Stupid unions. Hopefully they learn a lesson from the idiot union that worked at American Crystal Sugar just a few miles from me. 1300 union employees were negotiating a new 5-yr contract with ACS. Times are tough and ACS asked for basically two things:
1. The right to hire contract workers when the union doesn't have the skills, equipment, or manpower to get a project done.
2. Ask the union to join the group health insurance program that the management has. It would have cost a little more per month than the golden union plan and had a higher deductible.
ACS was even offering a 17% raise phased in over the next 5 years.
What does the union do? Refuse the contract. ACS offers a FINAL OFFER contract - the union takes their 'plight' to the media and holds demonstations around town. They refuse the offer (97% voted no) and the next day ACS starts trucking in replacement workers from Minneapolis.
Dumbasses. They had a GREAT job (ACS said an average of $70,000 including bennies for the union workers) to do FACTORY WORK. But no, they got too greedy, ACS called their bluff, and now temp workers are learning the union's job while they sit outside, picket, and play guitar.
It made me EXTREMELY happy to see these guys get a beat-down, and maybe I can employ one of them to mow my lawn this fall. The best part is in the newspapers and talk radio shows, basically everyone is calling the union out for being so stupid. So I'm not just being a dick, these guys had it GREAT and still wanted MORE!
Moral of the story is.... take a look at what you've got, and if it's half decent, don't make a federal case out of a tiny concession here or there!!!
Verizon union - WAKE UP!!!! Or you will end up just like the ACS morons!!