What's messing with your Groove?

A distribution company down the road shut it's doors, so our company hired them and brought the equipment for our own distribution center as their knowledge is to good to ignore.

One of the employees from the 'other' place can run a specific machine and is currently under a 'Temporary' contract as the politics isn't yet sorted. As she's a 'Temp' and not a full time employee she's not allowed to run a machine she's got vast amounts of experience on, yet someone who has minimal to no experience is allowed to run it (He is also the head of the union chapel). This all stems from the union and the rules they've put in place on shop floor levels.

Perhaps i'm missing the point but wouldn't you put the best person for the job on the machine?

Does anyone else think unions create MORE problems than solve them?

This is why i haven't joined and refuse to, nothing more than personal agenda's.

No, the point of unions is to maximize the revenue of union members while minimizing the effort they put into the work. Productivity or common sense are not something they strive for.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

No, the point of unions is to maximize the revenue of union members while minimizing the effort they put into the work. Productivity or common sense are not something they strive for.

---

Can't we go back to the good old days of unions where they existed simply as an entity that collectively agreed to stop working in instances where the company was abusing its workers?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

No, the point of unions is to maximize the revenue of union members while minimizing the effort they put into the work. Productivity or common sense are not something they strive for.

---

Actually, the point of unions is to protect the rights of workers and ensure they aren't being exploited.

What unions have grown to become is another matter ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Timbuk2

Actually, the point of unions is to protect the rights of workers and ensure they aren't being exploited.

What unions have grown to become is another matter ...

---

This is 2010, not 1910.

Or 1810.

But the question was what is the point of unions.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Timbuk2

Or 1810.

But the question was what is the point of unions.

---

Are we talking about what they should stand for or what they actually stand for?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

No, the point of unions is to maximize the revenue of union members while minimizing the effort they put into the work.

---

Yes, work better and smarter and healthier.

EDIT: Yes, I know that the motives of unions can be questionable.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aimless

Yes, work better and smarter and healthier.

EDIT: Yes, I know that the motives of unions can be questionable.

---

Or get paid 5 times above the market rate for 5 times less work because you have the local political bosses under your thumb and threaten violence against anyone who doesn't hire your members. And that's not referring to a few unions; it's a pretty accurate description of most of them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

Are we talking about what they should stand for or what they actually stand for?

---

Well, the 'point' of something is surely its purpose. Its intention.

In that, unions grew out of the back of the Industrial Revolution in Europe with the purpose or intention of protecting underpaid and mistreated workers from exploitative employers who had total bargaining power.

Which is what they should stand for, in answer to your question.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

Or get paid 5 times above the market rate for 5 times less work because you have the local political bosses under your thumb and threaten violence against anyone who doesn't hire your members. And that's not referring to a few unions; it's a pretty accurate description of most of them.

---

So how do you deal with that kind of thuggery?

Not being able to stay in Zürich and Melbourne at the same time. We really should push science on teleportation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

Or get paid 5 times above the market rate for 5 times less work because you have the local political bosses under your thumb and threaten violence against anyone who doesn't hire your members. And that's not referring to a few unions; it's a pretty accurate description of most of them.

---

That's the old labor unions, the Teamsters, AFL/CIO. The new unions are service worker oriented, janitors, hotel workers, teachers and government workers. They don't threaten violence.

I'm all for unions being used if, as an employee, you are being mistreated but that doesn't seem to be the case. If anything i think they've become a barrier and they seem to think they are living in the 60's/70's where they may have had more power. Yesterday i overheard one head of the chapel talking about how they wanted employees paid overtime for visiting other sites outside of work! Lets not forget they get paid anyway and they've got no expenses to splash out on as the company pay everything, they wanted more money. The reason for it? If they were supposed to be doing a shift from 6am till 2pm and they got home at 4pm they wanted the 2 hours as overtime pay.

Fucking idiots.

Don't even get me started on the people that run the unions here. Our heads of chapels are utterly lazy, i'm not allowed to touch a machine or even a PC in certain departments as i'm not classed as a tradesman, yet i know MORE about that system than they do! They constantly moan about the state of production but seem unable to understand or appreciate that print as a general industry isn't as big as it once was. Print runs are decreasing, cost of materials are increasing.

Bah, the whole thing and the individuals really fuck me off.

Chapels? WTF.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lor

The reason for it? If they were supposed to be doing a shift from 6am till 2pm and they got home at 4pm they wanted the 2 hours as overtime pay.

---

Invention of teleportation technology just might cure this...

Jim (Over the Phone): Hey yeah, Bob? I'm going to need you to come in for a meeting at 8, its about 7:45 now, do you think you can make it?
Bob (Whilst getting dressed): Yeah, just let me fire up the teleporter. Okay, its warming up as we speak. Whats the meeting about anyways?
Jim: Alan in accounting doesn't like the look of our second quarter projections, so we're going to look into ways to improve that. Hows the teleporter coming?
Bob: It says...PC Load Human? Whats that mean?
Jim: Did you try hitting it? (Audible thumping in the background)
Bob: Yeah.
Jim: Does it still say it?
Bob: No, but a lights on now. Is it supposed to be on?
Jim: I'm not really sure. Whats the light labeled?
Bob: Wait, its blinking now. I think its okay, I'm going to go ahead and teleport into work now.
Jim: Alright, I'll meet you at the receiver in five minutes.
*Five Minutes Later at the Receiver*
Bob (stepping out of the receiver): Alright Jim, lets get to that meeting.
Jim (visibly disturbed): Uhm, Bob, I don't know how to tell you this but...I think there's been an accident.
*An intern walking by sees Bob, and vomits into a nearby trashcan*

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GGT

Chapels? WTF.

---

Glad you asked, because i expressed the exact same thing as you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_of_the_Chapel

Chaboobies responding to posts before he's read the entire thread, thereby rendering his own posts entirely moot in the process. :mad:

Just went to the dentist. Had both my wisdom teeth on the right side removed. Top one, no problem, the bottom one they pulled out the whole tool shed.

It's all nice and sedated right now, but I'm going to be in pain tonight. :(

Local anaesthetic?

My sister had all four of her wisdom teeth out when she was 18 or 19. She was put under with general anaesthetic and had a hospital stay.

Wisdom teeth are absolute bastards to pull out. So deeply rooted ...

Local anaesthetic. Right side of my mouth is all numb.

Ouch.

Let us know if you start drooling out one side of your mouth so we can all laught at sympathise with you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ziggy Stardust

Local anaesthetic. Right side of my mouth is all numb.

---

Take whatever they told you to take before the pain starts to get bad. Once it does, its already too late...you'll be waiting for however long it takes for them to kick in...

Wonders if Ziggy will self-medicate. ;) It'll be okay. Bite that gauze, drool--don't swallow the blood, don't use a straw but do sip soup! :heart:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Illusions

Take whatever they told you to take before the pain starts to get bad. Once it does, its already too late...you'll be waiting for however long it takes for them to kick in...

---

Nothing more fancy than aspirins :( And it's kicking in alright. I'm burying myself in running and analysing testruns, because they're a bother but keeping my mind occupied.

Trying to get to sleep tonight will be fun.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GGT

Wonders if Ziggy will self-medicate. ;) It'll be okay. Bite that gauze, drool--don't swallow the blood, don't use a straw but do sip soup! :heart:

---

I've got a bottle of whisky and am not afraid to use it!

And I haven't eaten all day, so I'm going to need something more substantial than soup.

Aspirin will work against the making of a blood clot, so you may bleed more. Didn't they tell you that?

I don't mind bleeding. :)

aw poor Ziggy! Put a cracker or something in your tummy, start Tylenol instead of Aspirin....you want to stop the bleeding or else it'll trickle to your gut and make you nauseous. Trust me, you don't want to barf after oral surgery. I'd recommend some weed instead of liquor. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GGT

aw poor Ziggy! Put a cracker or something in your tummy, start Tylenol instead of Aspirin....you want to stop the bleeding or else it'll trickle to your gut and make you nauseous.

---

Do not want! :(

Quote:

---

Trust me, you don't want to barf after oral surgery.

---

No.

Quote:

---

I'd recommend some weed instead of liquor. ;)

---

Well, you're the professional. Who am I to argue?

I'd come over to "help" but you're too far away!

Ice pack to jaw
gauze bite pads
BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast)
Tylenol and MJ
naps
naps
naps