Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I didn't believe it when I first heard that they actually delayed workers because that were non-union, this is absolutely stunning. I think IBEW seriously underestimated how severe the situation from the storm. They should be ashamed.
"As superstorm Sandy pounded Long Island last week, representatives for the Long Island Power Authority began making mayday calls to repair crews across the nation. But their requests for help came with a footnote, according to one utility group that received a call: Contact the local electrical union first so that imported workers could be signed up as members before they arrived."
....
Barry Moline, executive director of the Florida Municipal Electric Association, said Long Island could have received 125 additional workers from utilities across Florida as soon as two days after the storm if a dispute about the letters had been resolved sooner....
"To have this contract thrust upon these organizations on short notice is an affront . . ." Moline said. "We said [to IBEW local], 'Why are you doing this?' They said, 'We want them [imported workers] to get a taste of the union so that when they go back home, they want the union.' "
We tried to take the train to the plane this a.m. from Mineola. The train was just sitting in the station when we got there around 7:30 or so - bunch of IBEW guys standing around (all wearing paraphernalia and ID stating their affiliation). We asked what happened; someone jumped on the tracks at Merillon Ave (the next stop up). The train that was there was the 5:30 from Hicksville and they were waiting for it to get going again. Garden City RR station is about a mile or two walk down Franklin Ave; maybe a $10 cab ride and then you split it 4 ways. But no, they were just standing there waiting for the train to get moving after the death investigation concluded hours later. The mind boggles.
No doubt they got to work and said they needed to work OT to make up the time.
This was a brazen attempt by the union to totally rip off these men. Look at the terms:
Quote:
Included in the contract that temporary union members sign, according to a copy of it provided to Newsday: contribution of 22.5 percent of each employee's gross salary to the IBEW annuity fund; payments of $9.75 an hour to the union's health and welfare fund; 3 percent of their gross salary to the union's "craft division skill improvement fund"; 3 percent of each worker's gross salary to the union's National Electrical Benefit Fund; and lesser amounts to other funds.
They might as well put a gun to their heads and take their wallets.
Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 16 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,219 posts, read 17,078,565 times
Reputation: 15537
/\
And all this "legal blackmail" for a group of workers who will return to their home state, not particpate in the union and never benefit from the dues they paid. If this is truly occuring then all the non-union work crews should boycott providing assistance. It is obvious no NY State labor agency want to take charge and stop these practises.
Right and elsewhere I read Gov. Christie of NJ declared a state of emergency which blocked any of these shenanigans from happening. NYS fail.
My peers at my company have been trying to form a union for quite some time now. The first thing they want is the fee of course. Regardless, I'd still say no. In short, F U, unions. F U very much.
This was a brazen attempt by the union to totally rip off these men. Look at the terms:
They might as well put a gun to their heads and take their wallets.
It's more of a rip off to the taxpayer than the out of town crews. They would have had to pay all that crap but they'd get NYS Prevailing Wage which is what we pay for everything. Change a light bulb? That's an Electrician...min. $58/hr. No joke, all on the prevailing wage schedules for EVERY job in NY. Do the job for less and you go on the State's debarred list and your business is finished. The pendulum has swung soooo far in the union's direction it's surreal. We pay for it EVERY DAY.
Instead of the $40 an hour they pay in Fla, the Fla guys would have gotten $80/hr and had to pay $40 in union costs. Who is getting the shaft? The taxpayer.
NYS declared a state of emergency on Monday but when you have to deal with hurricanes and other disasters administrative matters need to be put aside, I don't think the IBEW knew what the were dealing with before the storm hit. I can only assume this was also the case during Irene, not a shining moment for the IBEW, I assume there will be more on this issue in the coming weeks.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
