Tonight I decided to post a couple of messages from the strike days to give a contrast to the workers at RMS. Time has passed, and maybe a bit of wisdom will prevail over the old emotions displayed by the mobs. Please take this opportunity to read the picture posted here. (click!) Contrast that with the text message I posted below. Put on your thinking cap. Analyze these two views. Do you still agree with the side you chose back then. Did you come out on the right side of this conversation? Why or why not?Union supporters: Why did the union do the right thing?
Former union members: Tell us why they did wrong!
Non Committed workers: Why are you undecided?
All: make your comments here!
Copied message from AZ Starnet posted by the Neg. Cmte. below:
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220. Comment by Elisabeth D. (#3500) — January 2,2007 @ 6:17PM
Rating: 2 Thumbs Up
I read that letter too. Here's the whole text:
Happy New Year Brothers and Sisters,
We hope all of you are safe and enjoyed the holidays as best as the situation permits. It is now time to get back to business and continue with the struggle. I am sure that the salary folks had an enjoyable time, or at least the ones that didn’t have to work. As for the scabs, Ebenezer is too kind for them.
As we have now completed 8 full weeks and are starting our ninth week of this strike, it would make me wonder why some folks would consider crossing now. We have gone this far and it just wouldn't make sense to give up so close to the finish line. Do we know when that will absolutely be, no we don't. However, we can't imagine that it would be that far away as we have passed the hardest time of the year financially and we believe the company has done what they set out to do, and that is to punish us for going on strike. They have forced us to stay out through the holidays, but I truly believe that most did not suffer the way the company had hoped. Most of our people were working at other jobs and there was much financial aide for those in need. The toy drive was terrific and I have heard many folks say this was the best Christmas ever.
For those of you that may be thinking about crossing, keep some things in mind before you make your decision. All the friends you have met over the years will no longer be there, all the brothers and sisters you met and worked with on the picket lines or some other duty will no longer be there, the fight that you have fought over the last eight weeks will be all for not and you would have wasted all that time standing tall only to let yourself down in the end. This Union and it's leaders have not grown weak and have no quit in us. Although we may tire from taking care of all the business that striking requires, we will not walk away from our fighting brothers and sisters. If you do cross that line this week or anytime before the true end, you have given the company the strength to continue this battle even longer and that could be disastrous for us all. They are hoping that many will cross this week and we must continue to deny them the edge.
If you are one of those who got another job while on strike and found out that life is not all that great outside your Raytheon job, you now have a better understanding of why we are on strike to begin with. We do have good jobs at that company, but the more we let them take things away from us like retiree medical, a pension plan for future employees, the right to bargain for benefits and the costs associated with them and the continued assault on our working conditions, the more our once good job becomes one that we encounter while on strike. We stand tall to protect our good jobs not only for us but for our children and others who may walk through those doors some day. We must not sit quietly and let them take anymore.
Brothers and Sisters, we want you to know that we are very aware of this whole situation and are watching it very closely. This leadership will not sit back and wait until it is too late. If there is any chance that this membership would seriously be in jeopardy, we would do what is necessary to protect you all that have stayed to the end. We will not let this company ruin the working lives of so many good people. Rest assured, you will not be left out in the cold. We will get you back to work at your good job. At what expense will that be shall be determined by the strength that you continue to show. If our position is weakened by those who cross, we will be begging for our contract. If we continue our strength, we will bargain on our terms and it will be much easier to protect that good job once again.
Stay strong brothers and sisters. It may be a new year, but the same old struggle continues as long as we are dealing with a company that doesn't give a damn about your interests or well being. We will persevere.
Your Negotiating Committee
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Interesting note, huh? Stay Strong Brothers and Sisters. The same old struggle is going to restart next year. Are you prepared to go another round of losses with the union? Or are you going to wise up to this game and finally call their bluff?
Sign the petition found on http://www.iam933.net/ . Help pass it around.
Dump 933!
15 comments:
You didn't post any of the unprofessional quotes left on AZStarnet by the union leadership....
Cha cha cha.......
Solo, things will happen when they are supposed to.
Their words will haunt them; their true meanings exposed for all to see.
Without a union there will be less pressure on the company to raise wages. Have you thought about that? After all, it's not like the company will do anything out of the kindness of their hearts.
The union isn't pressuring the company. They lack the professional tact to do so. All the union has proven is that they are truly an indirect puppet of the company.
To the Anonymous poster worried about the Company raising wages without pressure. What pressure did the union apply to get us the fabulous raises between 2003 & 2006?
And thank you for posting. You are welcome to challenge our ideas. This dialogue needs to be aired so all the represented workers can judge for themselves what is right for labor.
SP, the union did have a chance to pressure the company in 2003, and folded like a cheap lawn chair when ready to do so.
Feeling bad that they didn't take advantage of the opportunity, they cried and whined for three years that they were going to 'punish' the company for sure in 2006.
Eleven weeks later, just who was it that got punished?
To our anonymous poster from the 21st. You must be an assembler, right? The semi-skilled are getting the raises; the highly-skilled get nothing.
Welcome to 21st century trade unionism; a joke for all to see.
In order to have power at the bargaining table all workers need to be united. That means all workers need to be strong unionists and support the IAM and their negotiators.
Without this, the company will not give out raises or anything if they do not have to per a collective bargaining agreement. The company will give nothing out of the kindness of their heart.
A divided workforce is what the company wants, that way you all get NOTHING!
In a Right to work state you will never get everyone united. What the union could do is stop acting like a bunch of knuckle-draggers and act professional. If you want more people on your side, then make professional decisions.
Strawman argument.
Without this, the company will not give out raises or anything if they do not have to per a collective bargaining agreement. The company will give nothing out of the kindness of their heart.
So, how do the salaried folks get an average of 2.5% annually when many others like me get zero percent again? You may have heard the term; it's called red-circled.
Oh, yeah, that UNION thing again.
You know, at some point, the entire bargaining unit will be red-circled. At that point, your united comment will be dead-on.
NO to the union; Dump933!
I have been on the fence about all of this however, where is the unions response to this blog? I am a skilled laborer without a degree but it really gets under my skin that my 20 years of service are considered equivalent (pay wise) to a person just hired off of the street. Also I see others (union and not union equally) who are just milking their job and getting the same wage as I do. In fact there has been a couple of times that I have been warned/told by others in my area that I should not work so hard so that they can come in and get overtime pay on the weekends. I say, ditch this useless union and get merit raises. That way if you work and work hard, you will get rewarded for it and those that don't will not.
Some may say that the company can fire all of us hourly people but I don't think that holds much water either. If they did try to replace us with "cheaper" labor, they would be in a bind since they could not duplicate the experience that long term workers have and the clearances that we hold are costly to the company and take forever to get. I don't think the company could or would want to cut off their nose to spite their face. I do believe that if there wasn't a union that the company would trim the fat out of the meat of their work force and this means both union and non union workers. Although I am an assembler, I am not worried about this because of my skill and my clearance, however I can name some who would get nervous about it. So bring on the petition, I will definately sign it!! Unless the union can start posting some responses that address the issues and answer some of these charges. Where are they anyways? Do they not have a voice or are they just too chicken to try to speak out here? HELLO, IS ANYBODY IN 933 LISTENING?
-anonymously pissed off!
The workers should leave the union, because it has bombed miserably as our representative. Why support the negociators who have failed us contract after contract? The company will give out raises with individual bargaining agreements. Ever heard of merit pay? The union teaches hate, and is responcible for dividing our workforce! The union has no credibility. A United workforce behind Raytheon will correct the injustices of 56 years of unquestioned IAM control!
Ninety six seconds of reason:
Substitute the "Religion and Politics" phrase for the word "union"
Audio Commentary
To Ninety six seconds of reason
I just can get that audio commentary out of my head. I curse you!
In other news....
Here's a bit of self-serving unionism, courtesy of the UAW
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081203/bs_nm/us_autos_uaw_1>
Unions are self-serving. The UAW is NOT helping their employers; they are helping themselves to continue to exist.
Our anonymously pissed off supporter from Monday, November 24th deserves a reply.
"where is the unions response to this blog? .... Also I see others (union and not union equally) who are just milking their job and getting the same wage as I do. .... I say, ditch this useless union and get merit raises. That way if you work and work hard, you will get rewarded for it and those that don't will not."
Whisper-quiet once again. Unfortunately, we've refuted their arguments again and again; they "don't want to play with us anymore!" and have taken their toys home.
"So bring on the petition, I will definately sign it!!"
Please be sure to tell your colleagues of this blog and our other web resources available. Spreading the word about the cause is the only way we will rid ourselves of 933!
"Unless the union can start posting some responses that address the issues and answer some of these charges. Where are they anyways? Do they not have a voice or are they just too chicken to try to speak out here? HELLO, IS ANYBODY IN 933 LISTENING?"
The have yet to be able to refute our arguments. As you can see, when a member does make the attempt, the same arguments abound, based on ignorance, not fact.
We look forward to hearimg from more of you as months turn into weeks and our process begins to rid ourselves of 933.
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