Union cross picket line question?

[jasil]

Got into a huge debate with my neighbor and some other guys yesterday about Unions and Picket lines etc. My neighbor is in a Union in a Right to Work state he is not in the union. It looks like there may be a strike and he says he won't cross the picket line.

I asked him why? He said out of respect for my coworkers! I guess my question is while I understand that piece I would think if I were in his shoes I would put family first over the union.

What's your take?

Please don't turn this into a Unions are overpaid etc. I know plenty of guys that work for Shell, ExxonMobil, Dow all make over 100K/yr, so it's pretty much commonplace down here.

 

[Danno44]

Guess it depends if I believe in what we are fighting to gain.

 

[thecrimson]

A union is built on solidarity. Nobody wants to strike, you lose money that you will never get back. But if the company is out of line or a contractual stipulation is being broken, what choice do you have? Sure you could stay/cross and let the company walk all over you and watch your way of life diminish year after year; cut after cut. In a major refinery in my experience, once a strike is in place, the operators are required by law to shut down. The company loses big time. Management isn't going to run it. But again, nobody wants to strike. It's a huge mind ****.

 

[ford fanatic]

Don't be a scab.....

 

[MissionMan]

pardon my ignorance and i hope this isnt too dumb of a question but why cant an employer lay off the strikers and hire people willing to do the work at the current salary/benefit structure?

 

[horspla2000]

Union rules won't allow that to my knowledge

 

[MissionMan]

guess that answers it then, lol

 

[STAMPEDE3]

A union is built on solidarity. Nobody wants to strike, you lose money that you will never get back. But if the company is out of line or a contractual stipulation is being broken, what choice do you have? Sure you could stay/cross and let the company walk all over you and watch your way of life diminish year after year; cut after cut. In a major refinery in my experience, once a strike is in place, the operators are required by law to shut down. The company loses big time. Management isn't going to run it. But again, nobody wants to strike. It's a huge mind ****.

I've watched Management run it before in cases where plants/units are similar.

Not even exact but similar.
They will bring 3-4 shift supervisors from each of the other sites and run it untill the strike is over.
Maybe at lower rates but it has been done.

 

[thecrimson]

pardon my ignorance and i hope this isnt too dumb of a question but why cant an employer lay off the strikers and hire people willing to do the work at the current salary/benefit structure?

Every unit in a refinery is diferent and every refinery is different. OSHA and other agencies make sure that there are minimum training requirements in place by law. In my unit it takes a minimum of 2 years to be fully qualified. Who's going to train these people to do the job? We (hourly) train our own. As far as current (non-union) workers doing it, they would have to meet minimum staffing, You have to remember, these places don't shut down (aside from scheduled maintenance and upsets). That's continuous 24hr coverage of each sub unit or job duty station within each unit. It wouldn't be safely possible, and the company could really set themselves up for a legal beatdown if they tried to operate outside of set safety regs.

 

[Panic661]

I believe some unions are set up to where if a strike does happen, there's a fund to help pay families during a strike.

 

[wizbangdoodle]

I'd never let a group of people tell me when I can work and when I can't. I'd get a different job.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

I believe some unions are set up to where if a strike does happen, there's a fund to help pay families during a strike.

Yes but in most cases it is a fraction (And a small fraction) of their actual salary.

 

[SID297]

Some unions have a colorful history of retaliation against those who cross picket lines. The same can also be said about companies towards workers striking or attempting to unionize. Look up The Battle of Blair Mountain.

 

[4a7191a]

your buddy is most likely USW backed. theyll pay the house note, car notes and help with some bills. i was locked out 6 years ago at the steel mill i work at. the new company had a horrible contract and we wouldnt sign it and before we could strike the company struck us first. when it was all said and done we got 90% of what we wanted.

 

[jbs$]

Unions are a buisness model set up for the benifit of the ones who run the union. Everyone else is just a paying unit. Also, in the modern world wide market place, no union run company will be long term suscessful. They will never get a handle on their cost nor will they react to changing conditions fast enough.

 

[4a7191a]

try working for brazilians

 

[jbs$]

You may not work for the Brazialians, however, in the market place your job must compete with them. USA worker can compete, we do it on quality and techonology.

 

[4a7191a]

no, our american company sold out to a brazilian company. the new owners seem to believe safetys 3rd when production and quaility come first and second. they have moved thier people in with attitudes that we should worship them and live in shanty towns around the plant like they do in brazil. dealing with people like this sucks big time. my new boss from brazil has less months in the field than i do years and trys to tell me what and how to do my job. if it wasnt for the union, id be working for 5 dollars less an hour most likely and paying alot more than 11 bucks a week in health and dental insurance.

 

[jbs$]

I know nothing about your company, however, I do fully understand the market place. If the product produced by your company is sold into a worldwide market and the cost of production in your plant is 30% higher than it is in Brazil or Mexico, your job and production will leave. If, however, you and the other American workers show that you are capiable of producing 40 to 50% more, at far better quality, then the cost difference will not matter.

 

[4a7191a]

our quality is top notch, we export to other countrys all the time. the imports we get in can be horrible compaired to the billets we cast. some of the best castings ive seen imported were from mexico lately. nucor wanted to buy us out, which would of been awesome, but gerdau out bid them i guess. we are kinda drifting off of the OP's subject though, basically in some job fields the unions are good, in others theyre not.