Another Reason I Like Unions

[waterdog101]

My garbage guy is alone too.

He pulls up in his truck, operates some controls and these hydraulically controlled arms swing down, grab my trashcan, and dump it into the truck. Then as if in a gesture of disgust, the machine violently hurls the empty can back down somewhere in vicinity my driveway. It bounces and lands on it side, often partially in the street. I've never seen him get get out and put it upright and back where it came from.

He never waves back to me either. One of these days I'm going to run out there and shake my fist at him while hollering "you think you're better than me don't you!". But probably not.

Does he need a union so he just drives and the other union guy operates the lift arms in a kinder gentler fashion? Maybe the union guys will be happier and they'll wave hi back to me.

Horse, does the guy have to climb down at every house and walk back to the back of the truck, step over in your yard and push the container close enough for the trucks control arm can reach it. if he has to climb down from the truck to do this. where it's a Union job or non- Union. the guy needs a helper.

[kygorski]

I'd like to stick up for yah waterdog, BUT there are dangerous brown nosed fecal breathed foks out there who would probably say they were going to beat my old weary ass up!"yah'll caint go round talkin like dat cheer" Next you'll be accused of being a commie[not the good kind like the chinese] but the old cold war kind.Theres a lot to said about minimum wage, slack jawed workers like garbage men, and then theres the bad kind they would maybe like a little more pay, or a benefit.Yep non union garbage man, free lunch and all you can steal.

[DJD]

I'm sorry WD but I see it as a one man job that had two men doing it because they were lazy. With hydraulics and innovations the second person is not needed most of the time. I cannot vouch for 100% of the waste management folks but to me it's a one man deal. Two men doubles the cost of everything and I'm willing to bet you don't get twice the production. Face it man your looking at things like it was 10-20 years ago. Things have changed, the economy crashed, companies went bankrupt, companies are scared to hire as readily as before and this world evolved with tools and automation.
My UPS driver hustles and delivers at what 180-200 stops a day?? Guessing that... but he gets it done. He's union as well. I see HUGE difference in his delivery gumption as opposed to the gubment worker or even the FedEx guy.

[waterdog101]

When I was young I worked at a gas station for a period of time. It was the early morning shift on a busy road where people filled up for their daily commutes, so we were always very busy. It was myself and another fellow that maned the shits, and this was before the current programmable pumps, so we had to stop each pump by hand at the desired dollar amount so it could sometime get hectic running back and forth between cars, keeping them all getting serviced promptly and out quickly.

One day the other fellow gave his notice that he would be leaving. I told the boss that if he gave me half of the other fellows salary that I could handle the shift myself. I told him give me at least one week to prove that sales wouldn't drop before he hired anyone else. This would be a win-win for both of us, I would be making 50% more, and he would be saving 50% on a second salary. I worked my tale off and sales actually went up instead of down, so we kept it like that permanently.

My point is that I am sure that some customers watched me running around like mad keeping pace with all the cars, and concluded the owner must have been taking advantage of me. Of course by judging a situation that they really didn't know anything about they would have been very wrong. So unless you really know all the circumstances surrounding the company, its finances, and its employees I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. Unfortunately we too often form opinions through the prisms of our preconceived views about something instead of actually learning what all the facts are.

your right about the part that I didn't know all the facts, about the guys working conditions. but from what I could see, my guess would be the guy would be willing to give part of his pay, to help pay for a helper. and I think you may have worked for a nicer employer than most. you got your pay bumped by 50% most employers, would have let you do yours and the other guys job, for the same wages. and if it was a non-union job, they could tell you. if you don't like it, don't cry about it go find you another job.

[Devils Horse]

Horse, does the guy have to climb down at every house and walk back to the back of the truck, step over in your yard and push the container close enough for the trucks control arm can reach it. if he has to climb down from the truck to do this. where it's a Union job or non- Union. the guy needs a helper.

No, he never unasses the drivers seat far as I can tell. When I first moved there I didn't know the protocol. Left the can too far from the street and facing the wrong way. He drew arrows and wrote instructions in large block letters on top of the can with a black sharpie. (Maybe he doesn't wave back because he thinks I'm too stupid to waste time on.)

How do you know your guy needs a helper? Seems you're assuming a lot.

If the company has enough customers, they'll get another guy to speed the process. It usually boils down to what makes financial sense.

Maybe there's plenty of time for him to finish his route by himself, another guy would cost too much, and Geo's scenario kicks in.

Maybe it's a small company that can't afford said helper. What's the name of the outfit that takes your garbage?

Maybe Kygorski will come over and help the poor guy out. That's what good commies do.

[waterdog101]

I'd like to stick up for yah waterdog, BUT there are dangerous brown nosed fecal breathed foks out there who would probably say they were going to beat my old weary ass up!"yah'll caint go round talkin like dat cheer" Next you'll be accused of being a commie[not the good kind like the chinese] but the old cold war kind.Theres a lot to said about minimum wage, slack jawed workers like garbage men, and then theres the bad kind they would maybe like a little more pay, or a benefit.Yep non union garbage man, free lunch and all you can steal.

I hear ya, my friend. these younger guys just look at some things from younger eyes, kinda like a little pup, they have to live to a certain age before their eyes come open. anyone that thinks a good Union don't help a working man, they don't look at the work force as I do. it really don't matter with me, I have worked 40 years already. I have my living made, I just feel for guys like the garbage worker, I was talking about. getting taken advantage of, and nothing they can do about it. and they are some people out there, that make a good living themself. and it don't bother them at all, to see some guy have to work in bad working conditions, if it will save them a buck on their bill.

[GeoFisher]

I hear ya, my friend. these younger guys just look at some things from younger eyes, kinda like a little pup, they have to live to a certain age before their eyes come open. anyone that thinks a good Union don't help a working man, they don't look at the work force as I do. it really don't matter with me, I have worked 40 years already. I have my living made, I just feel for guys like the garbage worker, I was talking about. getting taken advantage of, and nothing they can do about it. and they are some people out there, that make a good living themself. and it don't bother them at all, to see some guy have to work in bad working conditions, if it will save them a buck on their bill.

Well dog.......I've worked 30 years in the same field....23 for the same company. Never, not once have I ever wanted to or wished I worked for a union shop.

My eyes ARE opened. Before I worked in the industry I'm in, I delivered pizza.....before that I had a newspaper route. I've worked all my life and MADE a better life for MYSELF by getting an education and bettering myself. PERIOD.

If the garbage man feels he's getting taken advantage of.......learn something else and work somewhere else. If he chooses to stay as a garbage man, then he chooses that will all the perks and benefits, and ******** that goes with that job.

You know what I'm sick and tired of..........people feeling it is their right to have a job versus their responsibility to GET and maintain employment.

You talk about us "young uns" and our need to open our eyes, but if you really want to express your concern, you should look at the kids graduating school today who have ZERO clue about anything, except how to plug in a freakin x box. I worry about their ability to do ****, and compete with anyone for a job. If you think we don't have skilled labor today, wait for about 10 -15 years. We will need every Mexican and other illegal out there just to function, because are kids are to freakin stupid to do ****.

Yea, don't worry about me and my generation.....I think we get it....you better start worrying about the next generation. I think the only decent folks out of that generation may be those who served in the two wars that have been ongoing for the past 10 years.

Later,

Geo

[DJD]

I hear ya, my friend. these younger guys just look at some things from younger eyes, kinda like a little pup, they have to live to a certain age before their eyes come open. anyone that thinks a good Union don't help a working man, they don't look at the work force as I do. it really don't matter with me, I have worked 40 years already. I have my living made, I just feel for guys like the garbage worker, I was talking about. getting taken advantage of, and nothing they can do about it. and they are some people out there, that make a good living themself. and it don't bother them at all, to see some guy have to work in bad working conditions, if it will save them a buck on their bill.

Been working since I was 15 and am 49 be 50 in May. Worked my way up, bagging groceries, washing dishes, floor covering and odd jobs to support myself and served in the military to get money for college.
i said it before...you have a soft spot in your heart. I see the struggles you see but I also see the other side that is choices people made and being responsible for your actions. Sure bad luck can play into how we live our life but we all live with the cards we are dealt. Good or bad it's life.
Don't like being a garbage man? Change it. Don't like being a Walmart cashier change it.

[SLP]

I hear ya, my friend. these younger guys just look at some things from younger eyes, kinda like a little pup, they have to live to a certain age before their eyes come open. anyone that thinks a good Union don't help a working man, they don't look at the work force as I do. it really don't matter with me, I have worked 40 years already. I have my living made, I just feel for guys like the garbage worker, I was talking about. getting taken advantage of, and nothing they can do about it. and they are some people out there, that make a good living themself. and it don't bother them at all, to see some guy have to work in bad working conditions, if it will save them a buck on their bill.

From many years of observations I have come to the conclusion that it is more common that truly generous and caring people are those that do things to help others personally in a quiet manner without seeking recognition. People who instead more publicly point fingers at what others should be doing to help people are often less giving themselves.

I am not saying that this is the case with you, because there of course are always exceptions, and also I don't know you. But then again you don't really know any of us who's values you are choosing to judge.

[SLP]

your right about the part that I didn't know all the facts, about the guys working conditions. but from what I could see, my guess would be the guy would be willing to give part of his pay, to help pay for a helper. and I think you may have worked for a nicer employer than most. you got your pay bumped by 50% most employers, would have let you do yours and the other guys job, for the same wages. and if it was a non-union job, they could tell you. if you don't like it, don't cry about it go find you another job.

He was nice, I don't know if he was nicer than most though. His initial reaction was that it would be impossible for me to handle. Then his second reaction was, "I can't pay you that much". However I convinced him that it would be worth giving it a try to prove I could, and then pointed out that regardless of how much I would be receiving I would be saving him money each week from what he had been paying to get the job done.

The bottom line is he was a businessman, and faced with the chance to make a higher profit each week because of my willing to work ridiculously hard he took the chance. I don't think he believed it would go past the first week, but it ended up working out better for the both of us, and it became permanent.