Muscatine

Tom; welcome back to the NL as well. Seems like you are more grounded these days. However, I have to ask; what employment are you speaking to? City of Musc., Monsanto, or Walmart? What union was he with?

In other words, Tom; who is "us"?

  OMG...gta...

  How to respond?  I love to read so much of your input & agree with many of your responses.  I have to reply!  My husband, & many of our friends & his co-workers worked @ GPC for many years.  My husband & co-workers worked shift work in an environment that required that they take "salt pills", to continue to do their job. Have you ever worked shift work?  IT SUCKS!  It messes with your metabolism, (and your life span), AND YOUR FAMILY LIFE!  Big Time! When the outside temperature was 90 or 100% - it was 150% inside.  

  My husband (and some of his co-workers), eventually became eligible to work straight days to save their marriages & family lives, because of the union.  The union recognizes a person's years of experience, that knowledge is put to use.  Management does not always recognize that in a factory situation.  Many times, it's who kisses up.  Factory people don't "kiss up".  They do their job & go home.

  The job my husband took so that he could work straight days required him to work outside 24/7 when he was there.  It didn't matter the weather; 100% or -50%... he worked in it to put food on our table & a roof over our head.  The "old men" of the group recognized & appreciated the sacrifices so that they, in turn, could support their own families. Their children grew up & they learned a different set of values. 

  Dead weight?  Ok...sure, I bet there are a few...but they are few & far between...probably the "new kids on the block".  New management wants to get rid of the "old men on the block", because they make the most money.  They SHOULD make the most money!!!!  GPC  has the CAPACITY to blow most of southend up; to KILL & HURT many, many people.   360 people were locked out.  Every one of those jobs have been filled with people that have no knowledge, skills or experience!  Sorry, GTA, it feels like handing my 14 yr. old son (that just got his driver's permit), the keys to my $50,000 car & telling him to go have fun with his friends, Hi Five... and all of that.

  If I sounded anti-union, I didn't mean to.  I AM, HOWEVER, pissed off at this union.  As I stated, I feel that they should have seen this coming, protected & warned their members in the last contract.  I stand with my opinion that; they made their stance way too late & that they have no right to ask GPC workers that want to work now to support their cause.  THEY dropped the ball.  People that paid their dues & believed what their union reps told them should not be penalized.  Management dropped the ball as well.  As I said before, A bunch of Toddlers are running this fiasco & putting our beloved Muscatine in danger. 

tlou,

Dont get me wrong, i stated i feel for those men...i've been unemployed before and wished i could find work...i only stated what i knew...my observation was that unions when they first started were to make sure workers were treated fairly...now unions are all about greed.....companies are also about greed...as i stated i only know what i hear...i personally am anti-union.....a friend of mine working at GPC said under this new contract that a man pushing a broom would start out at 18.00 an hour thats an outrageous wage to push a broom...i make 11.00 and i have to bust my ass for it...i've never worked swing shift...but i have had to work shifts and hrs that literally destroyed my marriage and life...work 10 hrs and be told to be back in 5 hrs for another shift....i worked maintanence at IBP i could walk from a part of a plant that was 90 degress  covered in sweat then get called to go work in the blast freezer which was around -40...then have to go fix something on the cut floor which was 50 degrees and then have to go fix something on the kill floor which was over a hundred in the summer......i know what its like to work in inhospitable enviroments...and i did all that for 14.00 an hr...in this economy right now is it right for the union to ask for ungodly raises? is it right for the union to deny GPC the right to outsource? all companies outsource anymore.....what about the people who dont belong to the union that got locked out BECAUSE of the union there were what 40 or 50 of those people.....but because of the way its set up they lost thier jobs too...i mean honestly lets face it.....GPC at this point is out to destroy the union unfortunately its costing the men who made that company.......i had a neighbor who worked at GPC who just retired a couple of years ago who straight called in continually ....so it isnt just the new kids as you put it that are dead weight.....im not trying to argue but just stating my opinion.....we both agree the union is to blame, we both agree there are good men sitting outside wanting to be inside working...we just disagree about what the union down there stands for.....and i as well enjoy your posts and agree with you most of the time.....you sound as if your opinion is based on first hand knowledge....mine is based solely on what i hear from friends working there now.....