Just remember, Ron Paul believes in negotiating with these bastards. Therefore, he is a terrorist supporter. So are Democrats.
Category: unions
More Socialist Liberal Union Thuggery
About that mine tragedy in West Virginia
I just wanted to post something here to all my readers. I noticed that not too many Bloggers on my side of the political fence have said anything about this.
Well, once again, I will be the one to do it.
Politics is one thing, real life is another.
Losing someone to a tragedy such as this, is unimaginable. Unlike some on the left, I will NOT bring my personal politics into this. But I will say that I personally feel for this people. Mining is in my family too; sort of. My Father is from Middlesboro, Kentucky. Back when he was a young man, he drove a tri-axle dump truck down in his home town. He worked out of a strip mines down in that town. Oh, the stories he would tell, about Hazards of driving those trucks. Some of the stories were side splitting tales, some were quite scary.
Anyhow, my heart goes out to these people during their time of loss. This is where I will also deviate from my normal hard line Conservative stance, and say the following; which most likely will not do anything for my Conservative creds. Not that I quite honestly give a damn about that anyhow.
It would be a crime, if I did not mention the fact that this mine was, in fact, a non-union mine. Because of that, the safety record of this mine, was, in fact, terrible. Unions; for all their short-comings and horrible politics, are the best defense against companies who want to cut corners and allow their employees to work in unsafe conditions. I honestly believe that if the union that my Father was represented by at G.M. had not been there, my Father would have been dead ages ago. For those who are just passing through, my Father is a retired G.M. Worker and is represented by the U.A.W. The Union forces the big business owners to a very high standard of safety and if the companies do not adhere to them, they simply will not allow their employees on the job. Which I feel is a very good thing. Equipment can be replaced —- Human Lives cannot.
There are some possibly of the right, that might say my bringing this up is morbid or something silly like that. Well, too bad. As they say, all politics is local; and this my friends is a local, personal issue for me. One of the nicest things I read, was the fact that even though this mine was non-union, the President of the Union miners was sending a team of people up to the site, to offer their assistance. Because it is the human and responsible thing to do. That is what normal, sane, rational Americans do, when their fellow man is hurting. They put partisan differences aside and come together. I bet some in the world of Political Blogging could learn something from that; on both sides of the aisle.
Again, my and my family’s prayers go out to the people of MONTCOAL, W.Va. tonight.
Update: Video confirming what I wrote above:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
HotAir.com's Ed Morrissey Honored by Rush Limbaugh
I agree 100% with AllahPundit, Ed Morrissey is highly deserving of this honor:
I will admit it, I have not always agreed with Ed. In fact, I have been known to jump his butt, when I thought he needed it. I’ve even flamed him a good one in e-mail once, because I thought he was being unfair, and a bit hypocritical. But, as always, Ed always handled everything with class. I will also make a stunning admission. For a Detroit native former Democratic party voter. I agree with a good 90% of what Ed writes.
Ed Morrissey is one of the more saner voices in the Right Wing Blogosphere. He does not go for the paranoid, shrieking headlines, that grace such places as, maybe, WorldNetDaily and some of the other Right Wing sites out there. He goes for the truth; and the my friends is a rarity on our side of the fence. It all boils down to a simple thing that is not found in Journalism or even politics much anymore. That simple thing is integrity. This is why Ed’s work is better than most, the man has integrity. Even if you do not agree with his political point, that he might be trying to score —- you do have to admit that he does speak the truth. That my friends goes a long way in writing, in blogging and in life in general.
So, yeah, Ed’s a good man. But the next time he writes something stupid about G.M or the unions — Oh, It’s on baby. 😉 😛 😀 😆
UAW Local 2244: The Other Side of the Story
Recently, there were a series of videos that were shown on the website Big Government.com, they were of a union boss by the name of Javier Contreras, cursing at the union rank and file. Here are the videos in question:
One of the persons who commented on the videos, ID’ed himself as the old gent in the second video, that the union boss swore at, the older guy with the red jacket. Anyhow, I contacted him and asked him to give his side of the story. Here is what he wrote back:
Hello, Yes I really am the guy that Javier swore at. Back in June of last year Old Gm told us that they were getting out, and did so in 2 weeks. Gm gave us nothing, just left. Then in August of last year Toyota announce that they would be leaving too, but they are still here, still employing us, providing pay checks, overtime, vacation, holidays and medical insurance. NUMMI ( toyota) has been trying to reach a retention/ severance agreement with our union since then, but our union leaders have been very uncooperative with NUMMI in the process. Thus, We the workers have been enduring months of not knowing what is happening, what is going to happen. The union has been out of touch with the workers, telling us nothing specific. We live in a whirlwind of rumors, generally all bad. We are losing our jobs in two months, and still we do not have a deal with the company, and haven’t even been told why. I ask my commiteeman regularly, ” What’s up, what’s happening”, and always get the same answer, ” I don’t know”. The union leadership are supposed to be elected representives of us the membership. The union leadership has become what I see as a dictatorship, with Javier as the dictator. The union leaders do not ask us what we feel, think, believe or want.
The union leaders tell us what they are going to do, and what we will get from them. The union complains about the retention package that has been offered to us from the company, but the union has not offered us any type of severence package of their own. The members have been paying union dues into the union for 25 years, some say totaling up to $72 million. Why does the union not offer some sort of package? The union wants to demonize Toyota. The union is running a petition against Toyota. NUMMI ( Toyota ) is still employing us providing pay and benefits. The problem came from GM leaving. Why doesn’t the union petition GM? The UAW international now owns 18% of the NEW GM. The UAW international has an investment that they are not about to create trouble for, so the international instucts our local union to run a petition against it’s former partner. Toyota is not the problem here, GM and the UAW international, which is one in the same now, they are the problem. Our local 2244 union leaders have aligned themselves with the international, doing their bidding.
They are supposed to be our elected representitives, doing our bidding, answering to us. The union is run like a dictatorship, with Javier as the dictator. Javier needs to set down from his office, and whom ever takes his place needs to listen to us, the membership. In closing, I would like to apologize to everyone in attendance that day for the ruckus that evolved from it all. It has been a very difficult time for all of us here at NUMMI, as well as most everyone else here in this country in it’s current economic condition.
Stress is running high with this very uncertain time, facing a devistating change to our lives. It would be nice if our leadership could provide us with some sort of facts and certainty. perhaps then we may be able to plan a course of action for our selves. Let’s all take a look at the devistation of Haiti, and then try to put ours in perspective to that. Thank God we are living in California, USA.
Take care and god bless you all.
I wrote him back and asked him if it were okay if I published this, this is what he said:
Yes, please do. No action has been taken yet as far as I know, but I’m considering suing Javier, Surgio and the UAW. I’m a union supporter to the extent that they do some good for the person who is paying dues to them. But these guys collect dues to fund free vacations for them, family and friends. If the Union was earning the dues taken, then way am I and all the rest of the union workers losing their jobs. If you pay for services, then you should receive the services that you pay for, one of which should be continuing to work. I’m a conservative as well, I feel that if I work for my money I should be able to keep it in my pocket and decide for my self how to spend it, not have the government help them delve to it, because they feel they know better than I how to spend it. The working man and woman is getting screwed by everyone around them. There is a new slave in this country, the working class people.
Nothing in the replies was edited, changed or modified. Except for some misspellings and grammar errors, which I fixed for him.
As the late great Paul Harvey would say……”and now; you know the rest of the story…..”
Are the Democrats jumping from the ship?
It is a plausible question, and an interesting one at that. Are the Democrats now jumping from the bloated ship of socialist waste ever known to humankind? Are Democrats preparing themselves for the “Nuclear Option” on healthcare? The questions abound, the speculation is running rampant, and internet meme’s are burning up the bandwidth. I, on the other hand, will tell you what I do know.
First off, let us start with the local story; Michigan Lt Governor John Cherry was expected to be the person to succeed Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm at the helm of Michigan Governorship. However, Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm’s performance as Governor of this state has been less than stellar. I ought to know this, I have lived here all of my life. Double-digit unemployment, a one state recession that towered over the national recession for many years now; put quite bluntly, there are no jobs here in Michigan. Sure, there are jobs, if you want to work in a fast food joint, making minimum wage. However, if you happen to be a 37-year-old man, looking for a decent paying, full time job, with health insurance — you are frankly out of luck.
However, to be fair, some of Michigan’s woes cannot be laid at the feet of the Democratic leadership. GM’s credit crisis cannot be blamed entirely on the Democrats, at least not the current ones in office here in Michigan. GM and Chrysler’s troubles are a direct result of the mortgage crisis, which was caused by President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton and that idiotic piece of legislation that opened up the mortgage market to high-risk individuals. When the credit markets froze up, due to the stock market crash and subsequent credit freeze, the big three found themselves in the middle of it. This is my biggest issue that I have with the “Republicans” or those within the Conservative movement. They always, without fail, blame the unions for the troubles of the big three; when in all honesty, unions had zero to do with the meltdown or its effect on the automakers. The entire mess was, in fact, lack of proper regulation in the mortgage industry and the stock market in regards to credit swaps that caused this whole mess in the first place. Sorry to my fellow Conservatives, but I am just not buying that talking point.
However, it would be fair to mention that the unions did play a role in the financial woes of the big three, as did the big three’s failure to listen to the automotive experts, who saw what Japan was doing in the 1970’s and their arrogant attitudes. The big three could have saved themselves much heartache, by building smarter, higher quality vehicles. However, by the time the big three got around to embracing the ISO standards, it was too little, too late. As for the talking point of Union workers making too much money, I find it amazing how many Conservatives have axe to grind with those who simply want to make a decent working wage. Most of the people that make these idiotic claims are those who are making more than two hundred and fifty thousand a year and have no financial worries at all; but they want to rip away the comfortable living of others. Do you see now why I have not voted “Republican” yet?
Another point that I feel that is important to make, is the fact that the big three are just designing some of the most god-awful looking car nowadays. Heck, even the trucks are now getting just plain butt-ugly. Does it make any damned sense to build cars for every day Americans that look like they taken from the pages of a twenty fifth century comic book? Whatever happened to graceful, classic designs from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s? Those were real cars back then, now all the big three can produce is glorified garbage — and do not even get me started on the idea of an electric car, now that is a idea that is going to go right straight were the Chevy EV1 went, right straight into the scrap heap.
Now back on the subject of politics, it seems that Chris Dodd, going to retire. Getting sweetheart deals on a house mortgage can do that to a fellow, especially when people in your district are losing their houses left and right. I also notice that Bryon Dorgan is also retiring; he supported Obama’s healthcare plan, which made him damaged goods. I also notice that Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is withdrawing from that race — corruption will do that to a fellow.
Now what is my personal take on these retirements and how it affects the 2010 elections? My take is this; I believe that there are going to be some very big upsets come election time. Now, I do not necessarily see a Republican wave or anything like that. However, I do see a drastic change in Washington D.C. I do also see a “defanging” of the socialist monster that exists on Capitol Hill right now. As for the Governor’s race here in Michigan, I believe that the Republicans can win Michigan, but they are going to have to work to earn the trust of the American people. It would take some very hard work and some massive breaking of some very established political rules to do it. However it can be done. The people of Michigan want real answers, real results, not political grandstanding, and platitudes.
It is going to be a very interesting 2010. I look forward to writing about it and giving you my take.
State Worker gets beat up at a SEIU meeting
Your Unions hard at work!
The Video is here, and boy does it ever show the damage.
The Story:
A state worker is recovering after a bloody brawl at a union hall. He says members of the local SEIU 1000 beat him up and sent him to the hospital all because he wanted to expose allegedl corruption within the union.
Ken Hamidi is a state worker at the California Franchise Tax Board. Last night he walked into a union hall in Sacramento for an SEIU local 1000 meeting.
“We had every right to be here, very simple; it wasn’t anything private or anything exclusive,” said Hamidi.
But Hamidi says the union members did not want him there.
“Three, four people jumped at me, wrestled with me, then did all that,” said Hamidi. “I was covered in blood and then over to the emergency room.”
via State Worker Beat Up At SEIU Meeting For Speaking His Mind – cbs13.com.
Wow, Is this what the SEIU means about Stronger Together? Stronger for beating people up? Unbelievable.
Of course, who can forget these fine selections? :
The Democratic Party goon squad. Doing the heavy lifting for Obama.
I wonder how many Main Stream National outlets will cover this little attack?
*crickets*
I will not hold my breathe least I turn blue and die.
Others Covering: Gateway Pundit, American Glob and NewsReal Blog
It is quite obvious I am in the wrong profession
I wonder if they are hiring?
After you practice for years and get to Carnegie Hall, it’s almost better to move music stands than actually play the piano.
Depending on wattage, a star pianist can receive $20,000 a night at the 118-year-old hall, meaning he or she would have to perform at least 27 times to match the income of Dennis O’Connell, who oversees props at the New York concert hall.
O’Connell made $530,044 in salary and benefits during the fiscal year that ended in June 2008. The four other members of the full-time stage crew — two carpenters and two electricians — had an average income of $430,543 during the same period, according to Carnegie Hall’s tax return.
At Carnegie Hall, which has featured on its three stages such varied musicians as Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan and the Berlin Philharmonic, only Artistic and Executive Director Clive Gillinson makes more than the stagehands.
Gillinson earned $946,581 in salary and benefits in the fiscal year that ended in June 2008. Chief Financial Officer Richard Matlaga made $352,139, while General Manager Anna Weber received $341,542.
via Carnegie Hall Stagehand Moving Props Makes $530,044 (Update1) – Bloomberg.com.
Of course, there is a good explanation for this:
The stagehands benefit from a strong union: Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees demonstrated its clout in November 2007 when its members walked off their Broadway jobs and closed 26 shows for almost three weeks. The strike ended after stagehands and producers agreed to a five-year contract that both sides called a compromise.
Joshua B. Freeman, a U.S. labor historian at Queens College and author of “Working Class New York,” said the union’s power to shut down a vital part of New York’s entertainment industry gives it leverage in negotiations.
“They have a credible threat of withdrawing their labor,” Freeman said.
Not that I have anything against Unions as a rule; as my Dad is a retired General Motors worker and a U.A.W. member. But holy Moses, most my Dad ever pulled out that job was $20.00 an hour at the time of his retirement; and these guys are making three figure salaries? The funny thing is, my Dad most likely did more work than this turkeys ever do in a day. Let me tell ya, that assembly line business is tough work, at least it was back when my Dad started back in the day. My Dad drove Hi-Low for the most part or as it is called in some circles; a Forklift, which he loved to do, he hated that line, he did work on the assembly for a while, and it just about killed him. Dad would always tell me; “Son, you do not want to work on that line, it is tough.”
It is good work, when you can get it! Speaking of which, where I do I sign up for a job there? 😉
Others: Fausta’s Blog, Gothamist, ArtsBeat, and The Corner on National …
Another Mao Worshiping Communist in the White House
Here we go again!
Via Gateway Pundit:
So, who is Ron Bloom? Jammie Wearing Fool writes:
The name Ron Bloom is one that we need to start paying attention to. He has a long history of being the negotiating face of unions in a suit. He is a Harvard Business School graduate who has worked for the unions beginning with SEIU for decades. The most recent union he represented was the United Steel Workers (USW) before becoming a part of the automotive team that Obama put together. You know the one that had the head Steven Rattner having to resign over some questions about his personal finances mixed in with a little fraudulent money gifts.Rattner was replaced by Ron Bloom, and voila the United Auto Workers (UAW), got a sweetheart deal backed up by the power of the federal government to try and stave off bankruptcy.
Nice….. So, President Obama’s communications director is a Mao-Loving Communist and now his Manufacturing Czar; or Union Liaison is now a Mao-loving Communist. I expect that Glenn Beck is going to be all over this one. President Obama needs to rid himself of these people or resign his Presidency.
Michael Moore says Union For Thee, but not for me!
I’ve already written about this idiot once this week. But here we go again!
Michael Moore, champion of the working class, used non-union stagehands to film “Capitalism: A Love Story.” The porcine provocateur is promoting his anti-Wall Street jeremiad by giving free tickets to unions, but the American Federation of Teachers has turned them down because Moore didn’t hire any members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. “Michael Moore and one of our sister unions, IATSE, are in discussions about concerns the union has,” the AFT told ABC News. “The AFT has decided against accepting tickets until those issues are resolved.” Moore’s agent, Ari Emanuel, seems to blame the IATSE for treating documentarians as “second-class filmmakers.” “This is a Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild film, as all Michael’s films are,” Emanuel said. “He is a proud, dues-paying member of all three of these unions.”
via Michael Moore used non-unionized stagehands on documentary ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’.
How typical. The socialist Democrats like the use the Unions as their useful idiots. This is living proof.