Erin Park Lexus in Ontario

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:45 am Post subject:

Angry_worker

Please understand something about us "union haters". We absolutely don't hate the members of the union. we consider them to be victims in all of this. It is the union management/executive who recieve most of our disdain.

I am very sorry to hear that it didn't work out too well for your first contract. I am also not surprised since I did not expect the CAW to work very hard at it. Their focus was to get you ANY contract and to continue to collect your dues so they can put that money to, what they call, "good use" forwarding their political agenda and feathering their own nests.
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:54 am Post subject:

Well, as usual, the only winner was the union. they represent another workplace, they get their cut of everyone's paycheques, and they set another example of a "happilly" unionized workplace.

The employees as usual are on the loosing end of things, a victim of the big business union.

The union cites this offer as being "better" but it would be interesting to see what (if any) real differences exist between it and the initial company offer. (I've seen times where the "better" offer is actually worse than the initial company one the union refuses to let the employees even see)

The union chose to end the strike now because they didn't want to risk the workers giving up on them and returning to work. it has nothing to do with what's best for the employees, it's all about what's best for the union.

I am sorry that you are now locked in to a union contract, but if you truly feel alienated by them you have a small enough workplace that you can actually do something about it, small workplaces CAN decertify (it's impossible for large companies)

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:06 pm Post subject:

Angry_Worker... being my poetic self, oft given to prose and such Shocked

, I found a bit of a speech given by Roosevelt in 1910.

Take this in the vein in which it is written.

I understand what all of you are saying, and appreciate you all being reasonably diplomatic and tolerating me while I vent my frustration here, there and everywhere. I'm not a snotty-nosed kid straight out of high school who should be counting my lucky stars that I found a company to sponsor me for an apprenticeship program sometime in the future. I am a hard working professional with a dozen years of work experience, a family man devoted to my family and my work. The amount of stress we are put under; from managers who downsize and then demand more from those "lucky ones" who were spared, from whiny customers with sky-high expectations (put there by managers and owners) that's not to mention that life happens too, the stress is immense. In the last 10 years I have suffered from ulcers, anxiety attacks, chronic back pain, depression, domestic troubles, all caused by workplace stress. Sometimes I wonder how we can call ourselves a civilized and developed country when we are not much different from third world countries when it comes to the workplace.
Why blame everything on the union? I compare unions to Al-Qaida.
Al-Qaida are a bunch of sick people that have their own agendas, beyond that which we know about or have been told. All we see is the havoc they wreak and the horrible acts of violence they carry out. So why is it that they still have strong support and sympathy all over the world. It is because, like unions THEY ARE JUST A BYPRODUCT, THE RESULT OF GREED AND TYRANNY OF A GREATER EVIL THAT PREYS ON THE WEAK AND POWERLESS. Unions wouldn`t exist if business owners treated workers fairly, like human beings, like equals. I don;t think such is the case in white-collared workplaces. There, workers are treated with more respect. It`s us blue-collared cockroaches; the owners can`t stand the way we look, the way we smell, and don`t think we deserve to live like equals. I`ve worked in 7 different places over the past 12 years. One of those places I worked 6 years for, so it`s not that I am a big complainer. The place I worked in for 6 years. Big mistake. I actually thought that, through hard work and loyalty, I would eventually be appreciated and promoted in due time. They kept tacking on hours over the years; from 8am start, to 7:30, to 7am, then weekends went from 9am start to 7am start. Never offered extra money. Everytime they added time it was always the same shpeel `it`s just an extra half hour, nothing to lose your cool over` Yeah, sure, Thanks boss. Always smiling. It`ll pay off one day. Then they switched to shifts. One week early morning to mid afternoon, the next week lat morning to late evening. Gee thanks, now I can kiss night school goodbye. So much for continuing education to better myself. Well now that we`re stuck here FOR LIFE they`ll compensate us fairly right. You`d think. You be wrong.
So go ahead and blame unions, blame Bin Laden`s Al-Qaida, blame Ahmedinejad`s Iran, Blame Castro`s Cuba aand Chavez`s Venezuela, blame the Soviets and the Eastern Bloc, blame the Ayatollah and Saddam, just turn a blind eye to the real reason for their existence.

Oh, and thanks, NC, for the inspiring quote from ROOSEVELT.. Ah yes, someone born into wealth. A man who said,`Speak softly and carry a big stick`, a man who hated savage native peoples all over the world, where whites ruled and detested Turks (my people) and muslims. I`m very inspired!

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:11 am Post subject:

My quote was intended to give praise where you have had scant little. Mr. Roosevelt's foibles are, much like the benefits of unions were from a time past, when there were no human rights laws or laws that employers could break. Happily we now have both.

Back to topic, are things are work calming yet? I would like to tell you that I think things will improve now but I am doubtful. I mean, they will get better without the picket line but you are not allowed to speak with your employer directly about improvements to your workplace, you are obliged to go through the union. About the only hope I can give is to make sure your Steward knows his stuff and cares at least a bit about both sides, Employer and Union.

Be sure someone champions "Employees" too, they are often left on their own in these and future battles.
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