March 27, 2009
Apathy….Where the Hell are the comments??!!!
“Apathy is a lack of emotion, motivation, or enthusiasm, deriving from the ancient Greek term Apatheia.”
So what gives, every one too busy watching “Dancing With the Stars?”
I have emailed this site to other co-workers and nada, zilch. So what gives, you afraid of sounding stupid or getting you feelings hurt? Then get a cat.
Otherwise, get on here and say something, sounding stupid and getting your feelings hurt is part of the great “WORLD WIDE WEB”. Just ask online daters.
Comments on Apathy….Where the Hell are the comments??!!! »
okay I’m with you… I’ve tried saying this nicely a couple of times. Now it’s time to get nasty and get them pissed enough to join in…
There are a lot of people who have plenty to say but they have a burr under their saddle. I’m one of them. Our local like anything else has its faults. its better than no union but there is defiantly room for improvement. Someone on here said that all of us was in the union for personal benefit and I agree. Its a shame that our local benefits some members more than others. How many refrigeration techs do you see at the union meetings? We have a fitter dispatcher, a plumbing dispatcher but we don’t have anyone in the hall to back up the service techs. How many union service techs do you think belong to this union? When times get slow like they are right now do you think the hall is going to let you do some construction work until things pick up? I have seen building trades do service work and not have a license much less a clue to what they are doing. I think our hall does a crappy job when it comes to dealing with service techs. Its nothing new though, it has always been that way. There is no sign at the hall that mentions us. You have knuckleheads and stewards ready to stand up for the building trades but the techs have no representation.
Why is that? How many service techs are in the local? Why do service techs have a separate contract?
Depends on if fitters are off or not. Doesn’t that make sense? Fitters don’t go out on plumbing jobs unless all the plumbers are working.
That’s a contractor and/or self policing problem
Needs to be fixed, So how do we fix it?
“Needs to be fixed, So how do we fix it?”
It wont be… The best way to have control over an establishment is to always have diversity. If every member of our union was to stand together it would be a better place for all of us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Xe1kX7Wsc
but this is what we want, so this is what we get.
Well that’s depressing
Ever hear the words “United we stand, Divided we fall”? It has to do with the IBEW, Sheet metal workers, and everyone else sticking together. We have too much diversity. Check these guys out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity
We can go back to talking about republicans now.
The main reason that there is a “additional” agreement, (not neccessarily separate) for the service men is that if you go on strike and don’t respond to service calls, the shop will immediately lose customers, while the construction job can’t just go to another contractor.
Right or wrong, good or bad, that’s the reason for it.
The UA approved it on a national basis, so it must be good right?
The local is set up to service the constuction. That’s the nature of the beast. There is really no need for a serviceman dispatcher, we find our own employment within the local. In 25 years I have never used the local to find a service job, and have never been unemployed for more than 2 weeks. That’s the reason I got into the service side.I never want to have to wait on a list or be beholden to anyone for a placement. That is the CHOICE that everybody has when they chose a profession.
The fact that the hall focuses on the construction is because that’s where the need is.
Other than the contract, the meetings generally don’t have much to do with the service area. that’s why we don’t attend them much. Not to mention the lack of order that occurs quite a bit. I’ve personally been threatened by some at the back of the room on my way out of a meeting.( they used to drink at the meetings, now they seem to come already juiced) Not that I’m afraid of any member, but why deal with that crap.
I don’t know what kind of sign or plaque that the servicemen need at the hall.Maybe a statue of a guy sitting on a refrigerant can. I’ll have to give that one some more thought.
Just a side note: When admin becomes business manager, I will make a major effort to attend every month, since I and others got him through the apprenticeship.
You never did pay me for taking your test for you…
Sorry, but the statute of limitations has expired.
“The main reason that there is a “additional” agreement, (not neccessarily separate) for the service men is that if you go on strike and don’t respond to service calls, the shop will immediately lose customers,The UA approved it on a national basis, so it must be good right?”
True, There are people that cant wait for a strike to end, Hospitals, schools, doctors offices, senior citizens, etc.
“we don’t have anyone in the hall to back up the service techs.” I didn’t mean a service dispatcher. The secretaries at the hall seem to be more knowledgeable about the national agreement than anyone else.
“This is where a steward, (a well trained steward that knows what they are doing) AND a hall that will back them are required. Plus a membership that cares about doing what is right.”
I have seen quite a few HVAC shops that don’t have a steward and there are no hvac people at the hall… This is where I say no representation for the hvac service tech.
“We can’t pick and choose the rules we are going to follow… it’s either all or nothing. Not just the ones that are convenient for us or the contractors. We as members have the UA constitution, local 344 bylaws and the collective bargaining agreement. We must adhere completely to what is in these documents or the whole system breaks down. The contractors are governed by the collective bargaining agreement. If the contractors are not following the letter of contract, it is up to us to see to it that they do. We can as individuals do this by being vocal, notifying our steward and/or notifying the hall.”
Admin? I couldn’t have said it netter myself. This means that the national agreement must also be accepted by the traditional and… if a traditional is working for a national company under a national agreement they should be expected to abide by the national agreement as well and not the pick and choose we talked about earlier, do you agree?
Follow the rules that are in place for you to follow, absolutely agree!
“”"Other than the contract, the meetings generally don’t have much to do with the service area. that’s why we don’t attend them much. Not to mention the lack of order that occurs quite a bit. I’ve personally been threatened by some at the back of the room on my way out of a meeting.( they used to drink at the meetings, now they seem to come already juiced) Not that I’m afraid of any member, but why deal with that crap.”"”
You read that admin? I didn’t write that but I reiterate my stance on representation for the HVAC Dept.
When admin. becomes BM Iwant the fitter/service dispatching job and will be mindful of the needs of the servicemen we have at lu344
Okay, who hi-jacked bkwoods? He should have commented before now.
I agree that we need stewards,well trained at that,but the only time the training was offered was during working hours. Bring in an instuctor in the evening and I’m sure we will have more members take the time. Still need the hall to back them.