drones, parasites and sh*t disturbers. They are also all in favour of the pay being according to the job description NOT the job performance. :angry3::angry3:
Yes JLM I agree with all of your disputes regarding unions, (in this day and age),
the only point I was making that I am thankful for the introduction of unions
long ago, because until that time the employers were treating their employees
disgracefully. We saw the same problems at the mill here, as you describe, employees
hiding under the union apronstrings when it was the employee who was lazy and
useless, and in many occasions they were protected when they should have been
kicked out on their butt. The pendalum has swung the other way now, and they
have only hurt themselves, but I also have no sympathy for employers, as they
would do nasty things to employees again, if the present day laws allowed them
to, so people will be people, and always have to be 'ruled' by someone or government, or fairness does not prevail.
All I have to do is go downtown and I can see what solidarity means.
A few years ago good union members still demanded higher wages as truckloads of machinery left the United Plywoods plant in North Bay when aspenite became preferred over spruce.
Just a while after that, Paperworkers picketed for more benefits outside Weyerhauser's Sturgeon Falls mill while the machinery went to Oregon.
Today, Steelworkers claim they have the support of the community for their nickel bonuses while Inco prepares to pull up stakes and head to where they have carbon credits.
Stupid Unions
A few years ago good union members still demanded higher wages as truckloads of machinery left the United Plywoods plant in North Bay when aspenite became preferred over spruce.
Just a while after that, Paperworkers picketed for more benefits outside Weyerhauser's Sturgeon Falls mill while the machinery went to Oregon.
Today, Steelworkers claim they have the support of the community for their nickel bonuses while Inco prepares to pull up stakes and head to where they have carbon credits.
Stupid Unions
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The side you also portray is just as valid as the side I portrayed. I also worked under management that was terrible and there was a time when I figured maybe the two evils would balance one another- but of course the bad just compounds. A good worker needs neither a poor union nor a poor employer. No employer (in his right mind) is going to mistreat an employee who makes money for him and ofcourse a good employee isn't going to be attracted to a union who only tries to achieve parity with the parasites for him. I don't think all Unions are bad, I think they realize the bottom line is the main priority.
Beautiful winter evening here. This is what I love about winter. I'll be tired of it tomorrow, though. 
Means it's a darn good reason not to live there (even briefly)!This is why the doors on the tents in an arctic camp open to the inside.:lol:
It's 11:00 PM and it's still 6 degrees. We are supposed to get some wind and rain tonight. Most people here seem to feel winter is over. I hope they are right. I have seen it snow here in February though. It looks and feels like October right now. We get some beautiful warm sunny days and then it pours down rain and the wind storms are quite something. We've had such a mild winter that it's hard to believe it's past mid January.
Yeah, you sure don't want to be fooled by it- I've seen snow in Courtenay and Campbell River on April 12.
They give you a knife to get out by ripping through the canvass if you cant wait for the labourers to come dig you out,amazing thing is they get so little moisture there as precipitation it's allmost considered desert like,the snow comes from the ice fog and wind off the Hudsons bay. It's hard snow also,at -60 you can run a bulldozer over this stuff after an hour of setting up and barely leave a track.:-|