Your_Ex-Wife said:
Beter yet Hackie ma boy..we all suck..! We let the unions down with PATCO! We should have all walked but did not!
Thats the first sensible thing that you have said.
The sad truth is that the reason why the unions did nothing then is the same reason why these same unions do nothing now.
They have become business unions. None of them are willing to use their treasuries to fight for us. The Sonny Halls of this world are very confortable in their corner offices on Broadway, unless of course an unimpressed member is sitting in there.
I've been a member of this union for over 17 years. All you ever get is excuses. Its the governments fault, its the economy, its the company, its the members, yet not once has there ever been a call to action despite over 20 years of concessions. How could it be the members fault when they say "buy it, its the best you are going to get" then when it becomes obvious that we should have done better instead of admitting that they screwed up, they blame the members for accepting it. During PATCO labor leaders had lots of excuses too. Today we recognize it for what it was.
The fact is that despite the AFL-CIO not only is every union really on its own, but so are most of the members. Most unions are run by people like Sonny Hall. Their primary objective is to retain personal power. They have no plan to make things better for us, and they are quite content with the status quo. Why wouldnt they be? Six figure salaries and benifits that the rank and file could only dream of. Unions like the TWU/ATD are no longer the means to better improved lives for the rank and file but rather an escape for the elite few.
The leaders back in 1981 were not much different than those of today, if anything we are worse off today. They too enjoyed their positions of staus and lofty compensation. They too were reluctant to do anything that could alter the status quo. Twenty years from now it will be just as clear how todays leaders have completely failed us.
:down: :unsure: :blink: 
