Disillusioned by anti-Union knee-jerk remarks. These are people fighting to keep rights not new ones. Complaining that the current union protest is preventing people from working by marching on four streets surrounding a single block for two days now; anyone tried getting around the city without hitting a construction obstacle that have been causing problems all summer? It’s also hard for a union to negotiate a contract when an employer won’t talk, how can you blame a union from protesting when their rights are unilaterally legislated away, leaving the employer free to ignore any requests to talk. Critics are outraged by the salary of one union member while ignoring management salaries up to 10 x that of union members. How many VPs does one agency need? I’m amazed that consolidating a bunch of top heavy agencies into one would result in a mere $5 million in savings; obviously the savings will be realized by removing front line positions instead of reducing the number of high paying plum titled positions. I wonder how many VP Agency Consolidation, VP Process Amalgamation, VP Executive Compensation, VP Management Remuneration, VP Management Position Retention, VP Whatever Title Required for a 6 Figure Salary, or VP Position to be Determined Later the amalgamated agency will have?
Unions are one of the last large organizations that can speak out for regular Nova Scotians. Unions are an essential voice in holding governments accountable. When the Unions’ last rights are legislated away and it loses its voice to speak up for Nova Scotians, who will people turn to. —Pork Barrel Pillager
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2014.
Ha ha – another poli-sci firstie who honestly believes that unions present an alternative to what is wrong with society, rather than being just another symptom.
That is so cute.
Nobody says that unions aren’t good at fighting for their rights, especially the public sector ones. In fact they will fuck over anybody (that means “regular” Nova Scotians) in order to cling to their privileges (they call them “rights”) They are incapable of evolving; they are hidebound, doctrinaire, power hungry (that’s right Ms Jetsam – I said it) and, for those who don’t want to be a member, or disagree with how their extorted union dues are spent (No, I don’t give a fuck about Leonard Pelletier. No, I don’t want to contribute to Tommy Dontcair) they are about as profoundly undemocratic as it gets. (Choice? of course you have a choice. Join or quit your job)
What’s good for the union is NOT automatically good for society and the fact that Premier Lurch felt confident enough to enact Bill 1, shows that he realizes that a lot of “regular” Nova Scotians have come to the same conclusion.
They are not on my side; and I , most assuredly, am not on theirs.
To whom will the people turn?
Please note the use of the word home and the correct punctuation (being a question mark).
And I’m not certain about anyone else but I like the $5,000,000 savings…
Damn auto-correct… WHOM
i’m honestly curious for all the people saying you are dropping the unions blah blah blah, after this goes through will anyone that is a union employee now not be an union employee after?
Nope. Now in a union, they will continue to be unionized. Full stop.
And to comment on the ‘transitional merger administrators’: they have all been seconded from existing departments so no added admin costs during the merger. After the merger actually, the administrators will take the brunt of the job cuts in this round.
I saw a union once.
SOLIDARITY FOREVER!
“Unions are one of the last large organizations that can speak out for regular Nova Scotians.” Pork Barrel Pillager
Hear! Hear! Unions do in fact present an alternative to what is wrong with society where, by “what is wrong with society,” means the obscene disparities of wealth enjoyed by the coupon-clipping capitalists and their ilk in upper management compared with that of the ordinary workingman.
Their so-called “privileges” are in fact rights, guaranteed by the ferderal government-mandated Rand Formula which requires that individuals who seek only their own personal gain at the expense of their fellows must either join the union, pay their dues, or leave. These people are quite happy to enjoy the benefits the union has struggled to acquire, of course but, crying a “lack of democracy” their self-interest demands that they are given their “rights” to be free-riders. They are just scabs by another name.
In the same way, those who claim that the unions are “doctrinaire” and “power hungry” distort the reality. It is a rightist caricature. How are they “doctrinaire?” How are they “power hungry?” These are just empty slurs, usually from those who, lacking the requisite qualifications for union membership, are consumed with bitterness. It is one of our society’s ironies that those at the unskilled bottom of the labour force join forces with capitalism’s elite in the mistaken belief that they are the handmaidens of “democracy.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
So yes, if unions are being caricatured by some as “doctrinaire” then I simply reply, “Solidarity Forever!”
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
You pee-ons don’t know shit. Y’all just jelly. Now back to your minimum wage jobs cuz nobody care about your opinion. Ima enjoy my pension, thanks suckas!
If you think $5M is mere, then you can give it to me. Unions have outlived their usefulness. The OB must have a suite in Joanie’s palace in Burnside.
MM, I already said that with my Haterzz comment on another thread!
FFS, Claude, give it a rest.
Like from Degrassi? Nice.
so everyone bitches that there are no good jobs here and that they need to move west…but then when the government moves to legislate what union you need to be in in order to claw back benefits and sick days everyone thinks it’s a great idea. Pick one people. Support the workers who HAVE good jobs or support the ones leaving.
“These are just empty slurs, usually from those who, lacking the requisite qualifications for union membership, are consumed with bitterness”
Reinforced, with unintentional irony by:
“You pee-ons don’t know shit. Y’all just jelly. Now back to your minimum wage jobs cuz nobody care about your opinion. Ima enjoy my pension, thanks suckas!”
Oh, play them off, Keyboard Ron Livingston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr0fXkRh9IQ
Mommalickabootay, you ma kinda bitch!
Ivan, dat yer alter-ego?
No, we already have one “urban” caricature here and that’s you, Queen Shawteeqwa.
Mameluke Assbuddy can save his Step-N-Fetchit act for Stormfront Christmas parties.
“UNINTENTIONAL IRONY”
RSVP
Ivan “The Equalizer” Sonofabitch (10/08, 6:24PM)
“Reinforced with unintentional irony?” How so? The first quotation offers a plausible explanation for anti-union hostility from those who do not belong to unions and resent their so-called “privileges” while the second is some sort of comic (?) spoof on their normally depressed economic circumstances.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
its funny how they mistake the word Rights for entitlement! IM ENTITLED TO MY ENTITLEMENTS DAMNIT!! oh wait..my RIGHTS!! Work with union people and see it all the time…im ENTITLED to new work boots, even though ive not used the ones i got last year but im entitled to them!! Stop the fucking BS with the “rights” claims. anyone with half a brain and worked with any unions sees it for what it is. WASTING MONEY because we can.
I like unions and Labour Day weekend.
damnit, I gotta watch that Keyboard Ron Livingston again…