"No matter how paranoid or conspiracy-minded you are, what the government is actually doing is worse than you imagine." - - - William Blum

November 25, 2008

Bits and Pieces for the Week of November 23 - 29

Employee Freedom Action Committee, is a pro-business group fighting the Employee Free Choice Act. TV ads claiming that workers who cast secret ballots in forming a Union will hurt employees... is totally false. It will make it easier to participate in unions, which a majority of people favor. They are blaming Unions for all the current business related problems. They forget to mention that Unions provide affordable healthcare, livable wages, workplace safety and a decent pension for workers in a day and age when it's becoming obsolete. In reality, they are part of the "current system" which "allows employers to use intimidation tactics to stop workers from organizing." In other words Union busting. (7 of 6)

A big WTF! "The U.S. government is prepared to lend more than $7.4 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers, or half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, to rescue the financial system since the credit markets seized up 15 months ago." (7 of 6)

Incumbent Republican, Saxby Chambliss, currently in a run off for his Georgia Senate seat against Democrat Jim Martin, seems too like golfing with lobbyists. What caught my eye however was, "Despite having a “bum knee” that kept him out of military service in Vietnam, Chambliss ranked as the #2 golfer in the Senate and the 33rd best golfer in Washington, DC, according to a 2005 feature by Golf Digest." This asshole had the nerve to run a swift boat campaign against Max Cleland, a man who lost 3 limbs in Vietnam. Scum of the earth, if you ask me! (7 of 6)

Not something you hear everyday... 5 injured during protest in Iceland over economic meltdown. Yes, Iceland adopted unregulated "free market" capitalism and went broke. "About a third of Iceland's population of 320,000 are believed to have lost their savings." Let this be a warning to the folks that still believe in Milton Freidman, Any Rand and Alan Greenspan style of economics. Is it too late for the United States? (7 of 6)

2 comments:

Mike said...

7of6:

As an employee in the healthcare industry, I have to disagree with you regarding unions in this industry. It's been shown that unionized hospitals deliver lower-quality healthcare than non-union. This is because unions thwart hospital administration by being an additional link in most decision-making processes. I wok at a union-free hospital and we are one of the most successful and top-rated in our region. Many industries need unions to protect workers, but healthcare is not one of them.

Seven of Six said...

I'll go along with that. You have an industry that is built on professional trust and mutual respect.

That said, the article states which businesses it is attacking:
“Steel, auto, airlines. What do these industries all have in common?” asks the ad sponsored by the business-backed Employee Freedom Action Committee, which was active in several hotly contested Senate races this year. “Hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and union bosses that helped put them out of business.”

Currently my wife's Union contract (the Teamsters) is under attack from their company, YRCW.
The company negotiated the contract and now wants concessions. Now we face a cut in pay, healthcare and benefits. I'm all for helping the company survive but cut the fat and tell the investors that profits will slow to recover.

What would really help is if Unions could help the company fire under performing employees. The ones who are always absent, late, and abuse the greivence claim system of the Union.

Now the company has gotten the Union to concede. We are just waiting to find out how big a loss we face.

It pisses me off because it hurts the loyal hardworking employees who always do their work diligently.

Then the company pisses me off because they act like spoiled ballplayers. Well, were not making enough money now, so we need concessions.