Wow. I just found the BEST comment on my local paper's website re: union bashing

[proud2BlibKansan]

I did contract management consulting for a national trade association of union only bricklayers and other allied construction companies. Here was my personal experience:

1) union workers were extensively formally trained by both the companies and through union programs. A relative of mine joined the pipelayers union several years ago and his training was extensive. A union apprentice program is not "learning on the job" but also formal training. Apprentices are almost always required to take pre-apprentice training and must past a qualifying test before even becoming an apprentice.

2) without a union, the competitor did not have the means for training of its new employees, so the vast number were trained "on the job"....in construction do I want to gamble on the quality of training when I hire someone to build my house? Hell no.

3) non union construction companies low ball bids to obtain jobs, as a result change orders increase the actual cost significantly...it works because most businesses already invested so much money in the completed process, they have to agree.

4) low ball bids generally leads to using illegal aliens or day workers with no training or skills. That is possible because only government projects require prevailing wage.

5) new good paying permanent construction jobs, if not union, will not be created using illegal, day workers or paying low wages.

Membership is declining due to low balling competitors who cannot not build the project based on the proposed amount. As union membership jobs have declined, so has the middle class.

My father worked 35 years as a salesman for US Steel. China is the largest steel producer in the world. Riots by Chinese workers in 2009 was based on anger that they are paid as little as $30 a month.

Tell you what, if you and other union haters want to accept like wages and no benefits, perhaps steel companies here could compete with China for production...but then again China also subsidizes plants.

I am getting fed up with this concentrated effort by conservatives to demonizing unions.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/19/2667633/letters-sunday-feb-20.html#ixzz1EWuqUlZF

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Nice!

[Lifelong Protester]

2. Thank you so much!

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. It's rare that a comment like that gets posted

As with so many other newspapers, the wingnuts have taken over mine.

[Lifelong Protester]

9. Yeah, I'm cancelling my paper this week

St. Paul Pioneer Press= Right wing rag (wasn't always so)

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Read it online

:)

[YvonneCa]

11. EXCELLENT comment. My local paper is...

...like that, too. Usually, the comments just raise my blood pressure. :7

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. You should have read what they posted when my LTTE appeared!

It was awesome. They couldn't dispute the facts so they just moved right ahead with the personal insults. I loved it!

[YvonneCa]

13. Good for you! Persistence...

...is the key. ;)

[Overseas]

4. K&R! //nt

[tinkerbell41]

5. All true!

I served a 5 yr apprenticeship. 11 weeks classroom 1 yr on the job experience for 5 yrs.

[Sherman A1]

6. Thanks for posting!

A good summation.

[w8liftinglady]

7. excellent.. I'm waiting for the editorials in my paper

crucifying unions

[Starry Messenger]

8. k&r

[Enthusiast]

14. We allowed the far right wing

in this nation to define labor unions for decades. Just like they defined 'liberals'. This nation has been under the influence of a massive decades long disinformation campaign. Either we mount an equal and opposite effort or we are done.