Do you work for the union? do you like it?

That may very well be (though I doubt it), but it sure didn't take hold here until unions fought for it.

 

You don't like maple syrup?

 

Perhaps, but it didn't start in the states until it was instituted by the unions.

 

And I have no doubt that is what you believe to be true

 

Right, because when you read beyond the first sentence of the Wikipedia article where you got that information, you will see that despite initial demands for the eight-hour day a long time ago, it was achieved, for the most part, by unions in the 20th Century.

Just sayin'

 

I said origins , and I never said labour unions did not have a hand in instituting the 8 hour work day , they did in the early 1900's

I'm not sure that I need to thank the union movement of today for the 8 hour day that was established 100 years ago

but hey , if it makes you feel better , thanks

although I rarely work an 8/40

 

Fair enough. And I am not asking anyone to thank unions, but simply to acknowledge that they're not evil and we all have benefits we have gotten from then.

 

Actually you said this,

This was the 1st Federal law established in the US for an 8 hour work day negotiated by the railroad labour brotherhoods.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamson_Act

 

I said this :

 

Same for me. I concur.

 

I actually have no issue with the concept of unions as it pertains to worker rights and safety issues , these are important things and I am glad that they are now instituted by law into the workplace .

Basically the BCTF , BC Ferries , BCGEU , etc have all completely soured any possibility of me ever having something positive to say about unions in this Province at least

 

I'm talking about this. I don't understand your comment I guess.

The origins in the US were the Philadelphia carpenters strike in 1791.

 

especially the teacher's union apparently

 

*Especially *.

 

According to Rush Limbaugh they are.

 

I'm retired union. I busted my azz for years and get tired of the myth of the 'lazy union worker' If you didn't work to a certain standard, the company was on your ass until you did. As far as I'm concerned the demise of unionism in this country is directly related to the stagnation of wages for the last thirty years. The unions helped build the middle class that was the envy of the world. Look at us now. The Plutocrats are firmly in charge with the biggest imbalance of wealth in our history. That's progress?
The giant companies own it and they dont want to share with the ones that make them wealthy. That's the reason they move operations all over the globe for the cheapest sweatshop labor they can find. When a CEO is making 400 times what a worker is, that's called greed. All the time GM was breaking the union, cranking out crap cars and going down the drain, they still made damn sure their Exec's were getting fantastic bonuses, even if they were fired. The company I worked for was crying poormouth until they got busted with a secret $20 million stash they were giving themselves bonuses with. The current CEO is making twice what his predecessor did 8 years ago, and they have a few more layers of do nothing managers and "consultants" The execs are the ones doing jack shite and getting paid handsomely, not the union workers. They're the only ones working.

 

I misread your post during my maple syrup joke rage episode , my bad