said by Matt :

Unions need to go the way of the dodo. While most companies extort their customers, unions extort the employers. The cost of that extortion is passed along to us as consumers.

said by satellite68 :

While my position isn't 100% pro-union, I would argue that they've done a whole world of good for you and me and anyone else who's ever worked anywhere in the American workplace since yer grandpappy's time. Unless of course you'd like to go back to labor conditions of 1892 or so.

said by en102 :

OSHA has helped working conditions in this country.
Unfortunately, it has also helped 'export' jobs from this country as well.

said by Eat Me :

NAFTA has helped export jobs too.

said by NewMariner :

Shhh, the Liberal Democrats dont want to hear this as their leader Bill signed on the dotted line on this!

said by Eat Me :

NAFTA has helped export jobs too.

said by Eat Me :

NAFTA has helped export jobs too.

said by fcisler :

Except when your work for uncle sam OSHA means NOTHING - and I mean absolutely nothing.

We have had several people here from OSHA and filed many upon many of complaints and they just get swept under the rug.

The next thing is to FOIL the air quality results and take it from there

said by Matt :

I would argue that OSHA and the federal labor laws have done more than the Unions. They are nothing more than government sanctioned extortion. No better than Vinnie and his baseball bat.

said by Matt :

Unions need to go the way of the dodo. While most companies extort their customers, unions extort the employers. The cost of that extortion is passed along to us as consumers.

said by TKJunkMail :

I agree and that Rap Song is truly pathetic. Maybe the union needs a better PR firm.

said by morbo :

UNIONS: The folks that brought you the weekend.

Yeah, you're right. Who even cares about weekends?

said by Matt :

I can understand fighting for health and retirement, but paying a field tech $60k when the job can be done by a guy who makes half that

said by Matt :

I'm sorry, I don't think someone should make more than they deserve just because of the threat of a strike. That is extortion. Time Warner is unionized and aside from their recent usage based antics, their employees are paid very well.

I wouldn't expect to hamstring a company into paying an employee twice what they are actually worth just because they somehow feel they deserve it or are entitled to it. Look at the auto industry for how well that works.

I can understand fighting for health and retirement, but paying a field tech $60k when the job can be done by a guy who makes half that is bad for the company, bad for me as a consumer, and ultimately bad for MY retirement if I own any stock in said company. As long as that employee makes a living wage, then he is getting exactly what he is "entitled" to. He deserves nothing more.

said by fiber_man :

That's right one misstep and it's over. Now who cares for my family?

said by morbo :

weekends are a good thing.

said by morbo :

UNIONS: The folks that brought you the weekend.

Yeah, you're right. Who even cares about weekends?

said by Eat Me :

Hmm. I thought it was Christians and Jewish people who brought us the weekend. You know, two days for worship and all of that.

said by Matt :

Unions need to go the way of the dodo. While most companies extort their customers, unions extort the employers. The cost of that extortion is passed along to us as consumers.

said by en102 :

I agree on the first part.
That second part is why jobs are leaving this country.

said by Cod :

Jobs are leaving this country because of management decisions to maximize profits. If thats because companies are willing to eliminate middle class incomes for some third world half assed replacements, then you hit the nail on the head.

said by st7860 :

»www.urbandictionary.com/define.p···rm=union

an association that uses thuggery, hooliganism, bribery and blackmail to get the wage level raised above its true value for lazy workers

said by reddog6102 :

All we ask for is a days pay for a days work as we have asked for in the past!

By the way , dont forget that the middle class built this country on our income tax revenues over the past 80 years or so because we have formed unions to fight for a fair wage! Take the middle class out of the equation and your country will fall apart!!!

said by reddog6102 :

By the way , dont forget that the middle class built this country on our income tax revenues over the past 80 years or so because we have formed unions to fight for a fair wage! Take the middle class out of the equation and your country will fall apart!!!

said by reddog6102 :

CWA does not use any of the tactics that you talk about. We dont have to !

said by Matt :

Unions need to go the way of the dodo. While most companies extort their customers, unions extort the employers. The cost of that extortion is passed along to us as consumers.

said by Matt :

Unions need to go the way of the dodo. While most companies extort their customers, unions extort the employers. The cost of that extortion is passed along to us as consumers.

said by burner50 :

False... Typical (jealous) anti-union propaganda.

said by Matt :

Yep, I'm extremely jealous. I get to work from home 100%, go to school during the day to further my degree, set my own schedule, and I report to no one.

But you're right, I'd sure love to go on strike and not get paid while crippling my countries communications infrastructure because even though I am already overpaid, I shouldn't have to fix more than 3 trouble tickets a day. That's just too much hard work and how dare they require that of me.

said by Matt :

I shouldn't have to fix more than 3 trouble tickets a day. That's just too much hard work and how dare they require that of me.

said by poorte Achie :

Well, DSL workers are covered under a separate, inferior contract so it won't affect DSL tech support if there is a strike.

said by BocaJoe :

This is taken from an artcle published in Fridays paper...

Benefits widen public, private workers' pay gap

By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
The pay gap between government workers and lower-compensated private employees is growing as public employees enjoy sizable benefit growth even in a distressed economy, federal figures show.
Public employees earned benefits worth an average of $13.38 an hour in December 2008, the latest available data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says. Private-sector workers got $7.98 an hour.

Overall, total compensation for state and local workers was $39.25 an hour — $11.90 more than in private business. In 2007, the gap in wages and benefits was $11.31.

For every $1-an-hour pay increase, public employees have gotten $1.17 in new benefits. Private workers have gotten just 58 cents in benefits for every $1 raise. The difference: Companies have ended most traditional pension plans and increased workers' share of health care costs. Government paid an average of $8,800 annually toward employee medical insurance. Private companies paid $4,100.

A full-time government worker receives benefits worth an average of $27,830 per year. A private worker's benefits are worth $16,598.
-----------------------------------------------------------As we all can see from this article the private sectors workers pay and benefits have been falling along with Union Memebership over the last 2 decades... At this pace private workers will soon be working for minimum wage.

said by cmaenginsb :

Almost all public sector workers are unionized, they get their benefits through the same way as private unions, ie negotiation, strikes and lobbying.

said by cableties :

One like, "Cut the fiber. Cut the fiber, now!"
Or maybe one that is "dead silence" because that is what 100,000 customers got after that sabotage.

Sorry, I highly doubt anyone else but an "authorized" person had access to the wiring/cable vault.

I'm not knocking CWA (after all, they are family), but ignorant disruptive tactics don't garner favor with the paying masses.

said by ATT Worker :

We walked as soon as the contract expired here in the Detroit area. Been striking ever since the expiration. I guess management is trying to tackle most of the work for the time being.

said by RetiredAgain :

What I do not understand is why they do not strike???? They did get an 80% vote to do so. If you go to www.cwa-union.com and follow what att is offering you will wonder why they are still working.....FINAL OFFER from ATT>>>> I think the union is afraid they will be out for a long time