Unions are not acting like unions
Roachmj,
I agree with you 100%. I had paid union fees for nine years for nothing. At the end, they will represent you only if they like you. At least that's how it is where I work, the USPS.
The local Union President has always been a good friend of the Postmaster. The president even hosted the Postmaster's birthday party in her own house. They were also seen together in a movie theater, and three members asked the president to resign because of conflict of interest, but not surprise, she said no.
Another steward at work is also going to bars and parting with supervisors. He does help most people, but he won't if he doesn't like somebody. What's more; he'd make things worse for the few he dislikes
Last June, the union president turned in my email she said she considered "threatening," and the USPS sent me to administrative leave and then to suspension because of what she said I did. My statements in those emails were taken totally out of context. Management decided to manipulate them too to bring me unfair accusations.
What really happened? the union president was furious about the fact I had asked her to resign (in a meeting in which I was not involved and inf fact I didn't even know bout in June). Then, just ONE DAY (June 26) before she turned those "threatening emails" to management, I had also asked the union to ASK (not to fire) two union stewards to voluntarily resign because of conflicts of interest, unethical behavior and living disorganized lifes (one steward, for example, had three DUIs or driving under influence, which is considered a felony in Iowa).
Perhaps I shouldn't have asked the President to ask two stewards to resign, but I just followed my conscience in that night. I do have the right to disagree. If she had chosen to just ignore my request, I wouldn't have been surprised anyway.
So what happened in June 27? She came out with these two 3-month-old emails, where she got two statements completely out of context to get me in trouble.
In part of what she did, and also because of years of management harassment (like sending a supervisor to make it very difficult for me to go inside the work the last day I went to work) , I decide to quit.
So let me say here, I've seen TOO MUCH HYPOCRISY and double standards with unions. It seems that bad people is the rule, although I should also recognize that at least a few union stewards seem to be there to really help others and not themselves.
Have anybody of you heard the case "Eliserio v. United Steelworkers of Am. Local 310"??? The behavior of a union official was DISGUSTING.
They got mad because a Hispanic guy (Eliserio) complained about another employee who had calling him "Taco Bob," a term that he considered offensive. The guy who was fired was later rehired, then a union chairman distributes "No Rat" stickers.
There was also evidence that the union was involved with drawing graffiti consisted of drawings of rats labeled "Ratelserio" or "Ratserio" and the phrase "a woman gave birth to a taco shaped turd and she named him Bob." These are clearly racist names., and so what the union authorities said?
One union VIP said that before, "Eliserio didn't mind to be called Taco Bob." The local chairman said that the stickers he distributed (calling Eliserio a Rat) "were meant as a general disincentive to employees from making petty complaints to Firestone." But it was clear that this was an endorsement to graffiti with racial names.
THESE ACTIONS ARE WHAT IS GOING TO BRING THE UNION DOWN. Instead of complaining about lower member numbers and planning big parties and picnics, the union should go back to the basics: PROTECTING EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE FROM MANAGEMENT --NOT ONLY THOSE THEY LIKE.
In my case, the highest authority of the local union was not only socializing with management, which is clearly a conflict of interest, but she also helped them to get rid of me.
I used to vote Democrat all the time (with the exception of an extraordinary Independent Republican in Iowa, Jim Leach); however, after this, I will not vote Democrat again, or at least I will not do so automatically. I really think that the unions are really totally OUT OF TOUCH with the problems the little guys face. They need to change --and change fast!
StrongPuma