Union 'goons' are propaganda

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/letters/all-yaindl.6840819apr05,0,2239838.story

April 5, 2009

First, The Morning Call printed a posting from Michael Molovinsky's blog about the Employee Free Choice Act. Above the article were pictures of three tough-looking men from a 1950s movie ''On the Waterfront.'' The implication was that they represented union organizers. In fact, they were former boxers playing roles in the movie -- a classic propaganda scare tactic.

Then we had a column by Paul Carpenter who brings up the Employee Free Choice Act and calls union organizers ''goons,'' not once, but seven times, stereotyping and slandering an occupation he obviously knows nothing about.

I have been a member in four different unions for 34 years of my 54 years of life. I have actively attended both union meetings and conferences. To this day I have never met a goon. My typical experience with a union organizer is that they are smart, dedicated, great communicators, and yes, principled.

The Employee Free is an attempt to address the intimidation, including law breaking by companies, well-paid union busting lawyers, and ineffective law enforcement by the Department of Labor against employees trying to form a union.

Finally, companies always claim now is not the time, we are in a recession. When did society proclaim now was the right time to stop child labor? When did society proclaim now is the right time to pay women the same as men for doing the same job? When did society proclaim now it the right time to have safe working conditions? All these advancements were considered anti-business in the past, but now are the norm. Addressing the well-documented injustices in forming unions should become the norm also.

Duane C. Yaindl

Emmaus

[rfranklin]

1. Yes, the goons are the lawyers and middle management who...

enforce the anti-worker racketeering of the top execs, who I would characterize as mob bosses.

[doctor jazz]

2. Well, I've had union 'representatives' try to intimidate me several times

over the past 40 years. They demanded that I pay to have one of their people carry in a small toolbox to the convention floor in one case...then when I carried it myself back out to my rental truck about 3 of them jumped in behind me and tried to extort a couple hundred bucks. There have been several other experiences that would probably cause most people to call them goons, although I did not as you surely noticed.

[Omaha Steve]

3. Welcome to the DU

I won't ever say that labor is goon free. Just as there are bad individuals in any profession. (I didn't mention Wall St.). I'm pro labor. Most here don't think that means I have a blind eye. There are several union leaders put in jail every year. Stealing from members is usually what happens. There are a few leg breakers left. I in no way condone it.


As far as the convention thing goes, what is in the contract of the worker in question? Sounds like the stage hands union. IF every Tom, Dick, and Harry walks in with something in this case, they loose contracted hours. Stealing the food off the table is the term. Not pointing a finger. Just pointing something out.

OS

[doctor jazz]

4. Hi, I don't even know which union was the one...maybe it's different ones in different

places but I have had similar experiences in Atlanta, Las Vegas, St. Louis and one or two other places. I know how much good unions have done but I also feel that they too often strayed from their proper mission and just became a refuge for hoodlums. When I was just a teenager I got some IBEW thugs after me because I was connecting up some speakers in a civic center...and the thing was, not a single one of them had the first clue how to do the job. They couldn't perform it but they didn't want anybody else doing it either...that was my very early experience with unions and time has not made me like them even a little bit more, unfortunately.

[Omaha Steve]

6. Next time ask them to put you on wavers

Just a suggestion.

[ThomWV]

5. Traditionally the "Goons" is the name given to Union busters as I recall.