Picket line

[garandman]

yep. my dad was union in the days when one union would go on strike and all the "brother unions" would strike as well. the crap we put up with, 8 kids to raise, and union bosses driving around in their cadillacs when the men were on strike and standing in line for government cheese and butter....

Learned that at Nashua Corp when the IBEW decreed a strike. It was in the fall and the workers lost three weeks pay. You’d see a Cadillac sitting in the parking lot with a union manager watching the picket line in pouring rain.

Complete disaster for the union. Nashua promoted from within. So all the managers took over production. That also gave them a chance to rework the production standards. They hit production targets on day four. Then they hired a law firm that specialized in decertifyi g unions. IBEW settled for 1/4% more than the company offered before the strike, but were locked into a longer contract. Most of those people had a lousy Christmas, but somehow it was an IBEW “Win.”

.....And that’s when I went to work for a small business, to learn how to run one before starting my own.

 

[enbloc]

If you must cross Union Lines, you best have a plan... Then CHARGE!

 

[Dadstoys]

Yup, in a heartbeat.
Sorry, I've just seen too much bullshit with the "Ya, f-you , I'm union attitude."
The same dicks crying about the lock out are the one's that pretty much ignored the calls for months in a neighborhood in Gloucester about a strong gas odor.
They showed up a couple of times , wandered around aimlessly for ten minutes and split.
Eventually a house blew up hurting the owner pretty badly and blowing the house next door 6" off it's foundation.
That wasn't scabs , that was the "F*ck you , I'm union , just try and get rid of me. " bunch.

 

[71montess]

Scabs are worse than liberals in my book... picket lines should not be crossed

Theres that union mentality going again.

 

[Fixxah]

I have a family and a mortgage. Union always steals my jobs when laid off so eff you and your union. Tell me I can't cross a line and I tell you to fvck off!

 

[Fixxah]

Does anyone else think some douche bag picketer caused the gas disaster and killed someone or am I alone? Years ago the strikers were pulling the meters and letting the gas flow freely. Luckily no one died then.

 

[Lip]

F unions, I'd cross lines all day long.

 

[yanquidog]

If you must cross Union Lines, you best have a plan... Then CHARGE!

“That man destroyed my division”

 

[BTSDOG]

So next time vz goes on strike you want the poor bastard customer to prostrate themselves in front of the picketers at a vzw store and crush their phone in a sign of solidarity? Consumers get harassed by these thugs too. I have a friend who owns a pizza shop that delivered food to management at one of the Verizon COs. Union zombies called his female delivery driver all kinds of names, "c*** scab whore" etc... fun people.



-Mike

Its evident by your quick and vicious response, that you dont like unions. Ive been a Teamster member for 41 yrs., and we are not “zombies”. Maybe if you took the time to focus past the front of your own nose, you’d understand. But Im not about to try to explain.......

 

[imgone]

Don't see a large picket lines around here, just 1 or 2 guys plus a cop in his or her car.

I am one of the locked out workers the reason you only see a few people is cause most of the people are out chasing the scabs to work sites.

 

[imgone]

As much as I think some of their demands are unreasonable, and people I know on the Electric side of NG had to make concessions that the Gas guys refuse to negotiate, I as a union member would respect their picket line, just as I would hope they would not cross ours.

But remember, THE GAS WORKERS ARE NOT ON STRIKE, they have been locked out by NG, and it is not only the gas workers that are getting screwed by that action, but many construction projects including residential ones are at a stand still due to no gas hookups being made.

Do you actually know what we are bargaining or fighting about ?

 

[imgone]

They were about to strike, so they got locked out. Unions lose me when they use intimidation on their members and others. I would cross if I wanted to, but I haven't had the opportunity.

We where not about to strike. We took a strike vote at the last union meeting we had. That is required, you take a vote and give the union board the numbers and notify them of the out come. The last contract we kept working under the old contract while we bargained for three more months till a deal was reached. We had every intention to do that again.

 

[oldguy68]

Nope! I wouldn't cross a picket line!

 

[imgone]

Everytime I go to my range in Malden I see more cops standing around than picketers!

Because we are out at job sites watching the scabs and documenting all the safety and state rules and regs they are violating.

 

[RHJJ]

Been driving a truck for 40 years and never crossed a picket line and never will.

 

[imgone]

Does anyone else think some douche bag picketer caused the gas disaster and killed someone or am I alone? Years ago the strikers were pulling the meters and letting the gas flow freely. Luckily no one died then.

First of all the area in Lawrence is not the same company. Second what caused it is well documented. And messing with gas lines is considered terrorism and the locked out union workers are fighting for safety and have been fighting with this company about it for years.

 

[not new guy]

Because we are out at job sites watching the scabs and documenting all the safety and state rules and regs they are violating.

Is that all? Just observing?

Honest question though, coming without any knowledge of what the lockout is about. What’s the point of the public protest? What’s the ask of the commuters driving under the overpassed?

 

[imgone]

Is that all? Just observing?

Depends on job and who is doing it. If it is someone who is an ass we are all over them. They are taking our job, pay and keeping us out. Also it is amazing that on a job we do with two to three workers they are using as many as 14. Cause they are untrained on what they are doing. They had a one week class and got sent out there. The fireman who have to keep responding to these gas leaks have had it. We where on a pipe that a contractor ripped out of the ground in Lowell last week, cause the scabs marked it wrong. We where there with in 15 minutes of it getting pulled out. it was over 50 minutes before a scab crew showed up.

 

[bsimardjr]

First of all let me say that I am one of the 1235 locked out workers at National Grid. A 26 year loyal employee put on the streets because a company making 6 BILLION a year wants more. I’m not going to get into all the contract issues, we didn’t ask for anything but to keep what we have. If you could only see the money being wasted now on scabs. Twelve hour shifts all time and a half. Paid food and drinks. All for subpar work. We see it every day, not following standard company safety or work procedures. Work sites with 15 scabs doing a job we did with 3 workers. Allot of the workers they have out there are office workers that passed one basic test. This is a fact as my 24 year old daughter is one of them out there. She didn’t have a choice unless she wanted to look for a new job. She was hired at the beginning of June as a cival engineer. They have many others like my daughter out there doing gas work. The DPU moratorium on non emergency gas work was because of the Woburn over pressurization incident. This was a total mistake by a management worker doing our job. I can say our job because that’s what my department does, instrumentation & regulation. For those of you who stated that you would not cross, much appreciated. Just so you know all of this is being paid for by everybody with a NG gas meter. Most of the detail cops working our picket lines are getting $110.00 again paid for by the ratepayers. Go ahead now crap on me and my union brothers and sisters I don’t care I hear it on NES all the time, union thugs, lazy union workers, etc. I work six days a week every week, plus many long days, bust my ass, on call every 4 weeks for 7 days. Spent many nights out in the cold just so those who want to crap on us, can have a heat and a hot shower when they get up in the morning.

 

[imgone]

Is that all? Just observing?

Honest question though, coming without any knowledge of what the lockout is about. What’s the point of the public protest? What’s the ask of the commuters driving under the overpassed?

They locked us out to try and force us to take the contract they want. The whole fight is about benefits, mostly for future workers. It has nothing to do with pay at all. We picket the sites were the scabs are working, to document and film all the mistakes and safety stuff they are not doing. I have no idea about the overpasses, where are they on the overpass ?

 

[not new guy]

Just about every overpass on the expressway just about every morning. Guys just standing there behind a sign that says “Illegally locked out” but about half the signs have tape over the word “illegally.”

 

[imgone]

Just about every overpass on the expressway just about every morning. Guys just standing there behind a sign that says “Illegally locked out” but about half the signs have tape over the word “illegally.”

Okay that must be guys in the Boston local, there are two unions locked out. I'm up in the Lowell area. The Lockout has not been declared illegal yet, it may or may not be. The labor board will decide, so we have to tape over the words illegal. If it gets declared illegal that would help us a lot.

 

[appraiser]

Do you actually know what we are bargaining or fighting about ?

I only know what a friend of mine who works on the electric side tells me, and you are trying to keep defined benefit pensions and medical insurance without an employee contribution among other things. Something other divisions have lost or negotiated away.

I'm sure there are other things.

As a former public sector employee, I am watching my pension plan slowly sink into insolvency.

Ask the Local 25 guys what is going on with theirs. I think they are UNDERFUNDED to the tune of over 5 BILLION dollars.

Personally I dumped a ton of cash into a deferred compensation plan just in case my pension goes the way of many defined benefit plans.... belly up.

If you can get an employer match and get into good mutual funds as part of an IRA, 401K or other vehicle chances are you will be better off in the long run, but that is just my opinion.

As for medical, in this day and age the days of fully funded medical care are gone.

I am not unsympathetic. It sucks to "give back" especially when you gave concessions to get the benefit in the first place.

It also sucks to see long time union positions "privatized", which is what happened to many positions at my former employer.

 

[watchman]

I have a family and a mortgage. Union always steals my jobs when laid off so eff you and your union. Tell me I can't cross a line and I tell you to fvck off!

Unfortunately you non-union plumbers rape your resi customers for the quality of work you provide so they they vote with their wallet when the chance arises.

 

[JoseyWales]

Here's a good movie about crossing picket lines, breaking and entering, and forced kisses.

 

[Lip]

Unfortunately you non-union plumbers rape your resi customers for the quality of work you provide so they they vote with their wallet when the chance arises.

Pot calling kettle black?

 

[jron]

Funny I have never see any union workers picket for the non union guys when they get screwed.

 

[watchman]

It's very rare you will get snide remarks from Union tradesmen even with respect to this thread. I don't see the need to bash your fellow forumers or neighbors or gun club members. Division is the liberal way.

 

[grizquad]

And union presidents or leaders still got thier money, no

Unfortunately Yes they did. Union rolled over and snuggled up with company and they got what THEY wanted. Look at UPS rank and file voted down contract..and union ratified, figure that one out. But bottom line, no matter what I think about the national officers and local officers, I still would not cross a picket line of my brothers and sisters.

 

[watchman]

yep. my dad was union in the days when one union would go on strike and all the "brother unions" would strike as well. the crap we put up with, 8 kids to raise, and union bosses driving around in their cadillacs when the men were on strike and standing in line for government cheese and butter.... yeah, I'd cross that line. MA sucks in that if you are in certain trades/jobs you MUST be in the union. so whoever suggested getting a different job, well yeah, just move out of state first (which I fully support from TX). I believe in right to work. I believe people have a right to negotiate their wages. I just don't "believe in" unions.

It's too bad you feel that way and missed out on so e traits your father carried .It's clear he had convictions and believed in loyalty. We have very few people in the world today who can carry his their head held high. Your father stood by his word and believed in his union the union does not stop you from working non-union only the individual makes that commitment. Plenty of union members work non-union when the union work days up no one stops them.