Looks like I hit a nerve. Al I have read your posts and you come across as very knowledgeable. With such a sharp mind I am highly disappointed to see you ranting like you are. I apologize if my posts come across as whining to you, but most just state the facts not the whine. I could have very easily started attacking you for your views, but I respected your right to your own opinion. I know you're a die hard union supporter to the extent that 1 of my brothers is, but if stating the facts about the corruption and greed that are clearly going on gets you that angry then you will go to your pine box with your eyes tightly closed and that's your own choice. My father used to be a union man, and you come across as being old enough to be of an age where you got to experience the golden time of unions. It will always be stuck in your head and you will remember it no other way. But you seem to forget, that was a different age and a far different economy. I wish he could tell you how great the union benefits were when the company he worked for shut its doors and all the workers lost their pensions. His isn't the only story like that either.
Whether you wish to see it or not unions are like the steam locomotive and the Oregon trail. They had their time and place in history and their usefulness ended a long time ago. I took the job at this shop because it was work that paid. As well as one of the only companies hiring welders when I needed a better paying job because a union job paying $15/hr isn't going to support a family of 4. Plus they were willing to match the offer of my previous employer who was willing to pay for me to go through the courses and take the CWI tests. Something I am doing so I can do better providing for my family as these people are in high demand and have better pay rates. If you actually met me you would know that I have not or ever made any claim to being a welding god. But then again you would have to also ask that question of my former employers. Why on earth would I always get stuck teaching some helmet wearing retard how to weld like me, if they didn't think so. This has occurred at every shop I have worked for. Why am I always the one they come to and say "Can you cut this thing apart and fix it so we don't have to scrap it?" when there are from 5 to in some shops 50 other welders to choose from? I never volunteered for this, but when offered to get CWI/CWE training I did recognize the opportunity when it was presented.
As for the union shops. There were real hard times in this state where you couldn't have bought a job at a welding shop, so out of necessity I took a job where it was available to leave a bad situation. But you keep reping those unions proud because even you are clearly unaware of how these establishments are shooting themselves in the foot. That's how a job paying a steel worker for HD $40/hr to polish a fuel tank went to a shop that was union in title only and only paid it employees a max of $15/hr. It was written in the contract to hire people for this union shop and pay them as little as possible. Every union rep was bought off and went out of their way to ignore any wage negotiations in favor of protecting their financial atrocities called pensions. Now since you're obviously a card carrying member of Mensa's triple 9 society, please explain how the whole pension thing came up and was even considered without there being a whole lot of greed, and corruption, and looking the other way involved? Funny you bring social security into this because your talking to a guy who has paid into that same failing institution for 18 years and it will not even exist by the time I need it. YOUR WELCOME FOR THAT! Hell take a buddy out to lunch and tell him this one is on Matthew Nemchek. After all YOUR ENTITLED to it, obviously not me. Hey look your greed is showing! And a union lackey to boot! Imagine that! What are the chances? I mean its got to be 1 in a billion.
As far as unions benefits lets see here... I got the same insurance, 401k, vision, and dental, as what I have in the union shop I work for now, with a lower wage than what I was making in the non union shops. The previous union shop had even lower wages with the same exact benefits. Wow I pay a union to get the same benefits as the non union shops OMG what would we ever do without unions? So lets recap. I get the same insurance as I did in non union shops and actually get less pay. I am dealing with it out of need, not want or trying to take advantage of anything while complaining about it. I would leave but I am locked into a year long contract as a result of trying to improve my circumstances. Since Gov. Walker was elected the jobs and work have returned to this state it is possible to leave my employer, but to do so I would have to drop a good opportunity to do so and go back to living paycheck to paycheck. You obviously have no clue what its like to walk a mile in my shoes SON. Why don't you try to support a family of 4 off of 1 income and no extra help from any other type of source. Tell me how that works while the value of the dollar is dropping and inflation is rising. Have you paid attention to your grocery bill or energy bills as of late? My wife is disabled and unable to work period. Due to how things panned out with the multitude of quacks trying to diagnose her, she isn't even eligible for social security or disability. Even though you own your own business and despite your crying about your bills we all know you're making damn good money otherwise you wouldn't be doing it. If you're not then that is your fault and deserve what you get. Maybe you should unionize I hear the benefits can't be beat!
Just to be clear I am a poor white boy trying to support his family by working hard everyday and despite how bleak my future has looked at times I still put my steel toes on and go to work. I do my best working 1,2 and even 3 jobs at times to make my ends meet. My father died when I was 18 and with him went any hope of going the college route, even tho I had full scholarships being offered to me. I didn't go because I did what I thought was the best thing and dropped out of high school to help support my mother. This is how I came to the wonderful world of welding. I will omit any further hardships that I endured because I am obviously whining about how everyone should be feeling sorry for me and somewhere I obviously posted that I wanted sympathy and a free ride. No I can't afford to pay for it out of pocket. The equipment I bought was done with little cash and taking advantage of others who had hard luck and had to do what they need to make ends meet. That's how I ended up getting a brand new Miller Trailblazer 302 for a freaking steal. You wouldn't believe what I was able to pick up a machine with 4 hours on it for. It retails for around $7000.
So AL/803056 why don't you man up? I will pm you my address and you can drive up here and certify me yourself since you are obviously the only competent CWI in the WORLD! I will even give you a can of spay paint so you can spray the word "SCAB" all over the side of the house I rent and car. While you're at it you can also stay for dinner to take the food out of my childrens' mouths. And to help you have a more positive mental attitude I will give you this advice...When you wake up in the morning you're supposed to piss in your toilet not your cheerios.
I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO LEARN A LESSON FROM OUR BUDDY AL/803056 Since you are obviously not familiar with understanding how forums work, and how to conduct one's self, I will explain. I would use crayon for you, but this forum doesn't offer a crayola font. Forums are posts with words and not a whole lot of connotation as to how things are being stated. Just 1 person typing a single sentence can be construed multiple ways depending on the actual mind set and perception of the person reading it. Even with the advent of the "smiley" it is still not possible to get the entire intended connotation of how a poster is trying to convey their message. Instead it gets interpreted however the person reading it CHOOSES rather than intended. It always ends up with some one getting their butt hurt by something they totally either don't understand, or never bothered to consider. Then you get the 803056 syndrome where someone rather than understanding experiences and opinions of others as just that, THEIR EXPERIENCES AND OPINIONS. Now you have good old 803056/Al fighting the good fight, and going to take out the trash, and look the fool the whole time you're doing it. I know he loves his pure socialism unions and will defend them to his dying breath. I would like to take this moment and thank Al/803056 for doing his socialist organization proud by trampling my right and liberty of freedom of speech and my ability to express my opinions. I would think it would be more appropriate if you got angry if I have never had any experience with any type of union, good or bad. Showing up at a job site just to be insulted, harassed, and interfered with by union lackeys who would go out of their way to do so while all I am doing is trying to feed my family. Thank you AL/803056 for keeping the union spirit alive and well and showing all here just how well you can conduct yourself like a true professional!
Flame on Al. (you can take that one however you choose.
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