Corporate Front Group ALEC Pushing For Repeal Of Paid Sick Day Laws Nationwide

[teko]

http://juicyblog.newsvine.com/_news/2011/10/21/8426099-corporate-front-group-alec-pushing-for-repeal-of-paid-sick-day-laws-nationwide



Recently, a string of cities and states have passed new ordinances that would require paid sick days for employees at certain employers. Just last week, Philadelphia’s city council passed a second version of a paid sick leave bill after the mayor vetoed the earlier one. Earlier this year, Seattle approved paid sick days legislation, while Connecticut became the first state with a state-wide requirement.

Now, the Center for Media and Democracy’s PR Watch has published an expose of how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — a corporate front group that farms out legislation to almost a third of state legislators nationwide — is drafting legislation on behalf of its wealthy conglomerate funders to repeal these ordinances

[teko]

I personally have never worked anywhere there was a union. Those were mostly in manufacturing and the such and I was always office based. But if I had the opportunity to do so, I would gladly. My mother made the same as her male counterparts, was treated equally yes, but held to a high standard as well. So on this one, we will agree to disagree I guess.

When I moved from Ohio to Florida I decided I would no longer work for anyone but me. LOL  Which has its pros and cons as well. If ya know what I mean.

[brice1967]

teko, I work in a right to work state.  I can be fired for anything at any time.  I appreciate the fact that I get to keep my job based on merit and my performance.  

Regarding pay and unions.... there are national stats that basically say what your average bartender, plumber, garbage man make.

And your brother is entitled to his opinion in regards to holding on to bad employees.  I've seen it with my own eyes.  My parents were both union (not by choice) and they both worked with people protected and or shuffled around.  It happens and saying otherwise is being a good steward of the union.  Few union employees will say otherwise...

And you just sealed my point in regards to national averages in wages.  You said, "If I am worth $50 per hour, and do a good job, and the employer agrees that I am...."  Why do you need a union?  There are laws that protect us these days, and the unions were completely instrumental in getting that done.  Unions are business now.  The seldom if ever run anyone out of the union.  (I know a guy who got busted 3 times on whiz quizes.... he kept his gig.  I'd be fired in a second.... but I also don't do drugs so that wouldn't interfere with my merit...

Whatever... difference in opinion.  Your brother is entitled to his union, and he can continue to pay those dues.  I wonder how much of the nations work force is in a union?

P.S.  I often work harder than everyone around me because I want my job, never want to be mistaken for the slacker, and at the end of the day.... if the boss lets me go, he cannot say I didn't do a good job.  I'm fine with that.

[teko]

Without the unions, do you remember when the employer would fire you for anything? If they were in a bad mood or wanted to give their current bed partner a job and you were replaced as a result. Yes, these things actually did happen. They would hire you and pay you a wage and two months later hire someone else for same job more money. Those kinds of things went all the time. If you belong to a union and you went on strike and held a pickit line it was to protect your job. No one crossed that line and went to work in your place and it forced the employer to negotiate with you instead of saying screw you. Like I said before, unions were voted on by employees and if the majority said union, it was union. Without them, they will pay you what they want, will not gaurantee you anything from day one and dont have to offer benefits or anything. Sweat shops comes to mind. Why dont ya just do away with min wage and that pretty much takes care of it all. Sweat shops it will be. I asked my brother about unions hanging on to bad workers too. He said not, is a myth. They fire people all the time for not doing the job they were hired to do. Unions are more for negotiating pay and benefits and fair hours. Everything is equal. If I am worth 50.00 an hour and do a good job and the employer agrees that I am, he can save paying medical benefits and retirement on another worker. So you can look at it as half full or half empty it goes both ways. I have worked with people that think showing up and telling jokes is all they have to do. I have also done the work of 2 people while the lazy *** did it and no one paid me his share he wasnt earning. Probably cause we didnt have a union?

[brice1967]

You just mentioned the 50's.  Then you went on to say that the majority of women today are still underpaid compared to men.... where are your unions?  If they were indeed still useful, they'd be all over this thing like a hobo on a ham sandwich....

I am not saying unions are a bad thing.  I was raised on union money.  Both parents were union members, but HAD to be because it was a union state.  You HAD to be a union member, or you could not work.  So in those regards, you either didn't work or you paid union dues with absolutely no guarantees, something the unions used to tell everyone that they now had and were paying for.  

Unions also protect inept people from losing jobs.  If a union member gets run off of a job today, he goes to the hall, signs the books and they try to get him another job.  So now you have a guy who is inept/lazy with a job that would and could pay 2 employees.  (There are people literally pressing buttons and making $50 an hour.... if one was really concerned with jobs, why not get rid of that and employ 2 for $25 per hour or 3 for $16.33 per hour?)  In a lot of cases, I just see unions increasing the cost of goods.  

Take a laborer for instance.  Lets say the guy has a great union job and makes about $50 per hour.  The product he makes takes an hour to make.... bare minimum you could sell that product for is $50 bucks and you'd just break even.  Now, you hire 2 guys for $25 an hour... you get twice the production, twice the efficiency.... and if either was miserable at doing their job, you fired one and got another in there at fair market value.  (Why pay someone more for less?)  

I find it amusing when unions strike and their members are dying to go back to work.  Their "protection" keeps them out of work and will not pay their bills.... That must be the down side you mentioned.

[teko]

I totally disagree about unions. Without them and growing up in the 50s and having a mother who was the first generation of women to actually work full time outside the home, the union was her and others best friend. Still today the majority of women are underpaid for the same job a man does. The union prevented that for my mother. I think that is a good thing. Now like all things there is a bad side I will admit, but you will never ever convince me that unions are a bad thing. They have been for the worker and altho you paid union dues, you most certainly got what you paid for. My brother to this day works in that same plant and is a supervisor of about 30 years with accrued vacation time and wonderful retirement and medical. He belongs to the union and will be the very first to tell you it is the union that helps keep the plant honest. The workers voted to have a union and it was never something that was forced on anyone. If you wanted to work for Keebler, yu knew up front it was union. Your choice.

[brice1967]

Unions won't help in this regard.  Unions would have you walk off the job if they were dissatisfied.... wouldn't that be great at times like these?  You'd go out and walk the picket lines, but you'd still be required to pay union dues.

Employers are getting away with this because they can.  Contracts.....  I am glad I don't belong to the union.  People doing what I do and work in the capacity I do make less money than I do, all the way across the country...union shop or not.

We've got laws that protect the rights that unions were initially formed for.  We also have lawyers on the other side that will fight to protect the employer.... in the end, it is a few would be politicians pissing on each others leg.  Nothing gets changed.

[teko]

hmmm, its getting more clear every single day why they want to bust the unions eh? People need to go back to before we had what we had and figure out why we had them in the first place.

[brice1967]

My current employment situation says I get 2 weeks (ten days) to use as I please.  When I initially hired on, it was 2 weeks vacation time.... supposed to be a benefit.... now, if I am sick, that time comes out of my vacation time...

It's wonderful.