Happy Labor Day!

[shonceman]

The Union.

I should probably add. I am not anti Union and definitely not anti labor. And I understand need for them early in history.

I watch a great piece on early miners in Appalachia that got me thinking a little differently from the opinion I got from a Union boss I used to deal with.

My grandpa told me stories about working at the mines when he was 8 years old, alongside his brother. The mine would hire young boys like that to pick through the slate piles to find stray coal bits. Once in a while a boy would be killed because he didn’t get out of the way of the slate drop in time. He never smoked a day in his life, but he died from lung cancer, probably from all the coal dust he inhaled. He would probably have died decades earlier had he stayed in the mines as an adult. Child labor laws and the unions have saved many lives in that region.

 

[shonceman]

I’ve been an active Union member for almost 50 years.

Never once have I been told who to vote for.

As a Union officer holding every position in the local and working as an international rep I never once told anyone who to vote for.

Nor was I ever instructed to tell anyone who to vote for.

But you’ve never been to an AFCSME meeting! We had a table (for union sponsored life insurance) set up at one when Mondale was running for POTUS. You would’ve thought we were at the DNC convention!

 

[jdeasy]

But you’ve never been to an AFCSME meeting! We had a table (for union sponsored life insurance) set up at one when Mondale was running for POTUS. You would’ve thought we were at the DNC convention!

Endorsing is not telling.

 

[WinoBlues]

My grandpa told me stories about working at the mines when he was 8 years old, alongside his brother. The mine would hire young boys like that to pick through the slate piles to find stray coal bits. Once in a while a boy would be killed because he didn’t get out of the way of the slate drop in time. He never smoked a day in his life, but he died from lung cancer, probably from all the coal dust he inhaled. He would probably have died decades earlier had he stayed in the mines as an adult. Child labor laws and the unions have saved many lives in that region.

True. I recall another piece I watched on mining, Cobalt I believe, that was heavily slave and child slave labor. Including child sex slaves. Horrible.

 

[shonceman]

Endorsing is not telling.

Well, to be fair, the members of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees would be kind of shooting themselves in the foot to vote Republican. So I don’t think the leadership got much objection for basically holding a Democrat campaign rally.

 

[shonceman]

True. I recall another piece I watched on mining, Cobalt I believe, that was heavily slave and child slave labor. Including child sex slaves. Horrible.

It was and is horrible.

 

[WinoBlues]

Endorsing is not telling.

Strongly encouraged?

Although, the Union guy speaking at the Convention was refreshing.

 

[jdeasy]

Strongly encouraged?

Although, the Union guy speaking at the Convention was refreshing.

No. Endorsed and explained why they are being endorsed. You can only educate people. You can't learn them.

 

[WinoBlues]

No. Endorsed and explained why they are being endorsed. You can only educate people. You can't learn them.

You definitely have more personal experience in that than I do.

My experience is limited to conversations with buddies and a couple of relatives.

Oh, and a Union boss that used to sell me leads to some of his members. That dude was a tool. But I think he was just born that way.

 

[jdeasy]

You definitely have more personal experience in that than I do.

My experience is limited to conversations with buddies and a couple of relatives.

Oh, and a Union boss that used to sell me leads to some of his members. That dude was a tool. But I think he was just born that way.

However someone hears something is their truth.