F the city of Detroit Unions

[reddog289]

When I started going to this site I was a bit more optimistic about the future of the City of Detroit. Being a Union worker myself I work as hard if not harder then I did in the first 15 yrs of my working career as a Non -Union worker. Union workers are not all a bunch of Fucking Lazy Idiots. I went through this argument in my preinternet days at a bar filled with both union and non -union workers. The two involved were like family too me.It got so bad I puked . I saw both sides of the deal.The non-union side was represented by my cousin who attained his masters in Historic Preservation. The other my "little brother" a Ford Motor Co employee member of Local 345. The preservationalist was screaming at the Ford worker for being overpaid.Likewise the Union line worker screamed back "You got a worthless degree". Having seen the way Historic Preservation works around here and my 45 year old cousin who is still not really using his degreeand prettymuch unemployed for the last 4 yrs to boot. Makes me glad I didn't listen to his advice in career options for me when I lost my job 8 years ago.As for the Ford worker I shake my head at him also. He works and his job is safe for now But he blew his money and thats that.I do sense resentment toward union workers. I did at one time admire and resent them myself.My whole theory is that when people talkabout the "Good Old Days" the days they are reffering to are the ones were union membership was high and people were not leaving the city in carloads Many points have been made here. Including residing in Detroit if you work there. Unions practice 'Strength in Numbers" Well looks to me there was Strength in the numbers of workers who lived in the City who abided by the rules by living there.Throwing the unions out I would have to say that it is the 40 or so years of bad leaders and the voters who voted them in. That is the problem.

[jt1]

Being a Union worker myself I work as hard if not harder then I did in the first 15 yrs of my working career as a Non -Union worker.

Hate to be an ass but I question this statement. Either you have a strong work ethic or you don't. Becoming union doesn't flip a switch and turn people into better workers.

Union workers are not all a bunch of Fucking Lazy Idiots..

I agree. Many, if not most are hard workers and certainly not idiots. There are however 2 issues in play:

1. The union protects the weakest and underperforming which is unfortunate for the hard working ones.
2. The union is unwilling to allow job cuts when there are curretnly too many jobs. It is this stubborness that I have an issue with. If the union allowed the city to right size departments and eliminated only the weakest workers the city would save money and services would not decline much, if at all.

Blind protectionism and the incessant belief that the city should supply jobs not services is the problem [[and poor leadership/management by the city)

The unfortuante thing is that city union leadership is just as bad as city leadership. We can blame the citizens for voting in the stubborn ignorant crooks [[which we should and do). In the same vein we can blame the union rank and file for voting in their incompetent leadership that is more willing to help lead the city into bankruptcy than support the firing an underperforming worker or support head count reductions when they are called for.

There are many situations when the unions [[specifically the AFSCME) use 'solidarity' before logic. One that jumps out is the Greening of Detroit issue. The good union workers get a bad rap, just as the voters of the city that research and make the best choices get a bad rap.