quote name='Jester' date='Mar 23 2009, 04:17 PM' post='675850'
You all need to get that dirt out of your ears after burying your head in the sand for so long and start listening to yourselves.
My point being, Mr. Nelson, if the top IAM "leadership" is going to forgo any real education while making decisions by relying upon the expert advice of "'Top' attorneys [google Bush & associates], economists, and accountants" then why do we even need them as they are incompetent gatekeepers? So instead the members rely upon the decision making abilities of former aircraft assemblers, welders, meter repairmen and alike based upon their conversations with real experts all the while they all feed at the trough of membership dues? Weren't you the same person not too long ago rallying against six-figure salaries being given to union leadership who you deemed to be incompetent prior to Boss Canale's election defeat? You might want to get some of that sand out of your eyes.
Who said anything about forgoing education? Once again, you have redefined terms in your hypothesis. To clarify your hypothesis, define 'real' education for us and tell us on what basis do you exclude other education paths? While you're at it, what 4 year degree would be acceptable to you, nursing? History major? Management proficiency? Teaching certificate? Which degree will legitimate them for you since your fancy seems to be that they need at minimum a 4 year degree to become suitable?
Again, since it is your hypothesis, the onus is on you to prove it but so far you have offered no evidence other than a tiradian rant which is no more than 'personal opinion' within your preference zone.
OTOH, I don't have any problem with elected representatives being previous welders, aircraft assemblers, meter repairman, etc. as I see no evidence that they are necessarily handicapped in their decision making abilities if they don't have a formal 4 year degree.
Weren't you the same person not too long ago rallying against six-figure salaries being given to union leadership who you deemed to be incompetent prior to Boss Canale's election defeat? You might want to get some of that sand out of your eyes.
Salaries aren't off topic. I continue to believe in union accountability like I hope all of the members do. These processes of determing salaries are within the membership's control.
Even so, I'll have to give credit to the New Direction officers who were just sworn in. They decided, on their own, to forego their pay increases last month and instead placed the money where they felt it would better serve the members. A very honorable thing they did by free volition.
You mean that same contract you urged everyone to vote against, now you are taking credit for it?
Certainly I exercised my opinion at the city's gates as well as others and made my appeals to the masses before the case was closed. Discussion and various opinion help unpack the issues. The contract is the final representation of the pulse and voice of the membership. It reflected a process that resulted in a reasonable outcome as determined by majority vote. Without that process, there would have been a negative effect on the masses and I doubt members would have seen up to $6 raises.
Until and unless we become a nation of mob rule, those who eschew education and embrace incompetency will suffer from their own ignorance.
So Delineates Jester.
At last you make some sense. But nobody is eschewing education except you by limiting education to 'real' education as defined by you as someone with at least a 4 year degree.
regards,
Tim Nelson