Actually I'm one of those people who's smart enough to know when he's getting screwed, and then does something about it. But I really can't take all the credit since the vote last December was 72% dump the union to 28% keep the fuckers. (And we're pretty sure some of that 28% who voted to keep the bastards were too stupid to understand the ballot.)


Because the union insisted all bonuses had to be eliminated, we actually were making less after they "negotiated" a paltry little raise (in addition to the normal annual raise the company traditionally offered) on just the first year of a five year contract.

After a year and a half without a contract after the employees originally voted to let the union in, the employee who was our lead negotiater died suddenly of heart attack. The union provided a guy who settled in less than a week. At the meeting where we voted on it, this jag off assured us this was the best we could get. Shit, we'd of been better off leaving things alone and not paying these fuckers the dues! Next thing we know we're paying more in monthly dues to these scumbags than the raise was worth. And, like I said, no more bonuses. (I guess unions don't like people getting rewarded unless they make the call on who gets rewarded and who doesn't.)

Looking back here's what was clear to just about everybody with an ounce of common sense: all the union was interested in was fleecing us for dues. Even the shop steward got sick of dealing with people who came to her with grievances that the union refused to bring to management. In her words: "Fuck these bastards!" About the only people who the union seemed to bother to help were the chronic fuckups and slackers that everybody wished the company would fire anyways. And aftrer a year or so they quit doing much for them either.

Speaking of management, a few months before the vote I was talking to the branch manager, who came in a couple years after the contract went in effect, and he couldn't believe the crappy deal the union talked us into. In his words paraphrased, "...it's almost as if these guys were in collusion with management. It's hard to believe they came up with this deal." Then again, 18 months had passed since we ignorantly voted them in and still no contract--hence no dues going into their pockets. Like I said, it wasn't hard to see who the union was working for. Themselves. And like I also said, what a bunch of fucking bottom feeders.