Possible strike at port of houston

[TexasBob]

How does one industry end up with a union when 100 others don’t? Always seemed interesting to me. Does the employer have to keep the union? Could they just fire everyone and start over? Not saying they should, or that the fallout would be less than a strike but just wondering about the dynamics. Could the company “strike” and juts stop paying the workers? I don’t have a dog in the fight at the granular level but I don’t think a group should be able to hurt the whole country to make their point. same with pilots, utility workers etc. critical workers need to work imho.

[Bayouboy]

Yep it's sickening. I despise unions and could never be a part of one on principle. The America people are the ones who will get the shaft on all this, and at the worst possible time for most families. Meanwhile the unions will continue to support politics that are destroying us.

I don’t think the unions are the ones putting these people you speak of in office. It is the uneducated voters that believe what media tells them.

[Bayouboy]

Where were many of you during Covid? Our union workers were at work making fuels. The longshoremen were at the docks loading and unloading ships.

I remember quite a few on here bragging about their Covid checks and staying home.

[BrandonA]

How does one industry end up with a union when 100 others don’t? Always seemed interesting to me. Does the employer have to keep the union? Could they just fire everyone and start over? Not saying they should, or that the fallout would be less than a strike but just wondering about the dynamics. Could the company “strike” and juts stop paying the workers? I don’t have a dog in the fight at the granular level but I don’t think a group should be able to hurt the whole country to make their point. same with pilots, utility workers etc. critical workers need to work imho.

I would think that after a contract is over a company should be allowed to Hire non-union workers. Probably what needs to happen long-term.

[DUKFVR]

I would think that after a contract is over a company should be allowed to Hire non-union workers. Probably what needs to happen long-term.

If you don't like your wages, union or not, you shouldn't be forced to work even if a critical job. If you decide to strike so be it, but non union people should be brought in immediately. If they try to block the workers or hurt them, crack heads if you have to ,so people who want to work can.

[GA Bowhunter]

The POTUS should crush that union.

Remember how Reagan treated the air traffic controllers in 1981? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

From Wiki:

Two days into the strike, the Reagan administration gave the striking ATCs 48 hours to return to their jobs. Only 875 union members returned to work following Reagan's request. During this time, new ATCs were being trained and replacing the striking union members. ATC towers were staffed by non-striking ATCs, along with military personnel and retired ATCs who agreed to return to work. Ultimately, the government action was effective at defeating the union. Only 1,300 of the striking workers were able to retain their jobs, and none of them attained their demands.

[GA Bowhunter]

BTW, I have been a member of two unions. They both sucked.

I was in the retail clerk's union at the grocery store for 4 years. I hated it. My pay was limited to that of my coworkers and I literally did twice as much (or more) work than they did. That ****** me off. I should have been paid more than they were.

I was in the IAFF when I was an Atlanta Firefighter. The union endorsed and contributed to democrats. The vast majority of firefighters that I knew did not support democrats. We were also not allowed to strike, which I understand since firefighters are essential, much like air traffic controllers and longshoremen.

[Bayouboy]

The good news here is this is private industry negotiating with a private union where the only source of income is from private industry customer's revenue.

It's not like the public teachers unions negotiating with politicians over tax payer revenue where the politicians need teachers votes in most cases.

[J Wales]

End Wokeness on X: "It's official: 45,000 port workers are now on strike, from Maine to Texas. "We will cripple you" - Head of ILA https://t.co/ivetfkDCud" / X


Yep......

That guy is the perfect example of the classic stereotype of a union boss. Like he's straight out of a movie...

[friscopaint]

Banning automation is just the longshormen's version of what the unions did to the American shipping industry and the railroads... If the dang unions had their way, we'd still be using steam locomotives because you need more people to run one... Not sure if it's still the case but back when I was in school (Marine Engineering for the Merchant Marine ), the shipping industry was a closed union operation. To work on a US Flag ship, you must be a member of the union (MEBA) or (MM&P)... and all diesel locomotives still had a "Fireman" on each locomotive!! Not sure what a fireman does on a diesel-electric locomotive... I sailed on a fully automated C-10 cargo ship (Tillie Lykes) that could carry the cargo of 4 standard C4 hull size cargo ships. It only needed a 6 person crew to man all watches when at sea, but because of the unions, Lykes Brothers Shipping was not allowed to use the automation! They had to have the full complement of 36 man crew for the engine and deck departments... The union made them put in an "Engine Order Telegraph" to ring down orders to the engine room from the bridge when there was a control panel on the bridge that could fully operate the main engines and all hydro-electric equipment onboard the ship... The union succeeded in having the control room on the bridge disconnected. Someone from the engine department must perform all tasks relating to the propulsion of the ship... No one from the engine department was allowed on the bridge... It was reserved only for members of the deck crew...
That's the kind of crap the unions are good at. They impede progress at every turn... That's why there is such a push to unionize the fast food industry... The gubment has driven up the cost of employees to the point it's cheaper, safer and much less expensive to automate the whole fast food process for the most part... Unions do not want this to happen... Also why so many automotive jobs have left the country... Automation has made the manufacture of cars so much less expensive and more efficient, that the only way the can use the technology is to do it somewhere else besides the good ol USA... Thank you you union workers for destroying our country and driving innovation abroad.

Wow, pure insanity. No wonder so many ships fly under other flags.

[Bayouboy]

If all this automation is so great how come people avoid the self checkout lines like the plague and gripe when they can't find a register open with a cashier?

[RiverRat1]

If you don't like your wages, union or not, you shouldn't be forced to work even if a critical job. If you decide to strike so be it, but non union people should be brought in immediately. If they try to block the workers or hurt them, crack heads if you have to ,so people who want to work can.

You mean like capitalism?

I never understood how unions are still around. Someone is paying for all that crap (the end user).

[TexasBob]

If all this automation is so great how come people avoid the self checkout lines like the plague and gripe when they can't find a register open with a cashier?

Automation is not me doing the work, whilst fighting a system that needs my age or doesn’t like the weight of a bag of Cheetos. Fun discussion though. I am against over automating processes for sure. Can’t replicate human thought but then again people can be dumb so not sure what’s best

[tps7742]

In my simple world a person has the right to choose where they work, be it union or non union. If you don’t like a union facility move on and vive versa. I worked in a union facility by my own choosing for 34 years at one location, 2 at another and 4 years since retirement as a contractor. I could tell the difference in management towards me personally in my working career.

[Hoggslayer]

Just don't delay my Amazon order dang it.