SwiftVets.com

[tony54]

I retired from UPS Dec. 2003 with 30 years of service. For 30 years I paid union dues to the Teamsters, with good points and bad points.
My biggest problem with the Teamsters and unions in general is this, in most states it is required to belong to the union to be able to work. Ohio is one of those states.
The unions collect millions of dollars from members through monthly union dues taken from your paycheck before you even see it. They do some good especially in a big corporation where you are just a number, they negotiate a national contract where everyone is paid a fair days pay for a fair days work.
But it doesn’t stop there; the unions have a big slush fund for “political action committee” and they donate million each election state and federal, with or without consent of the membership. And 99% of the contributions go to you guessed it, Democrats.
Its more than just the Teamsters, it’s the teachers union, the steel workers union, the AFL-CIO, the state employees union, the federal employees union, telephone workers union and the list goes on forever.
They donate to Democrats sometimes not even knowing what he or she stands for, and without the consent of the membership.
Being that I’m a staunch Republican I indirectly with my union dues donated to Jimmy Carter, Dukakis, Clinton, Gore, Kerry and worst of all Dennis Kasunich the Communist!
Dennis Kasunich got thousands of dollars for his campaign and is guaranteed thousands more from all those unions I listed above.
A brave young Republican Veteran ran against Kasunich, he got zilch from the unions.
When I confronted my local Teamster Presidents many times over the years and complained about this situation, the programmed answer was to blame Reagan for firing the Air Controllers. I explained that the Air Controllers had a no strike clause in their contract and Reagan did what he had to do according to the law, but it was talking to deaf ears.
Unions are regulated by the Federal Government, for 40 years the Democrats made sure the unions got what they wanted and in return the unions donated to Democrats almost exclusively
I think its time for a change, I keep e-mailing my Republican Congressman LaTourette and Ohio Republican Senators DeWine and Voinovich, they all three agree that something should be done, but nothing changes.
Federal regulations need to be put in place forbidding or limiting what unions donate to political campaigns, or at least require that the membership decide who to donate to and not the top pinheads of the union.

[scotty61]

I was reading my local's news letter, which always has a bunch Bush and Republican bashing, and about sh!t my pants. Our area business rep praised Bush's energy plan for all the work it was going to bring pipefitters in our area. WOW! Maybe there is hope after all.
_________________
John Kerry. A Neville Chamberlain for our times.

[Sgt-Keeper]

I am contacting my union, I pay fair share, not full, and am requesting a full refund of my share of the political support monies it contributed. I understand I have a right to demand this refund, and that they can't refuse. If anyone cares, I'll keep you up to date on my progress.
_________________
Fix the problem, not the blame.
USMC E5 Nam vet 65-66

[scotty61]

Keep us posted. I'm curious to see how they deal with it.
_________________
John Kerry. A Neville Chamberlain for our times.

[carpro]

States with Right to Work laws are hated by unions.

It would be good if you could get the problem handled through legislation.
But, if you can't , maybe you could consider moving.

I realize that's not an option for a lot of people so good luck either way.

You have my full support for what it's worth.
_________________
"If he believes his 1971 indictment of his country and his fellow veterans was true, then he couldn't possibly be proud of his Vietnam service."

[wwIIvetsdaughter]

All this Union talk is so alien to me: I live in Texas, a right to work state. Its sounds downright communist to "have to belong" to a union to work. Sounds a bit like the Mafia taking their cut out of your pie so that you "have the right" bake a pie in the first place.

[MSeeger]

Wait, I think there is a carpenter's union here in Houston. I know that there is a teacher's union here in Houston. I never got around to joining it, however, when I was teaching.

Unions in Texas have no teeth to speak of. And I know that there are firemen's and policeman's unions here in Texas, at least that are branches of national unions, because a lot of them supported President Bush.

Maria
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Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Gal. 6:7

[USAFE5]

Here in Las Vegas, we have several unions, even though Nevada is a right to work state. I compare these groups to the Mafia as well, except here the Mob didn't take as much of your pay. If you want to work in the casinos, you have to join a union (Laborere's, Culinary, Teamsters, etc). Unless you are willing to work for peanuts in a "non" union job. And all of these groups backed -- Harry Reid Daschle's replacement. Don't let the small town guy story in the press fool you. He has been in the game long enough to know where Hoffa is.
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"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I’m here to help." Ronald Reagan

[tony54]

Nationwide the most anti-Republican unions are:
AFL-CIO
Teamsters Union
Teachers Union
Federal Employees Union
Postal Carriers Union
Longshoreman's Union
Police Chief's Association
Steel Workers Union
Trial Lawyers Association (Union)

I may have missed a few hundred others.

[carpro]

Being a Right to Work , of course, doesn't mean no unions are allowed. They're all over the place in Texas. But it does mean they can't force you to join a union to work there. Their union reps try to make it sound like you have to , but when push comes to shove , they can't.
_________________
"If he believes his 1971 indictment of his country and his fellow veterans was true, then he couldn't possibly be proud of his Vietnam service."

[JimRobson]

Tony, Don't forget AFSME American Federation of State and Municipal Employees. One of the most liberal. Big support for Dems.
_________________
ETN2 PTF2 (Littlecreek Underwater Demolition Unit 2 1963)

http://www.thewebplace.com/

[I B Squidly]

Somewhere in Phoenix lives a gutsy UPS driver. I saw his "Bush 04" sign in the windshield of his truck and I nearly wrecked my car. Hope he still has a job.

[margie]

[Slednfool]

If you guys want to see where your money is going check out this website. http://www.tray.com/cgi-win/x_laborTop.exe?DoFn=

Read about union corruption here. http://www.nlpc.org/olap.asp

[msindependent]

No offense, but I'd clean toilets for a living rather than having to join a union.