Lets be clear I DESPISE UNIONS! You can drink the kool aid on it and claim all the propaganda, but the sold you out. Maybe it was a thing when workers were being ki---d working for 10 cents and hour and force to be slaves for Companies but its a different day now. These Unions are full of ignorant peons who spout BS because they are uneducated and run over by the sleazy bosses who politicked their way to Union boss positions... Don't get mad, you were the ones who never got educated and drank the kool aid by union officials. The fact is they use you for their personal gain and its not even about what a Union should be about anymore. Now we are in a modern age of corporate throat slitting and they play us peons off of each other. It's sad but no one wants to stand up. I see too many self-serving individuals running for Union offices for personal gain. No wonder the Carriers divide and conquer. Union Officers are self serving SC-M and your crafts are going to be eliminated because of it. So just accept the fact that Rail Unions are pathetic compared to other trades and sold you out. Become Non-consenting members already and save yourselves the dues because they have hemmed themselves into a corner with their greed and they don't care about YOU!
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The railroad workers run scared. Grow a pair and stand up and fight
Run for office if you can do better
you are fu----g ate up
Sad that a cereal comp y and John Deere workers union has more of a back bone than all our railroad unions have, at least they are fighting for better pay and benefits and reject proposals from their companies, unlike our union. The same old "It's the best offer we are getting scheme" Bet our dues go up again soon.
Only response is locals work their tails off usually, no debate there. But ask yourselves this: how much help are the Generals on up for things you know are right and they won’t buck or even try to prevent? That is the problem.
Don’t take it personally. After the union is dissolved you can still be helpful to people if you want. It’s not that the union officials aren’t doing their jobs, it’s that the value of that job is significantly less than the expense.
The union can’t be improved from the inside, it’s simply obsolete and refuses to be overhauled.
I was figuring out why we couldnt have a union x mas party. They said it was because so many guys got laid off and we didnt have the money. That didnt make sence because we didnt have nearly as many guys to entertain for the night. Then it occured to me., fist on the agenda was these union guys getting paid every month by the union. Thats their number one priority is to get their bloated salary.
The loudest complainers in every local never have held an office, never go to local meetings, never return ballots, never turn in tickets (if they do they are written like a 3 year old) (or they tell you they are owed a ticket and expect you to research it and write it up for them), spread rumors about union officers, accuse the union officers of being crooks and accuse the union officers of always being off union business, don't mind calling in the middle of the night to tell you they were ran around, ..... after they do all this they call you first when they are taken out of service, they call you and ask you to testify at their custody hearing, they call you and ask you to bail them out of jail when they got their DUI, they .... are our brothers and sisters and we are the ones they elected.
I have over 250 members in my committee and yet I have never been opposed on a ballot in 21 years.
I make usually 10-12k a year less than my peers because of all this "union time off". If I charged the committee for every day I had to take or call I had to make or overnight trip and mileage on my car our committee would be broke.
Think you can do better? Run for office.
Too late to unify, its already a done deal. The railroad layed off two thirds of the employees and nothing was done. Those of you left will be cut down like wheat in the field. They will replace union by outsourcing jobs, if needed they can re open already closed facilities as non union shops. Polish your resumes up folks, you're gonna need it!
Union brothers and sisters and brother/sisters and sister/brothers and non binary sisters who identify as transitioning brothers!!! Now is the time for unity!!! We can get a fair contract, but we MUST unify NOW!!!
If the original poster dislikes unions so bad why not try and get on at a non union short line. I'm sure you'll just love it over there.
I've said for a while RR Unions should merge, especially with all the cuts now. That way they cant use different craft unions against each other.
What is a local chairman going to do when the international won't do a damn thing to back them up.
Why don't you run for office and try and become the local chairman?
Amen BROTHER!!