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Distribution/warehousing, along with driving, are among the few jobs left for the Teamsters in the private sector, because neither can be outsourced to the 3rd world & cheap labor. I heard the Teamsters local prez here (Seattle area) refer to his warehouse people as 'the last of the Mohicans.' These jobs can't be outsourced, but they can be done by cheap immigrant labor(kind of reverse-outsourcing), so the Teamsters are not doing them a favor by supporting Democrats who want lax immigration controls.
The Teamsters increasingly are going to the public sector to expand. The state Department of Corrections here are Teamsters, and believe it or not, the King County (Seattle) IT department are Teamsters. Also a few local police departments and some K-12 education people. This is a another big conflict of interest because they are representing two groups w/ divergent interests. The public sector workers natural interest lies with tax & spend, whereas the private sector people often favor lower taxes and smaller government.
The Teamsters increasingly are going to the public sector to expand. The state Department of Corrections here are Teamsters, and believe it or not, the King County (Seattle) IT department are Teamsters. Also a few local police departments and some K-12 education people. This is a another big conflict of interest because they are representing two groups w/ divergent interests. The public sector workers natural interest lies with tax & spend, whereas the private sector people often favor lower taxes and smaller government.
The name ( Teamsters Union ) does not just mean Mule Skinners, or Horses, or Trucking.
The Teamsers Union will organize any group who wants
their support and backing even car washers.
Their name means lets join together ... Teamsters ( Team-Up in numbers, and be strong in all areas of employment ... as one )
Distribution/warehousing, along with driving, are among the few jobs left for the Teamsters in the private sector, because neither can be outsourced to the 3rd world & cheap labor. I heard the Teamsters local prez here (Seattle area) refer to his warehouse people as 'the last of the Mohicans.' These jobs can't be outsourced, but they can be done by cheap immigrant labor(kind of reverse-outsourcing), so the Teamsters are not doing them a favor by supporting Democrats who want lax immigration controls.
The Teamsters increasingly are going to the public sector to expand. The state Department of Corrections here are Teamsters, and believe it or not, the King County (Seattle) IT department are Teamsters. Also a few local police departments and some K-12 education people. This is a another big conflict of interest because they are representing two groups w/ divergent interests. The public sector workers natural interest lies with tax & spend, whereas the private sector people often favor lower taxes and smaller government.
To cite just one prominent example, Teamsters Local #8 has represented the blue-collar employees at Penn State since 1970.
But a closer examination of the history of all labor organization might reveal that, just as with the subjects on Orwell's Animal Farm, some unions are more equal thaan others.
The early unions successes revolved around employees in blue-collar trades who had an easily-identifiable skill to sell. Most of the early automobile manufacturers, including Ford, dealt with the predominately white, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant craft unions, such as the sheet metal workers, carpenters and upholsterers long before the UAW emerged in the 1930's.
The people "out of the loop" -- Eastern and Southern European ethnics and African-Americans, usually held the lower-status and physical-risker jobs, and a little research will reveal that they were actually paid somewhat more on an hourly basis -- when work was available.
The economic desperation of the mid-1930's led to the formation of industry-based unions such as the Steel, Auto, and Rubber Workers, and through the political process, the Wagner Act of 1936 forced employers to recognize and negotiate with the unions. And the removal of foreign competition allowed the employers to simply pass on the costs. So inflation began to pick up in the late Sixties
And eventually, the prospect of lower labor costs began to erode the monopoly of the most entrenched (and irreconcilable) components of the testy partnership that dominated the Pax Americana.
Within the New Economy, unions can point to only a modest number of success stories; The brightest are likely in those industries where the number of employees are relatively small and a high amount of capital is invested per employee -- electric utilities, oil and chemicals, railroads. All of these fields also well-entrenched employees and involve serious safety concerns. The corporate employers usually experience modest but steady growth and are wary of public hostility. So they pay wages well above the norm, and demand -- and get -- a highly disciplined workforce.
And we all see the results of unionization of public-sector employees every day, The "customer" has no option to take his/her business elsewhere save at very high cost -- and accountability isn't guaranteed. Those who complain about skyrocketing property taxes in states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and particularly New Jersey, should consider the effect of the now-vacant industrial property that used to foot most of the bill.
The process/struggle will continue, indefinitely, and in infinite variations and scenarios,
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." (Walt Kelly - 1971)
Location: Looks like I'm getting out "Valley On The Sun" Arizona
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As a child I met Hoffa on a couple occasions he'd come to the house and play cards with my dad. He would always have Butterfingers bars cut up and wrapped in little gold foil. Don't remember much more than that about him since I'd just take the candy and go out and play.
Distribution/warehousing, along with driving, are among the few jobs left for the Teamsters in the private sector, because neither can be outsourced to the 3rd world & cheap labor. I heard the Teamsters local prez here (Seattle area) refer to his warehouse people as 'the last of the Mohicans.' These jobs can't be outsourced, but they can be done by cheap immigrant labor(kind of reverse-outsourcing), so the Teamsters are not doing them a favor by supporting Democrats who want lax immigration controls.
The Teamsters increasingly are going to the public sector to expand. The state Department of Corrections here are Teamsters, and believe it or not, the King County (Seattle) IT department are Teamsters. Also a few local police departments and some K-12 education people. This is a another big conflict of interest because they are representing two groups w/ divergent interests. The public sector workers natural interest lies with tax & spend, whereas the private sector people often favor lower taxes and smaller government.
Also, the public sector workers want more immigration because it means more jobs for them, while the private sector workers often oppose more immigration because it drives their wages down. The shift of the American labor movement on immigration issues in the 21st century is largely due to public sector unions' numbers and power eclipsing that of private sector unions.
The economic desperation of the mid-1930's led to the formation of industry-based unions such as the Steel, Auto, and Rubber Workers, and through the political process, the Wagner Act of 1936 forced employers to recognize and negotiate with the unions. And the removal of foreign competition allowed the employers to simply pass on the costs. So inflation began to pick up in the late Sixties
True, but my pout (see the 2nd paragraph of post #10) refers to the years 1945-1965, when the destructon of the Second World War left the United States and Canada as the only fully-integrated industrial powers in the Free World. It's worth noting at this point that the only other successfull efforts of the "Intenational" Brotherhood of Teamsters were in Canada.
My original point remains, the phenomenal "success" of Hoffa and the Teamsters was an aberration caused by a one-time, unsustainable set of circumstances among the industialized (First World) nations.
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