Can we join the U.A.W.?

[estew]

Hello to all,

Just your friendly neighborhood Diesel Weasel.I was just curious about joing the U.A.W. because I'm so tired of givng up so much to make the DP's rich and feeling stupid for doing so. I not the kind of guy who can not work as hard or as well just because I'm upset. I have a solid work ethic and responsibilty to the customer, which I am quite positive most of us have. I am just tired of being screwed with. I can't afford the benefits that are offered here in Cali because the DP doesn't absorb the increases. He does not even contribute to our retirement. I love what I do for a living, it's just not much of a living. Can we unionize nationally and what do you suppose would be the pros and cons?

 

Peace be with my brothers in wrenches.

[Jim Warman]

Ermmmm /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif , I have my own (very unattractive view) of trade Onions. UAW is gear towards those working in assembly type operations... For anything else, you might be wise to take a look at flatratetech.com .... IAM appears to have gained a lot of members from the automotive trades (though it appears they are doing little more than collecting Onion dues).

 

There has been a class action suit against Ford that underwent some.... errrrr... problems in the last couple of years. Several techs splintered from flatratetech.com and started blueovaltechs. com , taking what they could of the class action suit info. The class action suit is still foundering badly and could use all the support it can get...

[Shlep]

This is one of those careful what you wish for type things, I work in a union shop and I hate it with a passion. Myself, like you, have strong work ethics, customer satisfaction is top concern but many out there will agree that others don't feel the same way and the union thing will be taken advantage of faster then you can blink an eye. Granted the benefits are better but thats all I can say for the BS that you'll have to deal with.

 

Just my /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/2cents.gif and I'm sure you'll find others that agree.

[Mekanik]

There has been a class action suit against Ford that underwent some.... errrrr... problems in the last couple of years. Several techs splintered from flatratetech.com and started blueovaltechs. com , taking what they could of the class action suit info. The class action suit is still foundering badly and could use all the support it can get...

Could you tell me more about this?

[LARRY BRUDZYNSKI]

Quote:

IAM appears to have gained a lot of members from the automotive trades

Be careful I was under IAM at Cummins and they didn't do shit for us!!!!!

[Jim Warman]

Could you tell me more about this?

James, flatratetech.com was founded several years ago with the idea that if a large enough group of techs went up against FMC, something could be done about the shrinking SLTs (this was back about the time Jacques Nassar was busy hacking and slashing his way to higher profit numbers). Somewhere along the line, FRT became an advocate for trade onions... the IAM in particular.. and eventually lost sight of their original plan on the class action suit.

 

The core group seemed to lose interest in the class action suit - at least one even quit mechanics to become a onion employee. Whenever pressed for details on how the suit was progressing, no real details were ever offered.

 

In something like the last two years or so, a splinter group formed and started blueovaltechs.com. Accusations and innuendo followed (I don't believe that there's a whole lot of love lost between some of the opposing members) and BOT finally got the existing records for the class action suit.

 

To learn more, I would suggest visiting blueovaltechs.com and see for yourself. The lawsuit is in dire condition... nowhere near as many signees as the original list implied and the "spark plugs" of the site are in danger of throwing their arms up in dispair. Most of the frequent posters seem like a decent bunch but forum traffic is usually light.

 

For things onion relateed, FRT is probably one resource... but I feel the need to say that I haven't read any articles on that site so I can't tell if there's any meat or if it is mostly onion rhetoric.

 

Quite some time ago, FRT had a sister website called 6.0literpowerstroke.com. Like the "monkeyhouse", this was open to the public... The idea was to attract members of the public through dispensing free advice for diesel owners in exchange for them being urged to read about the class action suit and the plight on flat rate paid techs. I was a member of the staff for quite some time before the site was absorbed into FRT where I continued to be a staff member until the matter of organizing shops into trade onions became the focal point.

 

It was an amicable parting, I explained to Warren Johnson that I had my own views of labour onions and I felt uncomfortable being on staff on a predominantly trade onion website.

 

Before this FRT was also in the "business" of dispensing free automotive advice in exchange for the exposure of civilians... But soon after the focus sweitched from the class action suit, FRT started charging admission to the public to gain access to the "help" forums.

 

I still visit FRT on occasion and still post there infrequently... sometimes to help some poor boob avoid bad advice and sometimes simply to p!ss someone off.

 

Anything more that I could say on this subject wouldn't be fit reading for some...

[HeuiTim]

All I will say is the bennies are good. Although I dont expect to see my pension or retirement age, because I read alot of books and lets just say there is nothing new under the sun.

 

IAM dues are based on wages not retirement, so there is only interest in raising wages. If you think universal health care is a good idea, join a union, I am looking to move to a right to work state. I also see frustration with in management because they have to hold others back or lay off people that work hard for them.

 

Unions were lawed into effect to get shit done. Companies bitch about unions but they are just playing the game, its just like rooting for your favorite team, one side against the other. Its you vs. the company. The company has a contract work force, a fixed stable exspense that makes growth forecasting much more accurate. If the companies didnt always have the upper hand unions would not exist. Good worker bees making the honey.

 

I do not agree and it is likely why I am left alone, I produce, I dont stand at the time clock, I dont sweat giving them 15-30 min's of my time. It all works out, doing the minimum gets you the same. In return they dont mess with me. If you work to make your company make money the owners care about that. Piss poor managers exist everywhere so I dont waste time with them. Managers are in that job because they cant do mine, and they cant do the owners. Go to the top and get noticed.

 

If that does not pan out find the place where it will. You do not need to pay dues to collectively bargain. If you band together as a group and meet on your own time with them in a professional manner out of the shop and discuss, dont make it personal, the issues. They will share with you what is on their plate. If they dont you dont have to work there.

 

I grew up in a very strong union household, been in two different ones myself, you will always make more money with out them "working for the good of the group" Our parts guys got their asses handed them (different union) during the last contract. Everybody will always say they voted no after the vote, but they always pass with huge majorities.

 

If I sound bitter, you are correct, used them one time and destroyed my relationship with the big man, still recovering from that, all because they wanted to show the company that they had control of their members. It was all over the interpatation of contract language (pay). I should have just dealt with him one on one as I always had. A mistake not to be made again.

 

If any of you guys would like to dicuss what you should ask for privately I can help steer you in the right direction. Attitude is the deal maker and breaker.

[Fordracer]

15 years ago I couple guys I work with and me brought in the Teamsters. The owner would fire people for no reason and was always cutting everyones pay and was getting ready to cut ours. Whenever the labor rate goes up 2.50 and we only get .25 cents it gets old after awhile.

I ended up getting fired for bogus reasons because I got the union in there and they had to hire me back after 4 and a half months with back pay, that was a nice vacation, and I've been here ever since and now they leave me alone.

Everything worked out good for 12 years. We could get the owner to give in some and when his son took over he was even easier to deal with. When the son got fired and they brought in a new partner/general manager he started playing hard ball. We are a right to work state and we really have no power with a union. The new boss went to the bargning table and started slashing everything and there was nothing we could do about it. He didn't budge an inch on anything because he didn't have to. With the week economy, and they own two other dealers in town, Mercury and an Auto Care, if we went on strike they could hold out on us until they broke the union. It was a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.

This fall we are going to have a decertification election and get rid of the union and see what happens. I've been here for 24 years and I am the only one that works on diesels so I think I have some pull without the union. If not it's time to move on.

[Mekanik]

Jim,

Thanks for the info. I checked out FRT a long time ago, but it seemed like a lot of un-constructive bitching. Thats why I stayed away from that site. I had no idea that there was a class action lawsuit agianst Ford. That itself sounds pretty un-constructive.