Union Perspectives

The volunteers/first responders, why do we need to keep them? Lots of union members are volunteer firefighters/first responders. One reason why is that when the State, counties, and cities go broke, the volunteers will still be responding because they don’t do this work as their primary job. There is a commonality between volunteer firefighters and union, both under attack. For them it’s about community and what they can do to make things safer and better for their families, neighbors, citizens, and visitors within that area. It’s about being selfless in a time when being greedy is becoming more commonplace in this country. But the state and federal governments are making this volunteerism harder with the regulations and laws that make no exemptions for the volunteer first responders. These same laws for full-time first responders are the same for volunteers, and it is not done for safety, but to weed out the volunteer first responders. The way it is done is to put more costs and requ...

The under world London, England’s Jack London in 1903 reveals that homelessness was attributed to foreign immigration, especially the migrants of Poland and Russian Jews, who were accused of taking the jobs of domestic workers by accepting lower wages, which lead to a sweatshop system. In the “People of the Abyss”, which recounts the struggles of London in 1903, the unhoused population was made to keep moving by walking all night if they stopped or stood still, the cops would make them move on. At daybreak, the parks would open and the people were allowed to sleep on the benches or grass. Free breakfast were served at the Salvation Army facility. This was called the “peg,” which meant the place where they could obtained a free meal. The people, who partook in the meals, referred to the Salvation Army as “soul snatchers,” because the “free food” came at a cost in that they had to listen to the Salvation Army’s sermons. As was then is now, as cheap wages are incorrectly blamed on immigr...

The trade unions are being franchised. HVAC and plumbing just to start with. How long before the other trades are franchised? And before long how many union shops will join these franchise companies? When the unions go so do all the benefits. So how can non-franchise companies compete with a nation-wide company on price of equipment, advertising and hiring/firing? With that kind of power, franchisers will take over the market. Then what happens? Workers are back to slave wages, benefits and healthcare? At this time I have not heard of any pushback or anything to counter this franchise system. The franchise system has a good message to workers and small shop owners so I hope our trade unions wake up to what is breathing down their necks and recognize what is about to happen to our union shops and union members. I have said for years that our unions should help our members who want to start their own union shops or businesses. Where the owners are union card members. This latest attack ...

This blog was started in 2014 to support unions and workers. We were one of the first to championed a $15 minimum wage, universal basic income, a four-day work week, health care with no out of pocket costs, free education to at least a bachelor’s degree, climate change, and voter rights plus other changes that need to be made. This blog, with 673 posts, has reached more than 280,713 readers, which is about 15,000 a month from 137 different countries at last check. I have forty years as a union sheet metal worker for Local 104, now retired, and forty-four years as a first responder/volunteer firefighter. At this time, the first responders with volunteer fire departments, across the country and around the world need help. I think our unions could be of help to these selfless volunteers by touching bases with the first responders and asking what they can do to help out, like maybe by offering to sponsor a community free CPR class or basic first aid class for all and re-certify the volunt...

Sheet Metal unions and all union labor, they have come for us. Congress is targeting our jobs and healthcare. Congress is “negotiating” a national tax package that could devastate working families and union retirees within Sheet Metal Local 104. The GOP is backing a reconciliation package that will make massive cuts to the very programs that support our work, our families and our health; like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Unions and their members cannot sit this one out. All must pick a side for this is only the start because the wannabe “king” does not like unions and will not be happy until unions are gone and all leaders are in jail or worse—dead. We workers and retirees still have a chance if we act now. We have to stand together, but time is running out. Retirees would be very helpful if they participated in the protests and contacting our elected officials. The more pressure we put on the Trump and his administration could influence their decisions. Companies meeting wi...

As of April 1, there are 288 new billionaires added to the list for a total of 3,028 billionaires with a total net worth of $16.1 trillion. This is what is against us. They want slaves and slave wages here like they pay in other countries. Trump’s Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick wants the slave labor corporations use in other countries to be brought back and have Americans do the work. “The army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little, little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing is going to come to America.” It is save to assume if this happened, it will not be at union wages or a livable wage. Unions memers have to be prepared. Our old ways of doing things will no longer work and the oligarchs know this. All union members must start saving money and not go into debt. It’s time to question the difference between a “need” from a “want” before making purchases of any kind. It’s imperative that we become self-sufficient as possible, even to the point of gr...