Save DRC

[hobie16]

Yeah, right. Getting the teamsters to do something that actually benefits the employee is a pretty friggin' tall order.

I guess that's why I'm not much of a union supporter.

[BirdMom]

I vaguely remember their excuse in the early 90's when we had to vote on a new contract that bit - against the shop stewards wishes, the Teamster's union was encouraging us to vote "yes" on the crap that Disney offered us. The problem? If we'd gone out on strike again, we would have bankrupted the local.

As it turned out, we had a lot of apathetic CM's who couldn't be bothered to go to the union hall and vote, so the contract got accepted anyway, despite the fact that it was some take-aways from the CM's. (Isn't it amazing how companies and politicians can convince people to act - or not act in this case - against their own best interest?)

I can remember people in the 80's who really knew how to work the system, who could pull amazing stunts like flooding a submarine on purpose and know just who at the union could save their butts. It seems nowadays that the organizations that were supposed to protect worker's rights have morphed into what they used to call "company unions" in the early 20th century, where the sham union was actually there to protect the corporation's interests.

However, take heart DRC person - don't let the downhill slide in California deter you from voting for your best interest. Collective bargaining would mean that the company would have to not only negotiate, but have a published set of proper rules that would have to be followed, rather than someone getting fired because the boss abitrairily decides they're having an off hour in sales numbers.

[PirateJohn]

My opinion of unions?

They exist to protect lazy workers.

[BirdMom]

That's an overgeneralization Pirate John.

Think about life before trade unions. There was child labor with people as wee as 5 years of age and no health/safety regulation statutes on the lawbooks anywhere. A 19th century economist actually argued to keep wages as low as possible so that poor people wouldn't reproduce. Today, with globalization, you have corporations taking advantage of non-union work in the poorest of poor countries, creating working conditions that are damn near close to slavery. Don't believe me, have a chat with Professor Lacoste at Cal State Long Beach, and he'll set you straight in a big hurry.

I think it's a shame that the pendulum is swinging back in a labor-unfriendly direction. Yes, there are people who take advantage of unionization and push things as far as they can push it, but for the most part, the existence of unions means that there is a large collective group that can compete with a corporation as a united front, rather than the company wearing each worker down individually with varying carrots and threats, or unabashadly playing favorites with people who don't deserve it. Collective bargaining allowed people upward social mobility that they would have been otherwise denied without having been born into a socially advantageous class. There was an interesting story in the L.A. Times just last week saying that with the demise of unions as well as cutbacks in funding higher education, there is less upward mobility than there used to be - that is bad for our country in one way because without good wages, who is going to buy all the stuff that we need to keep producing to keep the economy stable?

A silly situation that the women at the park had to deal with back in the day was wearing nylons. We had to fight it for years. Originally, we could skip them in the summer, but after Labor Day, the nylon rule would be enforced again. It was "supposed" to look more professional if we all had stockings on - well, it's a freakin' amusement park and we were dressed like Heidi, for crying out loud. The problem was the weather not always cooperating with the calendar, and on Storybook and Casey, that was a pain. A gal would have her underwear, covered by pantyhose, then the old colouttes (made from polyester, which doesn't breath) and the knee socks on top of her lower legs. It's still hot in September - sometimes October as well, you're sitting on top of the little engine compartment on the boats in all those layers of clothing (that doesn't breathe) and there were health issues that kept our individual OB/GYN's in the money. When we got a new company doctor, he thought the rule was ridiculous and wanted to waive it, but the company health witch set him straight that rules were rules. It took a lot of fighting for years between the park, the attractions hostesses and the union, but the antiquated rule finally went away.

The sad thing was that the nylons have absolutely nothing to do with job performance. Just because someones legs are covered with a sheer layer of nylon does not make her more efficient, professional or personable. Having said that, in a place like the People Mover or the Mansion, if you were there for years, you did want to be wearing support hose - it's murder on your legs - and I've got the road map of spider veins to prove it after 11 years. But there were places where it was not working, like Book, and by putting up a stone wall and refusing to look at the other side of the issue for so long, the company inadvertantly caused a lot of problems for Fantasyland attractions hostesses. As individuals, even with notes in huge red warning script from our personal physicians, we could do nothing. It took a collective effort to make them open their eyes.

[Thatguy]

A well thought out and well executed post Birdmom!

as has been said unionization does unfortunately protect the litigous as well but I'm very pro union. Though unfortunately depending on the union it sometimes only looks good on paper.

guess I should say I'm pro effective union

I actually once read upon getting hired that my unions mission statement basically said we plan to grow via a good reputation among businesses... I knew then I was in trouble

[grimgrinningghost]

My opinion of unions?

They exist to protect lazy workers.

That's really your stance? We should be walked all over and threatened with factors that are out of our hands? If we aren't the lucky sucker that gets the 10k grand gathering booking, then we're lazy? I resent that. tremendously. we're faced with a situation here where the better you do your job, the faster you're axed. If not a union, or find other employment... what??

[Stduck]

My opinion of unions?

They exist to protect lazy workers.

Unions originally existed to protect the worker from the employer. There are good things and bad things (I don't think Labor unions do what they used to)

I've worked in theme parks without Unions and with
Non-Union
CR statis equivelent
No holiday pay, no vacation pay, no jury duty, no berevment leave, no bonus for 2nd or 3rd shift (then again there was no such shifts in my department), only benefits were for full time. Low pay, raises based on merit and how long you've been there

Union
CR statis
Holiday pay, vacation pay, Jury duty pay, 2nd/3rd shift bonuses, at CR-25 minimum benefits. Pay increase every year plus cost of living.

My advice? Read the union contract use it to your advantage

[wheelieman]

I am definetly PRO union. Working for AT&T for 18 years, I was the area steward for our local in CWA [Communication Workers of America]. We had a very strong local, and the national bargained fantastic benefits that the company would NEVER have offered freely without the Union bargaining it into the contract. The perfect Union is there to partner with the company to make it successful enough to pay a living wage and provide excellent benefits, without rolling over for every company Demand. Most company demands are not to benefit the employee, but to benefit the stock holder, and if the stock holder is happy, District management and above recieves better pay, thanks to the efforts of the customer contact employee.

Good luck at DRC.

[hobie16]

I am definetly PRO union. Working for AT&T for 18 years, I was the area steward for our local in CWA.

I'm glad you had a good experience with the CWA. I worked for Pac Bell on the SF peninsula for eleven years. All of our union leaders were a bunch of drunks. Whenever you needed one you could always find them in a bar in Mountain View.

[PirateJohn]

I've simply never had a good experience with any labor unions I've been involved in. I come from a military background, where taking initiative and striving to go beyond the call of duty was simply taken as given. Now, it seems that if I even try to do such a thing, I get beaten down because "the union" wouldn't like it.

I just get so frustrated any time I have to deal with the union, because I have never felt once that they have represented my interests.