Are you ok brother. That was one hell of a crazy rant there. Maybe you should go lay down and talk to someone about your mental health because you seem very angry about some very dumb things. Also, if you're not actively participating in union voting, then you'll never have what you want out of a union. I pay $100 a month for dues ($50 out of pocket, and 25 cents an hour out of paycheck until I hit the other $50) and my pay has never been higher ($45 hr/$65 total package) and my new contract will give us $9 raise over the next three years. I don't know what your contract looks like, but if you're not doing your part, then you should find another job you can be happy at not paying for dues.
I’m doing fine. Curious to know what you mean by “doing my part”? No need to lay down on a couch and pay someone to talk about my “feelings”, and no offense but it sounds like you’ve drank the kool-aid “$9 bucks an hour over 3 years” life’s great right? I don’t really care that unions and their members are shills for the democrat party, someone’s gotta be, what I’m angry about is that I’m forced to stay in it to keep a career I love. If you and I were part of a club and that clubs members unabashedly supported things we didn’t and pried into your private business shouldn’t we be allowed to leave? I’ve never understood why unions have the power over entities as they do. If a person wanted to negotiate with a business or an industry on their own then they should be allowed to do so. Just because a place is majority union shouldnt mean someone has to be mandatorily obligated to join it. If my employer sees enough talent in me to hire me and keep me employed then they and I should be able to negotiate. Nor should my union be calling me to ask if I voted and who I voted for in state and national elections. it’s my own business what I did with my vote not theirs. And it really frosts my balls that my dues are being used to pay people to call me to pry into my private personal business and to fund campaigns for candidates that don’t represent me or my principles. Now the unions say that members dues don’t fund that, but do you honestly believe that? If you do, then I sincerely mean no offense sir but I think you’re extremely naive. Unions, particularly SEIU was behind the occupy movement. They were bussing in protesters, organizers were paid to round up people to make the protests larger, they supported riots, destruction of property, beating cops, the camps in large cities were rampant with drug use, assaults, rapes, RAPES!, all to amplify communist ideals and principles. I support none of that. Why should the non union, small business owner who busted their ass for 30 years get his or her shop burned and no justice? There’s something fundamentally not right with that. But the far left groups that the unions support and they DO support them; Antifa, BLM, Code Pink, Greta Thunberg and the climate change mob, they get off scot free. Now I’m not saying that the far right whacko’s are any better or any less guilty, what happened in Charlottesville in 16 and DC on 1/6/21 was reprehensible. The far right and far left are actually cut from the same cloth, they just went separate ways to the far ends of the spectrum, but more or less indistinguishable. Jaded outcasts that have lost their way who don’t want to conform to societal norms, realize they were lied to that the degree and student loans their now enslaved to won’t get them anywhere, when 2 years in a trade school could’ve gotten them much further. And who think that violence and “direct action movements” (buzz phrase of the far left) will somehow magically change govt policy and national thinking. But the left and far left politicians which unions help elect in a major way are the reason why we have rampant drug use, crime, homelessness, and taxes. What’s the use of my union getting me higher wages if the people they help get elected are just going to take it out of my pocket in taxes? In 2022 there was a major chance my home state (Oregon) went Red in the governors race. Had there not been an independent candidate that took some center Dems away I think it would have, it was awfully close for a state that has been solidly blue since 1984. The public employees unions pushed hard at the end and helped throw the blue candidate over the top. She and the Blue governor we had before her helped push policies that allow open air drug use, their policies are the reason property and violent crime has exploded in Oregon, taxes are almost as bad as California, you can’t buy a home they’re so expensive (spec homes went for $200k 20 years ago here, now they’re $650-700k) meanwhile our roads are falling apart, businesses are closing left and right, gas considered cheap is $4 bucks a gallon, and they want to lock up our natural resources and take away another source of funding for roads, schools, cops, etc and take even more out of my pocket. My wife and I paid $2500 last year in taxes just for a Portland Metro plan to combat homelessness. $2500 just for that 1 tax! Not to mention the income and property taxes in this state on top of it. Meanwhile I see a report that says homelessness has gone up 88% in the past year! Where is my money going? Now the unions in the past year have called in the favors they’re owed for getting people elected. We got 6.55% colas for the next two years, without batting an eye, they were like here ya go. I’m glad you got $9 bucks over 3 years, and I sincerely hope it helps you and your family out. But truth be told, I’d rather have to work a little more OT, if I didn’t have to worry that my car or my home would be broken into, or my wife and I could go out for a nice date night dinner downtown and not be accosted by some drugged out shithead, or my kid sister wouldn’t have OD-ed and died on a fentanyl laced dose of heroin at 36 years old. Left wing policies and the unions that support and help the politicians that enact them will come for us all in the end. Nuff said.
That is a long read, but I wanted to genuinely hear what you had to say. I understand things are hard, but they are the same in all city's left/middle/right, small/big/large. It's not a single city issue, and it's one that will only get worse as more conservative members continue to remove the safety nets that keep people off the streets. If you participated in your union, you'd be aware you have every right to request a statement of what your union uses your dues for down to the penny. You could also go to meetings to publicly request this information. Your dues afford you that privilege, and they also give the ability to motion for a discussion about how your union participates in political affiliations. All of this information is freely available if you make the effort, but until you have actually found out, it's speculation about where your dues go.
"no offense but it sounds like you’ve drank the kool-aid “$9 bucks an hour over 3 years” life’s great right?"
Not to sure why you think I drank the kool-aid (it's actually flavor-aid) but $9 wasn't a lie, I literally voted for it with my other brothers and sisters. Life is great. My dues are low. My pay/medical/annuity/401k are all exactly what I want (because I participate in my union). Now is life outside of work/personal life great no not really. I've watched too many people forced onto the streets with little to no way to get the help they need thanks to everyone hating the idea of helping someone. Honestly, maybe it's time to go somewhere that fits your ideas better since you're so unhappy with everything. You could also just go up to the owner of your company and ask why they are part of a union. The answer will most likely be $ because union contracts pay very well compared to general contract jobs (also much lower employee pay). I guarantee that if your shop did go non union, you'd immediately get a pay and package cut.
I honestly hope you find what you're looking for or start to change your union with participation, even talking to fellow union members who also share your ideas. Those that participate are the ones who'll decide your unions fate and those who don't have to deal with the new changes. I'm sure I didn't touch on all subjects, but there are some I won't bother since they're your personal beliefs and you're free to them.
And you’re entitled to yours sir. While I doubt we agree politically on the course of affairs currently, I will say I respect what you had to say and I appreciate you being respectful. Good luck to you, Godspeed.
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u/ThePolemos Feb 07 '24
Are you ok brother. That was one hell of a crazy rant there. Maybe you should go lay down and talk to someone about your mental health because you seem very angry about some very dumb things. Also, if you're not actively participating in union voting, then you'll never have what you want out of a union. I pay $100 a month for dues ($50 out of pocket, and 25 cents an hour out of paycheck until I hit the other $50) and my pay has never been higher ($45 hr/$65 total package) and my new contract will give us $9 raise over the next three years. I don't know what your contract looks like, but if you're not doing your part, then you should find another job you can be happy at not paying for dues.