More union news. Chrysler

[Bunnykid68]

Chrysler forced to rehire employees fired for smoking pot and drinking on break.

Chrysler Rehires Drinking, Drugging Workers

 

[Classic]

This is just amazing. How useful unions are for our country. What GOOD things they do.

 

[griffin]

A guy I know used to work for Chrysler in the IT department. In light of Chrysler being forced this week to hire back all the UAW employees who were fired after being repeatedly caught smoking pot and drinking during their lunch hour, here are a few of his stories.

+++++

So let's recap what UAW arbitration did for Chrysler. These are all true 100 percent accurate stories:

1. Union worker decides he does not like the work he has to do installing the intake tubes on Cummin's diesels at the plant. The intake tubes come with blue plastic caps on each end. Instead of throwing away the caps he stuffs them inside of the tubes and assembles the truck. We figure about 900 trucks made it out of the plant before this was discovered. The cap would eventually be sucked into the pre-heater, or the engine itself ruining it. 250 trucks required COMPLETE replacement of the engine and the other 650 incurred large warranty and customer service costs. Total bill for what this guy did, just under 3 million dollars. Result? Arbitration and some sensitivity BS training, to my knowledge that person still works there.

2. UAW work claims he is unable to read so therefore cannot perform his job. Sits on the job for nearly 24 months doing **** poor work, or no work at all while drinking in the parking lot on a daily basis. Result, no action taken because of union stonewalling and eventually takes a massive buyout and retirement package in 08.

3. UAW member is unable to show up to work on time so the union steward (who I sat next to) had to get up in the morning and call him every day to be his personal alarm clock, not to mention go to his house and wake him up a few times. Result? Never on work on time, missed critical meetings on projects, and still works there to this day even after being late for work literally over 100 times in 3 years.

4. UAW member not only verbally threatens to BLOW UP THE PLANT but then goes on a tirade threatening to kill the plant manager, throws chairs at employees including one through a window into the manager's office. Result, sensitivity training. Employee should now just be finishing his jail sentence because after returning to work physically assaulted a female supervisor breaking her jaw, arms, and one leg.

You want me to go on?

The UAW is about protecting crappy employees, nothing more, nothing less. We had union designers where I worked, 20 percent did the work, 80 percent did nothing. The only thing the 20 percent complained about is why they needed to be in a union and how their wages were being kept DOWN because with their skill set and work ethic they should would be making 30 percent higher wages.

 

[Solitaire]

Might explain why Chrysler products are mostly junk.

 

[Brandon]

Might explain why Chrysler products are mostly junk.

My thoughts as well.
I wouldn't buy a Chrysler product.

 

[HavokCycle]

and yet everyone sits around saying how bad right-to-work is.
unions have their place yes. they keep the balance. if it weren't for GM, Subaru would have abused their workers, more than they do.
some manufacturers have figured it out. for example - Nucor is non union. pays good wages and good benefits, and the majority of the work is reasonable. to keep the steel-workers from taking over, they give a bit more to keep employees happy, and short of the revolving shifts, they are.

 

[chachi73]

way to go Michigan legislators/governor! I love how union supporters hate individual liberties (ie freedom to choose whether or not to join). It cracks me up how the union thugs are freaking out over this. They know they are on the way to extinction.
" they give a bit more to keep employees happy" - <<<<this is the right way to do it. Also firing deadbeats who drink and smoke weed on lunch, caught on video and getting their jobs back makes me sick to my stomach. UAW should be ashamed of themselves. And they say they care about the safety of their members! yeah right...

 

[IndyDave1776]

The truly sad thing is that my grandpa has told me about times when unions had quite reasonable demands (like having a reasonable chance of going home alive at the end of the day) and in cases like those mentioned above would respond to the worker complaining about getting his pink slip by saying 'the door is that way' while pointing to the exit. Truly pathetic that they protect dead weight and resort to violence and intimidation as their tools to communicate a point.

 

[RHorn]

I see these issues with the union everyday and it still amazes me how people keep their jobs.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

It would certainly be interesting to know how the arbitrator justified his/her ruling.

 

[IndyDave1776]

It would certainly be interesting to know how the arbitrator justified his/her ruling.

That is just the problem, they don't have to.

 

[Classic]

The truly sad thing is that my grandpa has told me about times when unions had quite reasonable demands (like having a reasonable chance of going home alive at the end of the day) and in cases like those mentioned above would respond to the worker complaining about getting his pink slip by saying 'the door is that way' while pointing to the exit. Truly pathetic that they protect dead weight and resort to violence and intimidation as their tools to communicate a point.

There are literally thousands of stories of terrible abuses by business owners toward employees and unions have fought the good fight that has delivered 40 hour weeks, 8 hour days and more or less fair employee treatment. Buuuuut where they are now is deplorable. The pendulum has swung way to far at this point. They need to lose some of their power.

 

[Classic]

The Arbitrator in question said that the workers were off the clock and off company property so their dismissal was null and void. I'm bettin they got back wages as well.

 

[Liberty1911]

My uncle was a UAW shop steward 25 years ago. He used to brag about getting a guy his job back after stealing from the company, because the company didn't fill out some form they were supposed to have.

That was one of formative incidents that led to current views on unions.

They're nothing more than political organizations that exist to perpetuate their own power.

 

[Rocket]

Unions WERE needed at one time in history. Now they are just Legalized extortion. I was a Union man by force. I was fired because the company I worked for was shorting my pay. I called them out. They made up some crap and fired me. The UNION REFUSED to help. However the NLRB did. Fast forward. I got a letter saying my vested retirement was forfeit to the card carrying members because the Union did not have enough money for currant retirees! That's ILLEGAL but they got away with it. So I have no retirement.

 

[HavokCycle]

I got a letter saying my vested retirement was forfeit to the card carrying members because the Union did not have enough money for currant retirees! That's ILLEGAL but they got away with it. So I have no retirement.

i guess a good question would be, what were you told of your pension plan, and what decisions were you allowed to make of its investment?

my company (nonunion) does nicely in contribution to our 401k. part of it is invested in our own stock, part of it in mutual funds. i can withdraw at any time when i feel our fund, or company, is being mismanaged. i watch this closely, and make adjustments as necessary.

i assume those with similar plans do the same. otherwise, if you're not watching where your money goes, then you have no right to ***** when its mismanaged.

 

[griffin]

The Arbitrator in question said that the workers were off the clock and off company property so their dismissal was null and void.

It is against the shop rules (work rules) to come to work under the influence, drunk or high.

 

[Classic]

And yet they are reinstated. Insufficient evidence cited. They were only on video. They just happened to be drinking water out of brown bottles and smokin tobacco in a spliff.

way to go UAW.

 

[miguel]

The truly sad thing is that my grandpa has told me about times when unions had quite reasonable demands (like having a reasonable chance of going home alive at the end of the day) and in cases like those mentioned above would respond to the worker complaining about getting his pink slip by saying 'the door is that way' while pointing to the exit.

Yep. I had two union-member grandfathers. Things totally sucked back in the day in many/most (all?) industries. Thanks to those who endured (or died!) fighting to make the workplace safe and just a part of our lives, rather than the be all and end all of our human existence. There comes a point, however, when a hand is played past the point of no return and I think we're seeing that played out now.

The relationship between management and labor needs to be symbiotic, not parasitic. Labor ****ing management/ownership is no better than management/ownership ****ing them.

KUMBA-****ING-YA, BABY!!!

 

[lapoozyfan]

this is exaclty what is wrong with unions, for the record I was Chief Steward for a union for 5 years and spent 99% of my time fighting for drug addicted attendance problems who also had poor quality issues too!!!!!!!!! but it was my job and I was great at it, till I couldnt live with myself anymore and left for greener pastures!!!