A conversation with my trump coworkers last night at work

[TEB]

I walk in lunch room around 02:00.My union trump supporting misguided brethren are woofing down sandwiches and slopping down soup. And they have fox on I shut tv off hey we we’re watching that I heard from them.

I replied not in the mood to hear any facist tv propaganda. They are as sick and mental over at Fox as your orange yam in the White House. That got em going me stroking them calling their dear leader mental actually I enjoy it getting them wound up.

Teb - I said look fellas he’s completely mental. He needs psychiatric help and after 2020 he will get it.

Trump supporters - what do you mean after 2020

Teb - I said after the SDNY charges him with and after he’s convicted. He will receive psych help in New York State prison system. Then I looked at a true union brother a fine teamster a good democrat a vet as I am we have known each other probably since 93 when we both worked at Preston 151 trucking. I winked and said. You know if I would have took that change operations back in 2010 and went to buffalo to work. My tax dollars would be helping orange anus get mental help once he’s in New York State prison.

[alagary]

1. Posting from the emergency room?

[TEB]

2. No from sofa

[LuckyCharms]

12. Where are you posting from, alagary? Welcome to DU.

[lunatica]

28. You have no idea who TEB is do you?

[trof]

44. Neither do I and what are barbtries?

[sprinkleeninow]

54. TEB da MAN-guy... ⛟ 🛣👍

Hi, TEB!

[Coventina]

29. It's good that you notice RWNJs are prone to violence.

Welcome to DU.

[barbtries]

3. did a single one

look at you as if they heard what you said? i swear his cult is as "mental" as he is. the cognitive dissonance is really startling when you're sitting next to it.

[TEB]

5. No unfortunately not barbtries

In one ear and out the other

[barbtries]

14. isn't it remarkable?

did any of them try to argue with you? it's all out there. i am convinced that they have some weird mechanism in their brain that allows them to just skip over facts. they're brainwashed. seriously brainwashed.

i was thinking the other day that today's trump republicans read 1984 and see it as an illustration of Utopia.

[demosincebirth]

27. They should teach The History of Labor and it's struggles

And make it mandatory, in all HS, in the U.S.

[barbtries]

37. when we get the majority

we can make some changes. until and unless that happens, the dumbing down continues apace. it's worked so well for republicans. i think that's why they're digging in their heels: they can taste permanent one-party rule it's so close.

[calimary]

32. Maybe when you become a trumper, your head is automatically

filled with cement. Sure won’t need any brains or reasoning capabilities once you’ve crossed that threshold.

[oldsoftie]

46. They're just like 9/11 "truthers"; always an "answer" for any proof to be called "fake"

[barbtries]

47. not my brother.

he just goes "hmph" and refuses to engage. he listens to nothing but fox.

[oldsoftie]

48. Well, I guess thats a lot better than arguing!

[barbtries]

49. if we could have an adult conversation...

well, we can't. so we don't talk. it's sad but it is what it is.

[sprinkleeninow]

55. When one of these with earplugs and blinders on gets personally bit in the butt,

perchance their own tide will turn.

[Duppers]

23. +10

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Sounds like you had a interesting

shift. Damn,same crap with Reagan and Bush. Always said the Stews Job was like herding Cats.

Fun from time to time to still the ugly pot.

[TEB]

6. Absolutely

[3catwoman3]

7. You are a brave man.

[demosincebirth]

8. Can't understand...teamsters for the jerk. Doesn't your local

Educate them, a little?

[TEB]

9. These idiots are oh just fuck it

I can’t explain them

[Wellstone ruled]

13. Most of our Teamster's come from

or are members of old line Blue Collar Families and new Immigrants. After Nam,our ranks became very Conservative when it comes to social issues as well as Political issues.

Where else can someone make a well above average Income with full Bennie's without a College Degree. And I worked with several with Degrees who loved busting their butts jockeying a truck or pushing freight rather than sitting in a office.

Pre Nixon our Local did Union Educational programs as well as Union Family events several times a year. With the scandals involving the Tropicana,Green Tree Finical,and the Nixon Campaign,all those went away. Internal Politics and Image caused the Educational programs to just fade away.

[demosincebirth]

25. I drove trucks as a teamster for 40 years, out of Oakland. I never knew

Never knew of any brother that voted republican. Every election, federal or local, our local would recommend democratic candidates up an down the ballot. In coffee shops we would have a few who didn’t know which side their bread was buttered on

[Wellstone ruled]

33. Spend about the same length of time

as a Member,and sad to say,had about 20% of our Local who voted against their best interest. During that period of time,the 20% were Religious Nut Jobs,and as a Stew,it would get down right interesting some days.

Irony was,ever single one of those folks were damn hard workers and never once had to take a Grievance Meeting.

Again,at that time when attending Joint Council Meetings,the topic of new religious groups and their attitudes towards social issues was always a topic as well as how this would play out in Election Cycles. At the time our Operations Manager was old school and love Management by turmoil. Always a new interesting day some times.

[TEB]

42. I understand brother

[TEB]

41. Brother it has changed

No drama but I miss the old school union brothers. I was a young kid out army and they taught me hey kid this is how you do it write this grievance or hey this is how you get from this barn well terminal to that terminal when I started driving after the dock. Those guys took no shit did there jobs and I loved them today these guys younger men I don’t get em.

[Wellstone ruled]

43. Hey many of these newbe's are our Kids and Grand kids.

As one of them said,you Guy's raised me and stop bitching. Ooops! But damn sure do like that nice paycheck and all those Toys he bought.

The Kid is a hare core Socialist like Gramps. Like he said,I put in my eight and I got first dollar coverage. Where else can I get this. Sure bitches about having to do Mandatory Overtime,takes away from his recreation.

[demosincebirth]

50. I hear you, Brother! Big bucks and lots of OT

[Hortensis]

10. Is the union the reason you still have a job?

I’ve never belonged to a union. How much would be too much?

[TEB]

11. We're not the warm and fuzzy type

I been teamster 33 years

[Hortensis]

35. Lol. Heard some stories. But

a lawyerless and #mefucktoo frontier in 2020? Watch your back.

[TEB]

38. I been fired 2 times since 87

4 different freight outfits 33 years 3 of em are gone
Red star went out 04
Preston 151 Preston went out in 99

Now the first firing were for st johnsbury well first one probably 87 after army I went out on break fell asleep hey I deserved it I slept in my car over my lunch. Union rep got my job back.

Other one was with old roadway we always slept hotels in 33 years I’ve never slept in sleeper berth in truck. Sure at night at times I’d lay my head over wheel catch cat nap. Well old roadway tried hit me refuse work because management thought they new best. Years ago coming out Weather was bad and they wanted me drag empty pups 2 trailers I refused driver discretion mty pups bad snow ice suicidal. They told me on phone I was fired fine young manager I went back bed later ops guy calls me you ain’t fired. I said no I am I sat at house grieved all the highest trips got my job back at hearing union rep and I got paid. So unions do protect you. And we all started filing grievances on that young manager he got terminated. And after yellow roadway merged I left quit yrc freight is disaster went to one last solid pension paying teamster companies left.

[Hortensis]

45. An unexpectedly interesting post, a view into another life.

Thanks. As you say, both attempted firings were strictly work related, and your union helped/protected you. Still, I was thinking you probably have a pension to guard, and your employer has huge money to pay out before too long. Yup.

Sounds like being just a tad cautious to teamsters doesn't need to be anything like what's considered cautious in most workplaces.

[demosincebirth]

52. I should have been fired many times. Turned into a couple of suspensions.

Worked for YFS - retired in ‘99 with a good pension and excellent medical. I kinda miss those old days, every now and then.

[CaptYossarian]

15. In 2000, my Nazi co-worker asked me if I was a Democrat or an American.

I was new and hadn't known anyone like him, so I told him the truth. He ended up convincing management to let me go.

I went to a competitor and watched his workplace close the following year. He was a single parent with sole custody of a handicapped daughter. Our "socialist" programs probably helped the girl, but he was hurting without an income or benefits.

[TEB]

17. Stinking rat

That was big ignorant what he pulled on you glad it worked out for you

[CaptYossarian]

19. I didn't fit anyway. The one minority employee's job was picking up garbage, and

I wouldn't join my department's "divorce club". At break time, we all sat at the same table and all the others were contemplating where to store their guns for when they divorced their wives. This told me they were physically/emotionally abusing the wives.

I was better off leaving even if the place had flourished.

[kimbutgar]

22. Payback must have been a bitch for him

[CaptYossarian]

26. You know it. Even with coverage he was already missing a couple of teeth.

Without coverage--he'd better enjoy broth.

[Texin]

16. Provoking and laughing at their stupidity is all anyone can do.

They are hardline cult members that have been brain-sucked and implanted with dumbsticks.

They CANNOT be changed, nor can they be persuaded. It's not worth the effort to treat them as equals with enough functioning cognitive capacity to be able to walk upright and breathe at the same time. They are the proverbial 'waste of air'.

[CaptYossarian]

20. It sounds like a new disease: Donzheimer's or Donmentia.

The mind is shot and there's no improvement or cure.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

58. It's funny

Until they vote.....sometimes I wish we would embrace voter suppression. It seems to ne very effective.

[czarjak]

18. Just shaking things up, huh, Trumpbillies?

Work for a living and vote Republican? Slitting your own throat!

[kimbutgar]

21. My hubby works for a major airline and a lot of his coworkers are right wing nut jobs

Who think it’s ok for the rich to pay lower taxes then them and are ok with mf45 as he is the greatest president ever. They make good hourly wages and benefits which if mf45 gets a second term they will invalidate all union contracts and those suckers will be paid a lot less. Any working person voting for mf45 is like a chicken supporting Colonel Sanders and Popeyes.

[TEB]

24. Absolutely

[Newest Reality]

30. The thing is...

their tune would change once the authoritarian regime they are rooting for takes full hold on the system.

It is easy to play their game now, but I really don't think they will like the results when they don't fit exactly into the requirements of the Party's dictatorship. That's when things get real and there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Perhaps a lack of maturity and insight contributes to making this a trivial game with a mythical, adolescent mindset and the behaviors that go with that. When they get their comeuppance, it is far too late.

[Ohiogal]

31. As we were in the car this morning we passed two homes that had Trump signs out front

I said to my husband “it’s amazing they aren’t embarrassed to advertise to the world they are ignorant bigots.”

Good for you turning off the Fox crap!

And yes there were union auto workers at the GM plant in Lordstown who voted for that imbecile.

[Texin]

34. And guess what? Those same auto workers would vote for him again.

[lunatica]

36. My little staff run clerical union in UC Berkeley voted to join the Teamsters

In our very first contract bargaining my salary went up $6,000 dollars in a year. I went from not being able to make my paycheck last through the month to being able to make it to the end of the month. I went from having to go to the Dollar Store to stretch every dollar to not having to go there again.

The Teamsters rock! As a simple clerical office worker the Teamsters got us a contract that gave us an 11% raise in salary over 5 years with the initial one time payment for the months of retroactive pay back to the end of the last contract. The rest of the employees at UC Berkeley, teachers, managers, student advisers and office workers who weren’t clerical received only a one time raise of 2%.

I am retired now, but boy! am I proud of being a union member, no matter how hard it was for us before being a Teamster.

[mountain grammy]

39. When I hear the words

Union trump supporter I want to puke My sons both work in union shops and they sound just like you.

[Aviation Pro]

40. This is the kind of moxie

We need this year. No BS excuses or argument, just turn off the Fucks Noise and challenge these shitbags who voted for the motherfucker.

[dustyscamp]

51. I hope you'll be ready if one of these guys gets a little too pissed at you in the future

And if we win 2020 they might take their anger out on you

[Jamastiene]

53. So, you like kicking hornets' nests too?

I live in the Bible Belt. I REALLY make them angry. It's that kind of sputtering anger, where they lose their ability to use words any more. Half the time, all you have to do is quote some stuff from the Bible that they did not know.

Good job.

[AlexSFCA]

56. I don't engage with them

But I am always curious about talking points that are effective. Maybe his fight against pre-existing conditions coverage will resonate. Maybe talking how he is anti-american with his putin ties, etc. They are obsessed with him as a person so character assassination may backfire but pointing out specific policies hurting these co-workers might worth a try. I was in a lunch room reading Ny Times or something (we have plenty of newspaper) and a trumper passed by and noticed, said: “Getting your daily dose of propaganda, huh?!” The only way to fight this is to get trump defeated in November. Then we can shove it in their faces. I’ve been dreaming of that day, how incredibly happy I will behave around known trumpers at work.

[panader0]

57. I always enjoy your posts TEB.

[jcgoldie]

59. I love that people periodically post conversations with Trumpers as if...

... they are Jane Goodall documenting the behaviors of chimps in the wild! 😜