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UPDATE: New Jersey utility denies turning away nonunion electric crew volunteers from

Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

lpast said:
Whats the problem ? NJ has the if not the highest but one of the highest unemployment rates in the country they SHOULD hire NJians Union or Not before out of staters.
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We're talking about high voltage power lines. You don't just hire some bloke of the street.

Not only that, how long is it going to take to hire the qualified people you can find. There are pre-employment physicals, safety certifications, pre-employment drug screens, etc. Do the people that have no lights, heat, or anyway to prepare food have time for all that?
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

ChrisL said:
How is it "at the expense of the people?" They will still get help.
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How much longer will it take for that help to arrive. it will take a week+ to hire new, qualified hands. You want to be the one that tells those folks that they have to wait an extra 7 days+ to get their lights and heat going?

Call me crazy, but I don't want to be that guy.

I mean, we're not talking about replacing busted windows, or leaky roofs. We're talking about repairing services that are vital for basic survival.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

apdst said:
How much longer will it take for that help to arrive. it will take a week+ to hire new, qualified hands. You want to be the one that tells those folks that they have to wait an extra 7 days+ to get their lights and heat going?

Call me crazy, but I don't want to be that guy.

I mean, we're not talking about replacing busted windows, or leaky roofs. We're talking about repairing services that are vital for basic survival.
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More precisely we are talking about working on services that KILL linemen in an instant, there are no 'do-overs'. Not broken arms/legs from ladder falls or from the roof or purple fingernails from missing nails but rather 'riding the lightning'...this culls MANY from the trade.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Dickieboy said:
More precisely we are talking about working on services that KILL linemen in an instant, there are no 'do-overs'. Not broken arms/legs from ladder falls or from the roof or purple fingernails from missing nails but rather 'riding the lightning'...this culls MANY from the trade.
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That's exactly right! They can't just put warm bodies out their doing this work. Qualified linemen get electrecuted on a regular basis and some folks want to through just anybody out there doing this work?

That's friggin' nuts!
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

I'm sure this is woefully off topic by now, but I just read the article.

I am frankly disgusted that this tragedy was compounded by politics when non-union volunteers... you know, people who are giving their time and expertise for free... are turned away to protect union workers, who most certainly will NOT give their time and expertise for free. Millions of people without electricity, and the unions are willing to make those people wait days, maybe weeks, longer to have electrical service reestablished and at considerable cost to the state, a cost that could have been substantially reduced by utilizing these volunteers.

This isn't a pro-or-anti union issue. It's a pro-humanity issue, people being prevented from helping those in terrible distress for free so that those same people can be price-gouged and have their service delayed out of pure protectionism and unadulterated greed.

There. Flame away.
 
Re: UPDATE: New Jersey utility denies turning away nonunion electric crew volunteers

Dusty Rhodes said:
I think I've been here at least twice and banned. I come around every election time.
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It's...so....easy....
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

DiAnna said:
I'm sure this is woefully off topic by now, but I just read the article.

I am frankly disgusted that this tragedy was compounded by politics when non-union volunteers... you know, people who are giving their time and expertise for free... are turned away to protect union workers, who most certainly will NOT give their time and expertise for free. Millions of people without electricity, and the unions are willing to make those people wait days, maybe weeks, longer to have electrical service reestablished and at considerable cost to the state, a cost that could have been substantially reduced by utilizing these volunteers.

This isn't a pro-or-anti union issue. It's a pro-humanity issue, people being prevented from helping those in terrible distress for free so that those same people can be price-gouged and have their service delayed out of pure protectionism and unadulterated greed.

There. Flame away.
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You're right; it's about humanity. I'm going to take Governor Christie (see link on preceding page) at his word that this union-thing with the Alabama volunteers was a once-off caused by "bad information." Actually, I'm pretty confident that the Governor has made crystal what "good info" is, LOL.

I'm appalled by the suffering..and a cold front is headed these people's way. Terrible.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Harry Guerrilla said:
I've worked roughly 60 hours a week for most of this year.
I don't see anything wrong with it.
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When I am working I rountinely dont go under 70 hrs a week, and havent since the late 90's. I tried to cut back but really I just cant do it, I HAVE to work or I will go nuts.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

PirateMk1 said:
Heres a quote from Men in Black by Agent Kay to Agent Jay."A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow." So very true.
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Turkeys unintentionally drown themselves by looking up while it's raining.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Harry Guerrilla said:
That really isn't the point.
Many of you find it perfectly fine, that this situation were true.

Completely unreal.
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Truth is not important!?!?!?!?!?!??!

26 pages of nonsense built on falsehoods and the truth is not important!!!!!!

I guess what is important is the continuing crusade against working people in labor unions. :roll:
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

How many statements from the people who were supposed to have been turned away, saying it never happened, does it take to nail the lie?
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Manc Skipper said:
How many statements from the people who were supposed to have been turned away, saying it never happened, does it take to nail the lie?
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There will never be enough because Faux News and the right wing media machine are convinced that it did happen, hence it must be a fact.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

haymarket said:
The vitriolic anti-union hatred from the far right continues unabated.
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of course - the main threat to fascism is an organised democratic work force

THere can be no higher democratic ideal than the workers right to collectively organise themselves and represent and improve their work safety and standard of living.

Historically, the Union has been the backbone of resistance to the forces of fascism in Society.

The 20th Century spewed out three major forms of fascism, Bolshevism, Nazism and Corporatism

THe most fascist of them all is Corporatism and that is what the fascist US system is based upon. The US corpocracy is a fascist partnership between corporate power and state power.

Good luck to the good people of the USA in dismantling this extreme fascist regime that has enslaved them.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Klown said:
Good luck to the good people of the USA in dismantling this extreme fascist regime that has enslaved them.
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Haha It's like this view has never seen (or read about!) any other country.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

ecofarm said:
Haha It's like this view has never seen (or read about!) any other country.
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I noticed that you were petrified at dealing with the other points raised in my post

Thats understandable - you deny the chains that encircle your limbs and shut your ears to the rattle of your corporate ball thar drags behind you

You dont have much time left to act ecofart - the last place you should be wasting your time in, is the INTERNET CHAT ABYSS - especially the politically impotent forums
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Klown said:
I noticed that you were petrified at dealing with the other points raised in my post
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No, I ignored them because I think they're garbage.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

ecofarm said:
No, I ignored them because I think they're garbage.
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So you admit that you have been dragging around garbage all your life?

Well I agree with you on that point

First time for everything folks

ecofart and I are now mates - friends for life
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Klown said:
ecofart and I are now mates - friends for life
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I'm gonna have ta say no. Nothing against you personally, I'm just busy. Ask some other people, though; try the CT subforum.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

ecofarm said:
I'm gonna have ta say no. Nothing against you personally, I'm just busy. Ask some other people, though; try the CT subforum.
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After all we have been through together - me slaughtering every single comment that you have posted and totally embarrassing you in public, and now you want to turn away from your therapeutic growth as a person?

I just dont understand it

I hope it wasnt the invoices I sent you the other week - I thought we agreed on my 30 minute block fee charges and that you were to handle the costs of your medication

Are you renegging on our agreement?
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

haymarket said:
Truth is not important!?!?!?!?!?!??!

26 pages of nonsense built on falsehoods and the truth is not important!!!!!!
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It's important in that, it didn't happen that way, but the reactions of individuals who put partisanship over people is what really matters.

haymarket said:
I guess what is important is the continuing crusade against working people in labor unions. :roll:
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Wrong, if I were in an area hit by a hurricane, lost power I could give two ****s who repairs the lines, union, non union, all union, no union.
Demanding the volunteers be unionized is retarded, especially when they're giving aid to needy people.
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Manc Skipper said:
Have we established that the entire storm in a teacup thing was a rightwing lie yet?

Huntsville, Joe Wheeler utilities deny claims of union discrimination during Sandy response (update) | al.com

Keeping the fear alive....
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Except that entirely it wasn't.
They were still mislead which resulted in their not helping. Which is the gist of the story.
From your above link.

The general manager of the other department mentioned, Decatur Utilities, has since verified claims that his workers were asked to affiliate with a union. ​

And your above link, links to the following entry which contains the press release.

"Decatur Utilities sent a 6-man crew to the Northeast Wednesday, October 31, bound for Seaside Heights, N.J., to assist with power restoration. Communication with Seaside Heights was poor due to lack of cell phone service in the area. Upon arriving at a staging area in Virginia, crews were held in place pending clarification of documents received from IBEW that implied a requirement of our employees to agree to union affiliation while working in the New York and New Jersey areas. It was and remains our understanding that agreeing to those requirements was a condition of being allowed to work in those areas. As we waited for clarification, we became aware that Seaside Heights had received the assistance they needed from other sources. To be clear, at no time were our crews 'turned away' from the utility in Seaside Heights.

"In connection with state and regional public power associations, Decatur Utilities attempted to contact other areas that needed assistance. However, based on the uncertainty of union requirements that we could not agree to and the uncertainty of whether a resolution could be reached, we ultimately made the decision to return them to Decatur after being stalled in the Virginia area most of the day on Thursday."
Decatur Utilities verifies claims workers were asked to affiliate with union before aiding storm victims (update) | al.com​
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

ChrisL said:
Harry Guerrilla said:
That really isn't the point.
Many of you find it perfectly fine, that this situation were true.

Completely unreal.
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Nope, many of us just think that the residents should get first dibs on any work. Then, if you need something or somebody extra, you bring in your volunteers.
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ChrisL said:
I don't think it's crazy at all. What's the problem with hiring the people who are most affected? It certainly wouldn't take longer to get them. What's the objection?
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Nope? Nope?
Crazy? Of course the position you have taken for a situation such as this is.
The Unions do not take precedent is disaster recovery.

Which is something that you should have understood when it was reported that the actual Union did not turn them away.



ChrisL said:
That is what the unions do. BIG jobs.
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WTH?
Unions are representational bodies, not contractors.


ChrisL said:
This is just one reason why the story is not complete. It doesn't say if they have enough help already or if they still need help. It only says that union turned them away (in Maggie's link). It doesn't say why though.
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First of all, the article did say why. They were non-union. And this was already pointed out to you over a hundred posts before this one of yours.

Secondly, the article doesn't have to say if there was enough help. As has also already been pointed out to you (you know, over a hundred posts ago), we know there was a disaster and that help was needed. The article doesn't have to state the obvious.

And since it has again been pointed out to you, hopefully you wont resort to using such a ridiculous argument again.

The article didn't say, oy vey! :roll:
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Manc Skipper said:
How many statements from the people who were supposed to have been turned away, saying it never happened, does it take to nail the lie?
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The problem with your statement is that it isn't entirely correct.

Dickieboy said:
ChrisL said:
The story is not true. Nobody was turned away.
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Er...uh, you may want to call Governor Christie and inform him of that...

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They were still mislead by being told they had to affiliate with a union. A ridiculous requirement.


"Decatur Utilities sent a 6-man crew to the Northeast Wednesday, October 31, bound for Seaside Heights, N.J., to assist with power restoration. Communication with Seaside Heights was poor due to lack of cell phone service in the area. Upon arriving at a staging area in Virginia, crews were held in place pending clarification of documents received from IBEW that implied a requirement of our employees to agree to union affiliation while working in the New York and New Jersey areas. It was and remains our understanding that agreeing to those requirements was a condition of being allowed to work in those areas. As we waited for clarification, we became aware that Seaside Heights had received the assistance they needed from other sources. To be clear, at no time were our crews 'turned away' from the utility in Seaside Heights.

"In connection with state and regional public power associations, Decatur Utilities attempted to contact other areas that needed assistance. However, based on the uncertainty of union requirements that we could not agree to and the uncertainty of whether a resolution could be reached, we ultimately made the decision to return them to Decatur after being stalled in the Virginia area most of the day on Thursday."
Decatur Utilities verifies claims workers were asked to affiliate with union before aiding storm victims (update) | al.com​
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

Excon said:


​
Nope? Nope?
Crazy? Of course the position you have taken for a situation such as this is.
The Unions do not take precedent is disaster recovery.

Which is something that you should have understood when it was reported that the actual Union did not turn them away.




WTH?
Unions are representational bodies, not contractors.


First of all, the article did say why. They were non-union. And this was already pointed out to you over a hundred posts before this one of yours.

Secondly, the article doesn't have to say if there was enough help. As has also already been pointed out to you (you know, over a hundred posts ago), we know there was a disaster and that help was needed. The article doesn't have to state the obvious.

And since it has again been pointed out to you, hopefully you wont resort to using such a ridiculous argument again.

The article didn't say, oy vey! :roll:
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So who handles insurance for these workers?

Who takes responsibility for property damage, etc, during the work?
 
Re: Union Thuggary at it's Finest

What if...? said:
So who handles insurance for these workers?

Who takes responsibility for property damage, etc, during the work?
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The utility company they work for.
They're most likely on their dime, using their equipment.

This stuff has largely been sorted out, way beforehand.
 
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