Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Edit for this anecdote:

Sometime around 2008 when the housing bubble sent the economy into a tailspin nobody was working. The trades had almost shut down completely. There was little housing or commercial construction going on anywhere. Contractors were going out of business left and right. I had some VA and HUD work that kept me afloat.

Well I had a big job going in East Detroit. It was a storage facility with 5 floors. Each was about 40k square feet.

Well my small company needed help doing this monster job. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in the trades. Trained a lot of them when they were kids. I called up one of my buddies who was a Union Mason and had been out of work for months. I needed help with running the big laser screeds. None of us had ever done it before but this guy had.

At 7 am I have 25 concrete trucks lined up down Moross and we are beginning the pour. Suddenly I am approached by 4 guys in suits. They are Union leadership. Not the local BA but even higher. They want me to shut down the job. Well I have about 40k dollars worth of concrete sitting there on the job and another 100k+ ordered. I told them to fuck off. They werent going to intimidate me.

They hung around as we began to pour and a few more Union guys showed up. BA types. One of them recognized my buddy. He went up to him and told him he couldnt work this job. My guy just wanted a day of work. I mean cmon. When my friend refused they threatened his pension. He had no choice but to leave. I dont hold it against him even though it made my day extremely difficult.

Shortly after this about 100 Union guys showed up and picketed my job site threatening all the drivers. Then the Teamsters showed up too.

We powered through the day. I lost some cement because one of the suppliers was Union. But the other 3 werent and they cancelled other orders that day to help us out.

Im not a big fan of Unions even though most of my friends and family are Union.

They do provide a good wage though. My brother in law is flat out rich after 40 years as a steel worker. His Dad was a BA and BIL was willing to work 7-12s for weeks, even months, at a time. Not all Union guys want to work that hard. Plus he spent shitloads of time on Zug Island. Surprised hes still alive after the years hes spent on the pit of pollution and toxicity. Look itup on Google maps. Its at the mouth of the Rouge River on the Detroit River just SW of Detroit. It shows up as a black spot.

One more short Union story. My Great Grandpa came from Norway at 2 or 3 years old and the family settled in the Keewenaw Peninsula in Michigans UP. His father was a Carpenter in the copper mines. When the Copper wars began he was hit in the head with a hammer trying to get into work by some Union thug. Several years later my Great Grandpa had moved to Detroit and was getting married. My Great Great Grandma and Grandpa took the train down from Copper Harbor for the wedding. My GG Grandpa collapsed and died on the platform from that hammer strike several years earlier.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Edit for this anecdote:

Sometime around 2008 when the housing bubble sent the economy into a tailspin nobody was working. The trades had almost shut down completely. There was little housing or commercial construction going on anywhere. Contractors were going out of business left and right. I had some VA and HUD work that kept me afloat.

Well I had a big job going in East Detroit. It was a storage facility with 5 floors. Each was about 40k square feet.

Well my small company needed help doing this monster job. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in the trades. Trained a lot of them when they were kids. I called up one of my buddies who was a Union Mason and had been out of work for months. I needed help with running the big laser screeds. None of us had ever done it before but this guy had.

At 7 am I have 25 concrete trucks lined up down Moross and we are beginning the pour. Suddenly I am approached by 4 guys in suits. They are Union leadership. Not the local BA but even higher. They want me to shut down the job. Well I have about 40k dollars worth of concrete sitting there on the job and another 100k+ ordered. I told them to fuck off. They werent going to intimidate me.

They hung around as we began to pour and a few more Union guys showed up. BA types. One of them recognized my buddy. He went up to him and told him he couldnt work this job. My guy just wanted a day of work. I mean cmon. When my friend refused they threatened his pension. He had no choice but to leave. I dont hold it against him even though it made my day extremely difficult.

Shortly after this about 100 Union guys showed up and picketed my job site threatening all the drivers. Then the Teamsters showed up too.

We powered through the day. I lost some cement because one of the suppliers was Union. But the other 3 werent and they cancelled other orders that day to help us out.

Im not a big fan of Unions even though most of my friends and family are Union.

They do provide a good wage though. My brother in law is flat out rich after 40 years as a steel worker. His Dad was a BA and BIL was willing to work 7-12s for weeks, even months, at a time. Not all Union guys want to work that hard. Plus he spent shitloads of time on Zug Island. Surprised hes still alive after the years hes spent on the pit of pollution and toxicity. Look itup on Google maps. Its at the mouth of the Rouge River on the Detroit River just SW of Detroit. It shows up as a black spot.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Edit for this anecdote:

Sometime around 2008 when the housing bubble sent the economy into a tailspin nobody was working. The trades had almost shut down completely. There was little housing or commercial construction going on anywhere. Contractors were going out of business left and right. I had some VA and HUD work that kept me afloat.

Well I had a big job going in East Detroit. It was a storage facility with 5 floors. Each was about 40k square feet.

Well my small company needed help doing this monster job. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in the trades. Trained a lot of them when they were kids. I called up one of my buddies who was a Union Mason and had been out of work for months. I needed help with running the big laser screeds. None of us had ever done it before but this guy had.

At 7 am I have 25 concrete trucks lined up down Moross and we are beginning the pour. Suddenly I am approached by 4 guys in suits. They are Union leadership. Not the local BA but even higher. They want me to shut down the job. Well I have about 40k dollars worth of concrete sitting there on the job and another 100k+ ordered. I told them to fuck off. They werent going to intimidate me.

They hung around as we began to pour and a few more Union guys showed up. BA types. One of them recognized my buddy. He went up to him and told him he couldnt work this job. My guy just wanted a day of work. I mean cmon. When my friend refused they threatened his pension. He had no choice but to leave. I dont hold it against him even though it made my day extremely difficult.

Shortly after this about 100 Union guys showed up and picketed my job site threatening all the drivers. Then the Teamsters showed up too.

We powered through the day. I lost some cement because one of the suppliers was Union. But the other 3 werent and they cancelled other orders that day to help us out.

Im not a big fan of Unions even though most of my friends and family are Union.

They do provide a good wage though. My brother in law is flat out rich after 40 years as a steel worker. His Dad was a BA and BIL was willing to work 7-12s for weeks, even months, at a time. Not all Union guys want to work that hard. Plus he spent shitloads of time on ZUG Island. Surprised hes still alive after the years hes spent on the pit of pollution and toxicity.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Edit for this anecdote:

Sometime around 2008 when the housing bubble sent the economy into a tailspin nobody was working. The trades had almost shut down completely. There was little housing or commercial construction going on anywhere. Contractors were going out of business left and right. I had some VA and HUD work that kept me afloat.

Well I had a big job going in East Detroit. It was a storage facility with 5 floors. Each was about 40k square feet.

Well my small company needed help doing this monster job. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in the trades. Trained a lot of them when they were kids. I called up one of my buddies who was a Union Mason and had been out of work for months. I needed help with running the big laser screeds. None of us had ever done it before but this guy had.

At 7 am I have 25 concrete trucks lined up down Moross and we are beginning the pour. Suddenly I am approached by 4 guys in suits. They are Union leadership. Not the local BA but even higher. They want me to shut down the job. Well I have about 40k dollars worth of concrete sitting there on the job and another 100k+ ordered. I told them to fuck off.

They hung around as we began to pour and a few more Union guys showed up. BA types. One of them recognized my buddy. He went up to him and told him he couldnt work this job. My guy just wanted a day of work. I mean cmon. When my friend refused they threatened his pension. He had no choice but to leave. I dont hold it against him even though it made my day extremely difficult.

Shortly after this about 100 Union guys showed up and picketed my job site threatening all the drivers. Then the Teamsters showed up too.

We powered through the day. I lost some cement because one of the suppliers was Union. But the other 3 werent and they cancelled other orders that day to help us out.

Im not a big fan of Unions even though most of my friends and family are Union.

They do provide a good wage though. My brother in law is flat out rich after 40 years as a steel worker. His Dad was a BA and BIL was willing to work 7-12s for weeks, even months, at a time. Not all Union guys want to work that hard. Plus he spent shitloads of time on ZUG Island. Surprised hes still alive after the years hes spent on the pit of pollution and toxicity.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Edit for this anecdote:

Sometime around 2008 when the housing bubble sent the economy into a tailspin nobody was working. The trades had almost shut down completely. There was little housing or commercial construction going on anywhere. Contractors were going out of business left and right. I had some VA and HUD work that kept me afloat.

Well I had a big job going in East Detroit. It was a storage facility with 5 floors. Each was about 40k square feet.

Well my small company needed help doing this monster job. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in the trades. Trained a lot of them when they were kids. I called up one of my buddies who was a Union Mason and had been out of work for months. I needed help with running the big laser screeds. None of us had ever done it before but this guy had.

At 7 am I have 25 concrete trucks lined up down Moross and we are beginning the pour. Suddenly I am approached by 4 guys in suits. They are Union leadership. Not the local BA but even higher. They want me to shut down the job. Well I have about 40k dollars worth of concrete sitting there on the job and another 100k+ ordered. I told them to fuck off.

They hung around as we began to pour and a few more Union guys showed up. BA types. One of them recognized my buddy. He went up to him and told him he couldnt work this job. My guy just wanted a day of work. I mean cmon. When my friend refused they threatened his pension. He had no choice but to leave. I dont hold it against him even though it made my day extremely difficult.

Shortly after this about 100 Union guys showed up and picketed my job site threatening all the drivers. Then the Teamsters showed up too.

We powered through the day. I lost some cement because one of the suppliers was Union. But the other 3 werent and they cancelled other orders that day to help us out.

Im not a big fan of Unions even though most of my friends and family are Union.

They do provide a good wage though. My brother in law is flat out rich after 40 years as a steel worker. His Dad was a BA and BIL was willing to work 7-12s for weeks at a time. Not all Union guys want to work that hard. Plus he spent shitloads of time on ZUG Island. Surprised hes still alive after the years hes spent on the pit of pollution and toxicity.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Edit for this anecdote:

Sometime around 2008 when the housing bubble sent the economy into a tailspin nobody was working. The trades had almost shut down completely. There was little housing or commercial construction going on anywhere. Contractors were going out of business left and right. I had some VA and HUD work that kept me afloat.

Well I had a big job going in East Detroit. It was a storage facility with 5 floors. Each was about 40k square feet.

Well my small company needed help doing this monster job. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in the trades. Trained a lot of them when they were kids. I called up one of my buddies who was a Union Mason and had been out of work for months. I needed help with running the big laser screeds. None of us had ever done it before but this guy had.

At 7 am I have 25 concrete trucks lined up down Moross and we are beginning the pour. Suddenly I am approached by 4 guys in suits. They are Union leadership. Not the local BA but even higher. They want me to shut down the job. Well I have about 40k dollars worth of concrete sitting there on the job and another 100k+ ordered. I told them to fuck off.

They hung around as we began to pour and a few more Union guys showed up. BA types. One of them recognized my buddy. He went up to him and told him he couldnt work this job. My guy just wanted a day of work. I mean cmon. When my friend refused they threatened his pension. He had no choice but to leave. I dont hold it against him even though it made my day extremely difficult.

Shortly after this about 100 Union guys showed up and picketed my job site threatening all the drivers. Then the Teamsters showed up too.

We powered through the day. I lost some cement because one of the suppliers was Union. But the other 3 werent and they cancelled other orders that day to help us out.

Im not a big fan of Unions even though most of my friends and family are Union.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Edit for this anecdote:

Sometime around 2008 when the housing bubble sent the economy into a tailspin nobody was working. The trades had almost shut down completely. There was little housing or commercial construction going on anywhere. Contractors were going out of business left and right. I had some VA and HUD work that kept me afloat.

Well I had a big job going in East Detroit. It was a storage facility with 5 floors. Each was about 40k square feet.

Well my small company needed help doing this monster job. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in the trades. Trained a lot of them when they were kids. I called up one of my buddies who was a Union Mason and had been out of work for months. I needed help with running the big laser screeds. None of us had ever done it before but this guy had.

At 7 am I have 25 concrete trucks lined up down Moross and we are beginning the pour. Suddenly I am approached by 4 guys in suits. They are Union leadership. Not the local BA but even higher. They want me to shut down the job. Well I have about 40k dollars worth of concrete sitting there on the job and another 100k+ ordered. I told them to fuck off.

They hung around as we began to pour and a few more Union guys showed up. BA types. One of them recognized my buddy. He went up to him and told him he couldnt work this job. My guy just wanted a day of work. I mean cmon. When my friend refused they threatened his pension. He had no choice but to leave. I dont hold it against him even though it made my day extremely difficult.

Shortly after this about 100 Union guys showed up and picketed my job site threatening all the drivers. Then the Teamsters showed up too.

We powered through the day. I lost some cement because one of the suppliers was Union. But the other 3 werent and they cancelled other orders that day to help us out.

Im not a big fan of Unions.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought. All anoyone needs to do is look into the story of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters to understand. But rest assured this isnt the only story like that out there.

Unions had their place once upon a time. They have outgrown their usefulness. This is an argument Ive had with my steel worker brother in law for decades. Today they are little more than an extortion vehicle and political tool used to control. They are rife with corruption. The workers they are sworn to protect are barely an afterthought.