Union organizing

[lovinlife101]

Oh, great. More people who pay to work there. When will you learn?

[lovinlife101]

So the workers decided to dissolve the union and you think they would now vote to bring it back?

[lovinlife101]

If you’re not making more money, morale is piss poor, and you continue to read how much the company and CEO are making off your hard work... yes, I think people will vote the union back in.

Not everybody will vote for unions to come back... but many would. Until management starts treating workers with respect, giving them a living wage, staff at appropriate levels, and assign reasonable workloads, (which won’t happen under the current GM), then things will only get worse on Pierson Road.

The GM doesn’t ever think he does anything wrong. He only blames others. How long does this buffoon keep his job? How many good people have to leave before he’s the only one left with his “yes” men/women?

People are already telling friends/job applicants to stay away from this toxic work culture. A union can’t make it worse... only better... since it will actually give workers a voice in decisions where we are currently being left out.

100% disagree.

Paying someone to try to make things “better” is why the union was voted out in the first place. There were years of pay freezes, so not even a .01% increase, AND THE UNION AGREED TO IT!!!

Why pay to work at an awful place? Leave and prove you are worth more somewhere else. If management wants you to leave based on how they are treating you, why argue with them?

Think the environment will get less combative, toxic, and political WITH a union?

You’ll have your union rep sitting on their duff, saying they’re working on “union business” while you do all the work and when you bring something up to them they will say, “It’s not all about you. It’s about all of us. Besides, nothing I can do about it. Stop interrupting my sleep, er, union business.”

[lovinlife101]

Paying a union to work there is like paying someone to hand you lube when management is about to sodomize you.

[lovinlife101]

Why should I have to leave? IMHO I do a pretty darn good job. I have my reasons for wanting to work in Flint. I don’t find my expectations to have a workplace that values and pays its employees a fair wage as unreasonable.

You don’t have to leave. You can stay there and be miserable for all I care. You can pay a union and still be miserable. Makes no difference to me.

Your expectations and reality are different things.

You can work in Flint and not work there! Ever thought of that? Probably not, but something to consider.

It’s a free country. Do whatever you want. I’m not forcing you to make any decision. However, your desire to have managers that all of a sudden care and pay more is a pipe dream.

[lovinlife101]

Bringing the union back might also get Sinclair’s attention to make some meaningful changes at the top.

I'm going to say that is highly doubtful, but I've never been part of a union. I'm merely basing that off the discussions here.

Maybe you're right. And honestly, I hope you are right. From what has been said about the GM and others "up the chain" at WEYI, it does seem that anything that would bring about a change might be good.

Let’s recap, orgasmman. The place used to have a union. While the union was there, members said that they didn’t feel valued, felt underpaid, had horrible morale, and was in last place. Workers dissolved the union. Same environment. Now, someone is saying “Hey, I’ve got an original idea! Let’s unionize! Everything will improve!”

Wow. Just wow.

[lovinlife101]

Let’s recap, orgasmman. The place used to have a union. While the union was there, members said that they didn’t feel valued, felt underpaid, had horrible morale, and was in last place. Workers dissolved the union. Same environment. Now, someone is saying “Hey, I’ve got an original idea! Let’s unionize! Everything will improve!”

Wow. Just wow.

That was then. This is now. Different 'leadership' happening, if I'm understanding this correctly.

Oh, and my name isn't 'orgasmman.' I've let that go on for way too long. Knock it off.

Then just wait another day, my non-orgasmic friend! Management will change twice in that time!

[lovinlife101]

Just to clarify: WEYI workers didn’t dissolve the union... the union shut down the local. It wasn’t a big enough bargaining unit for the UAW.

Most of the good managers who once advocated for workers are now gone, were fired/let go, retired, or just ran from the burning home. They were replaced by managers who won’t stand up to the GM.

So any chance of a well-meaning individual being able to move the bar in the current environment is simply non-existent... just the way the corporate lackey in charge (and his henchmen) like it.

Union representation may not fix all problems but it at least gives workers a platform for fair discussions.

The union shutdown the local?! What is wrong with that place?

UAW: “We know that you’re paying us to represent you, but you suck, so we’re breaking up with you. We’d rather not take your money and never speak to you again than take your money and do a horrible job representing you.”

It’s like an agent firing someone who already paid them.

Agent: “Yeah, you suck so much, I don’t want anything to do with you. That means, I’d just rather not take your money anymore, even when I don’t do anything for you.”

Oh, workers must be REALLY excited to get another union in there!!!

The union is like someone who gets free action from a prostitute and then one day say, “You know what? I don’t want you anymore, even if it’s free.”

For decades, the union ticked off workers for not representing their interests, kept them in last place, and received the lowest pay and benefits than any other station in the market.

Oh, but the next union will be better! Like Bernie Sanders’ form of socialism is better than all the other failed brands of socialism!

[lovinlife101]

Lovin, you’re sounding like a management plant. Criticize the union but offer no solutions (other than leave/quit) to improve pay and work conditions.

Life there will suck with or without a union. I don’t care what you do.

If you leave, the chances of finding better employment, with better pay, working conditions, and management are astronomically in your favor.

I’m just giving you a history lesson. When the union was there, it negotiated the worst pay and benefits of any other station in the market.

[lovinlife101]

The only people benefitting from a union are the union bosses and their underlings.

Are unionized auto workers any better off than their non-union counterparts at Honda and Toyota? NOPE! If an auto company doesn’t pay market wages, people don’t work there. It’s that simple. Wages and benefits are the same across the board for the auto companies, union or not. Those paying a union are being taken for a ride thinking their union got them those wages and benefits. The market did. However, in some cases the union did. Like new hires for the UAW make roughly half of those on the top tier! THANKS UNION BOSSES! YOU NEGOTIATED THIS!!!! And don’t get me started on how the union treats retirees. Hitler treated the Jews better.

So go ahead and join a union. You’ll be paying someone to do what you can do better yourself. That is, unless you’re Dave Blondie.

[lovinlife101]

FUCK UNIONS. I belonged to one until April of this year...Never again. The Union fat cats get FATTER...just look at the monthly meetings. The top officials get FATTER monthly...their button up shirts get harder and harder to close. I swear on my kids lives, I will put a hollow point through the back of my head before EVER joining a Union again. Without a doubt, the WORST, depressing, miserable time in my adult working life. Being in a coffin would be a better option. Anyone that would like the real behind the scenes info of what the Union really feels about its members, feel free to private message me. I’d be more than happy to fill u in. Proof? It’s called RECORDING the meetings secretly with a “spy pen” gotta love technology! Set it right on the fucking table to record all. Disgusting.

Dirty rat bastard fucks. I’d like to filet those fat fucks one by one.

Oh, and my Union was a SKILLED TRADE union, not the monkeyfuck UAW. My trade, actually requires SKILL. Standing on an assembly line doesn’t require SKILL. Is it dirty, miserable work? Sure is. Would never argue that. Being hard and miserable doesn’t mean it requires any fucking skills

Spoken by someone who has actually been in a union.

Corruption, bribery, scandal... and that’s just in the first five minutes!

[lovinlife101]

brianp: in your expletive-filled rant you fail to miss the point.

I never said unions were perfect. However the “fat cats” you attack are — at WEYI — the General Manager and corporate suits who make cuts to get their profitability bonuses at the end of the year while making sure employees are kept to a 1.5% maximum pay increase. The station and Sinclair shareholders are making money off the backs of the workers who are doing the real work.

You (and some others) believe unions aren’t the answer. Then I ask again... if not unions, how do you suggest to improve the work conditions and low morale at WEYI? The guy in the corner office comes out of his office to “rub elbows” with the news staff once per day... and even then doesn’t give a rat’s a** about trying to improve things.

We’ve lost some good anchors, reporters and even a news director who cared about doing good journalism. Now there’s no one pushing back against Sinclair’s “must run” biased news reports, lame rebranding campaigns, the lack of diverse staffing in front and behind the camera, staff who are paid well below the market average, and push to do news on two underperforming stations with the least amount of news staff in the market.

If this isn’t a case for a union, I don’t know what is. There needs to be more equity in addressing these issues. And for the past 6+ years that Sinclair has owned WEYI, they have force fed their one-sized fits all approach. The new set and newsroom mean squat if you don’t have a newscast covering real stories. And we don’t. Name the last time WEYI broke any story of consequence that wasn’t previously covered in the newspaper or by one of its TV competitors? You can’t and neither can I. It’s hard to break real news when on many days we may only have one reporter out on the street per shift.

Instead of bashing unions, I’m looking for suggestions on how to improve things on Pierson Road when the (mainly white) men in charge simply don’t care to improve things... unless it directly benefits them in the form of end of year bonuses that are not shared with the rest of us.

You’re asking the wrong question.

Asking “How do I make things better in a hell hole?” is like asking a circle why it isn’t a square.

The place of your employment has always been last place, has always provided the lowest wages and benefits, and always will, union or non-union.

The better question to ask is “What do *I* need to do to improve the situation for myself and others?”

You can’t change other people. You can only change yourself.

You believe you are worth more than what you are getting. You believe the treatment where you work is not equitable. You believe you work in an environment that lacks diversity.

You have two choices:

1. You can remain where you are, and regardless of your actions and attitudes, it will remain the same.

2. You can change your place of employment and have a chance of improvement.

It’s all up to YOU!!!

[lovinlife101]

A lot of gaslighting. Not much substance on how to improve working conditions.

WEYI needs to know I’m not leaving and I’m going to continue the fight to improve pay and working conditions... including shaming on the Buzzboard until things change.

I find it interesting —other than Mr. Feick who left WEYI as soon as he could — no one else has come to the defense of Sinclair’s GM. There are MANY 25-66 who post here. They’re not defending Chad. They’re not defending the low pay, low morale, lack of diversity, stupid branding campaign being pushed by the “Assistant GM”... not a peep to even try to justify the unjustifiable.

We’re not leaving. And we’re not gonna be quiet. Here’s to what will sure be an uncomfortable 2020 with Conklin and company..,

(Cheers!)

While I admire your passion and willingness to call out bad behavior in a public yet anonymous forum, I question your strategy.

You’re doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

You also refer to yourself as “we.”

[lovinlife101]

Good luck finding good union representation.

The ones that aren’t in federal prison are out spending $60,000 from dues money on cigars!

https://ijr.com/union-bosses-rack-up-60 ... on-outing/

[lovinlife101]

The best union for employees is them banding together and going to ownership about real issues. Not hiring out that job to some third-party organization that has no real stake in the outcome.

If your concerns are real and important then ownership will listen and you will see action. If they are petty they will be ignored and your jobs will be at risk (as if they aren't now anyways). If there truly are others in the majority that feel the same way, then you (as a collective) should go to ownership and articulate the concerns and what options you think the station has to succeed.

Representing yourself and what you want is always the best choice.

Paying an apathetic, out-of-touch third party that negotiates for “the collective” results in $60,000 dues cigars and four figure steak dinners for the union bosses.

Then again, people like Sinclair haven’t figured this out, so maybe paying a union is his best option.