Tundras live: Dumb Dad Jokes, Incorrect Opinions, and Relationship Advice.

I have yet to be a union member, one of the joys of being an unsocial oick who preferred his own company. Very few Brits work on boats in this day and age, most of them are white collar workers.

 

I love my union, blue collar career. Wouldn't want it any other way.
I was non-union for 13 years, the work and the people were great but I would never go back.

 

Don't get me wrong, there is a usefulness in a companies workers being able to unionize for better treatment. That's what they were originally created to do, but it's become so regulated and politicized that unions now only hound companies for added wages in order to fatten their own wallets and push political agendas.

I grew up in a household funded by a union job, and when they went on strike the union did dick all to help with anything. They pushed the strike to get their own wallets fattened, but the millions paid into the union box weren't there to help the workers when they didn't have an income. The numbers were crunched and of the dues paid over decades there was about 2% in the official coffers at the time of the strike. Where did all the money go? My guess is the union bosses' summer houses, boats, vacations, and bonuses.

The ridiculous cradle to grave benefits of the auto industry were forced by unions, and there have been unending bankruptcies and brands going under. Now, is it all the unions' fault? No. Mismanagement is a factor as well. However, you can look at what happened to Hostess. The union forced crazy demands, the company countered stating it wasn't possible and they'd have to go out of business, the workers understood it and said they didn't want that, but the union had the legal power at that point and drove them under. They cost people their jobs out of greed, because it wasn't their job on the line.

I hope yours is good for you and doesn't run your employer into the ground. I really do, but I don't trust others to bargain on my behalf because none of them have MY best interest at heart. They only have their own, and at my expense if needed.

 

Totally get that side of the coin.
I'm lucky in the fact that I work for a public utility, it's really stable. Our dues are so minimal its a little shocking for what we get in return. My take home pay almost doubled when I went union, not to mention top-tier benefits and a state pension.
I'm positive there are slime ball union bosses out there, I just don't have any experience with that world.

I love not having to hit my old boss up for a raise and hearing excuses. I don't care about why you can't pay me what the industry standard is old man. It makes you bitter when you know how much profit you're making for the company when you run jobs. Rant over

 

That's definitely understandable. The doubled wages are awesome for you, and the autoworkers love their crazy benefits too. It's not sustainable in that industry though, and IDK about for a utility. I guess they can always just crank up the bill to the consumer to cover any cost increases. Not like anyone is going choose no electricity even if they are getting shanked for it. People can hold off on cars a bit easier. Like I said, I hope it's level headed and run well so the worker is treated fairly and the company is sustainable. I hate seeing just about anybody lose their source of income.

I've got a buddy who was also working for a utility (gas man) and the union was outright useless when he was mistreated and targeted. He had to get a lawyer after they fired him, and he easily won, but not after they had damaged his health (permanent heart damage due to stress from persecution) and ruined him on the industry.

 

Yeah, the auto worker is definitely more susceptible to layoffs and shittier conditions. Really sucks for your buddy, I hope he's in better shape these days.

I'm realizing more I'm in a very unique environment. We as a utility, make a ton of money selling power to the rest of the west coast, occasionally making millions in a day; while keeping our local power rates about the lowest in the country. The public, utility bosses and the workers are all generally happy.

 

That's freakin' awesome! Wish I were qualified and that WA was less like CA, because it sounds like a sweet gig. Not that I don't enjoy my current job and income, but I usually get itchy for something else at about the 3-5 year mark. October will make 5 years in my current position.

Eh.... not especially. He's dealing with cancer now and is leaving another company that has strung him along. Pretty sure he's setting up on his own though, so that will go well for him. His work ethic is nuts. On a bad day he works everyone I've ever met into the dirt, and on a good day his productivity is regularly triple what others are getting done. If I had a company I'd kill to have an employee like him.

 

Yeah, the CA factor is a real killjoy. Not enough to walk away from what I have though, with work and home. After retirement, I'll be looking for a freedom state to call home.

 

Wish him the best, sounds like an awesome dude. If only his past employers realized that..

 

Can't blame you there. Who knows, you guys might be able to turn it around as well. If you do, I might have to move up that way, or to OR out by @Tripleconpanna for his temperate weather.

 

That would be amazing if it happened, I love where I live.

The OR coast is pretty awesome, I'm sure he wouldn't mind one more neighbor

 

He can mind all he wants. His fault for showing off the climate.

Thought I think I'm more likely to move to stay where I am. I like it here and, if my company doesn't do anything stupid, I've got a solid income to be comfortable enough.

 

Good plan.
I wonder what you would make around here with an equivalent position.
I know a guy that works at a data center that does similar work.

 

It's hard to say. I've checked the national average for a NOC Technician and it's less than what I make, but they are usually not as much of a swiss army knife as we are. Most are only working on a single type of trunk or technology, but I am more broadly experienced with a heavy leaning to the network surveillance side of things.

 

Gotcha, sounds like you're in the right spot.

 

I completely lucked out, that's for damn sure. I'm very blessed to have this job, and my only concern for it is security/longevity. I may do some side gig stuff on my days off in the coming years just to pad the bank or to try and build a home, but it'll depend heavily on some other factors beyond my control.

 

My former company/site unionized in the mid 90s because management was treating the operations and maintenance employees like shit. By the time I left there a couple years ago, the union was so powerful that at contact renewal time management would just give in to their most unreasonable demands instead of locking them out for a while, even though they had a solid business continuity plan in place.

The site I work at now treats its employees well enough that they've never felt the need to unionize, though other sites in the company have for whatever reasons. The collaboration between the front line workers and "management" (that's not what I am but it's how I get grouped on a union site) is amazing and it's so much easier and more effective to solve problems and get work done together.

 

Yup. Down in southern Wyoming there are several mines, and they all run/pay pretty similarly... except the one that isn't union. That one pays better and has better benefits. Not sure you could ever convince them to join a union as they've seen the BS at the other mines. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid wage at both, but who wouldn't take more pay for the same job along with not having any union dues?

 

A friend of mine has a trade ticket (meat cutter) and works for a grocery store. Their union is definitely one of the ones that's collecting dues to line people's pockets. Workers have literally been told there's nothing the union can do when guys have been fired without cause.

 

We expect our neighbors to be quite social and involved here; you'd need to understand that living on the coast is special and we'll be happy to show you the way

All jokes aside, I actually got this speech from a neighbor when we first moved in; like 2nd day unloading the u-haul; she brings over a bottle of 2-buck chuck and delivers this speech....

PS>>> The sale of her house closed 2-days ago, and I'd like to still think it was all from my flickering porch light

 

The City pays pretty good here (in comparison) and they are always hiring... I'm sure it's not bunker pay, but not bad for the area

Hell, if they ever open up a graveyard position to drive the street sweeper, I'd be all over that

 

Plus, if you moved near me I'd get real offended if you'd continue to blow off my requests like you do now

 

Shit, it sounds like you'd be good to work within most water treatment facilities and such as they are all based primarily on monitoring SCADA systems now.

 

Could probably monitor a nuke plant too, but I think they want degrees for that. Sucks, because I know they'd pay better.

I'm social enough. My neighbors can come visit me as often as I come visit them. I'm helpful when needed, but I generally try to stay out of people's hair. I like peace.

Pay is nice to have, but I'd have to know the taxes/living costs as well. $100,000 in WY and $100,000 in CA are very different in quality of life. Heck, the cali-invaded corner of WY is a different mess compared to the rest of the state.


No, I don't make $100K.

 

We run SCADA programs here too. No degree needed for a tech, just experience.

Pays well over $100k.

 

Honestly not sure what SCADA is. Gotta remember, I'm in WY, so everything is behind everywhere else.

 

Basically just a data monitoring system, ours is managed by techs and the operators rely on the information sent to them about our units.

 

Ah, well that's nifty. I wish I only had one system to watch. LOL I'm juggling about between 15 and twenty monitoring/ticket tools. Plus I handle the calls for site access and take some incoming calls for troubles with other carriers. Not sure how 6 figures in WA stacks up with my pay/cost of living here.

 

That sounds like work!

Yeah COL is definitely high here

 

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition, it's also used in tunnels all over the United Stated and world to monitor and control all fire life safety systems. It's fun stuff