TDU and public opinion of unionism.

[BrownBrokeDown]

Stink219,
The question for all in TDU leaderships is; Are they really looking to reform the union leadership away from corruption and towards integrity or are they really just in a power struggle to gain control of the union?

Sincerely,
I

I hate to say this, but I totally agree with you. This statment is what all of the TDU members need to think about. Reading their articles, the way that they are worded, they are out to gain control. Maybe at one time they wanted to clean up the union and provide better for the members, but no longer. Everything on their website reads like politician adds.

 

[stink219]

Stink219,
The question for all in TDU leaderships is; Are they really looking to reform the union leadership away from corruption and towards integrity or are they really just in a power struggle to gain control of the union?

Sincerely,
I

I hate to say this, but I totally agree with you. This statment is what all of the TDU members need to think about. Reading their articles, the way that they are worded, they are out to gain control. Maybe at one time they wanted to clean up the union and provide better for the members, but no longer. Everything on their website reads like politician adds.

And ends with,"If you join today, we will take $10 off your membership."

 

[Wally]

Do a quick poll at work. Very few will know what TDU is, or BC.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

For me TDU was valuable during contract negotiations because it allowed me to know things that the Teamsters alone didn't put out there for us to see. TDU showed just how terrible the TA is while the union was leading people to believe that part-timers were actually getting a huge increase in their starting wage for example.

TDU also allowed me to know facts about the negotations that guys with 15-20 years of seniority on me didn't know.

 

[purplesky]

Do you think that TDU helps or hinders public opinion of our union and unionism in general? And how does that affect us in the main stream in terms of contract negotiations and strikes?

I am always wondering why all the big unions like the UAW and Teamsters and Pilots,teachers,etc dont pool their resources and do some TV coverage type stuff. Educate the YOUNG public about unions.

Produce some WELLDONE short TV info commercial type stuff and youtube videos to show YOUNG America the benefits of being union AND EXPOSE SOME OF THE CRAP GOING ON WITH THE MIDDLECLASS

THEY COULD SHOW COSTCO vs WALMART, UPS vs FDX GROUND, Union teachers vs Catholic private school , expose the right to work slave wages in the defense industry and also the auto industry.

THEY COULD DO THIS IN A TASTEFUL AND INFORMATIVE WAY THAT WOULD JUST VISUALLY SHOW AMERICANS HOW UNION WORKERS BENEFIT FROM BEING IN A UNION.

There is so much union bashing on Fox news and wingnut radio its just FRICKIN silly THAT THE UNIONS DO NOT RESPOND.

The amount of consumer spending that union paychecks pump into the American economy is huge. SHOW THE DAMN GRAPHS!!!

UNIONS ARE DOING NOTHING TO IMPROVE THEIR IMAGE. JUST TELL THE DAMN STORY. ITS WORKING POOR vs A UNION LIVING WAGE.

With all the buzz right now about LOW WAGES IN AMERICA this would be the perfect time.

 

[BrownBrokeDown]

For me TDU was valuable during contract negotiations because it allowed me to know things that the Teamsters alone didn't put out there for us to see. TDU showed just how terrible the TA is while the union was leading people to believe that part-timers were actually getting a huge increase in their starting wage for example.

TDU also allowed me to know facts about the negotations that guys with 15-20 years of seniority on me didn't know.

The thing with TDU is that they write in a sensationalist style designed to get people pissed off at current leadership (just write the facts, we don't need the posturing), they always paint everything in black and white when there are shades of grey involved (I'm sorry, but I can form my own opinion based on the facts), and they like to write half the story (only the bad side or edit out certain pieces to make it sound worse than it is). AND THEN, as Stink said, they offer to let you join for $10 dollars off. With TDU it's not about presenting the facts to the teamster employees, its about presenting them in a way to increase membership to make themselves money.

By the way, this is from a NO-voter that is not a Hoffa fan.

 

[sortaisle]

TDU isn't going to change public opinion. It will change views inside the union however. Whether your for or against is fine with me because any activism in the union is better than non participation...with that being said TDU is really active in my building...but I don't subscribe. I like their information, but not their articles or their slant.

 

[kingOFchester]

With all the buzz right now about LOW WAGES IN AMERICA this would be the perfect time.

I agree with most everything you have said. Just not sure how it would fly for Billy Bob pushing a wheelbarrow full of concrete day in and day out making $8.00 an hour and hears that we make close to or even over 100k a year.

 

[Inthegame]

For me TDU was valuable during contract negotiations because it allowed me to know things that the Teamsters alone didn't put out there for us to see. TDU showed just how terrible the TA is while the union was leading people to believe that part-timers were actually getting a huge increase in their starting wage for example.

TDU also allowed me to know facts about the negotations that guys with 15-20 years of seniority on me didn't know.

Everything you needed to see (factual info) was on the Teamsters site, posted so TDU could steal and twist info to their liking. TDU posts more conjecture than fact. The starting pt rate increased by 17%. That's not chickenfeed. Still way too low but it did improve. TDU knows no "facts about negotiations" being they've never negotiated anything. Maybe your senior 15-20 yr guys already know that.
Easiest thing to do is criticise from the outside and the lecherous TDU survives off that.

 

[CharleyHustle]

TDU helped get the rank and file the ability to vote on top Teamster officers. For that alone, I thank them.

I think it is important to know what was done before. All the members of the locals elected delegates to the national convention, those delegates elected the executive board and then the e-board elected the general president. While certainly not a democracy it is an effective method used by many large organizations across the world. It seems to me that having the membership directly elect the general president has brought mostly political posturing and gamesmanship and divided our union against itself. Which I see as exactly what TDU wanted all along. The best way to gain control is to divide and conquer.

 

[HubBub]

All the info TDU puts out is slanted to imply that the leadership is either ineffectual or corrupt. The average person may not hear it directly, but ideas like these have a ripple effect. Especially when it's in line with the well funded agenda to discredit unionism.

 

[Skooney]

Sweet. Pete Rose posts on the Brown Cafe now.

Got any gambling tips?

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I don't think anyone would argue that TDU has an agenda and will slant stories to add fuel to it. But they make some good points too and bring things to light about our union that we all should know. I mean Hoffa is the main man right now so there ya go. Enough said.

 

[purplesky]

I agree with most everything you have said. Just not sure how it would fly for Billy Bob pushing a wheelbarrow full of concrete day in and day out making $8.00 an hour and hears that we make close to or even over 100k a year.

Thats what America needs to see. Show Billybob working construction for $8hr. The sad thing is a $100k isnt even that much income in 2013. Its a good living but just middleclass.

 

[Bagels]

Thats what America needs to see. Show Billybob working construction for $8hr. The sad thing is a $100k isnt even that much income in 2013. Its a good living but just middleclass.

Uhh... only 5-6% of all workers earn more than $100,000.*

*I'm referring to SINGLE-EMPLOYER wages. Not household income (e.g. what you & your wife earned + interests & investments).

 

[Inthegame]

I don't think anyone would argue that TDU has an agenda and will slant stories to add fuel to it. But they make some good points too and bring things to light about our union that we all should know. I mean Hoffa is the main man right now so there ya go. Enough said.

Breaking news...Hoffa's been the "main man" since '98.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I don't think anyone would argue that TDU has an agenda and will slant stories to add fuel to it. But they make some good points too and bring things to light about our union that we all should know. I mean Hoffa is the main man right now so there ya go. Enough said.

Breaking news...Hoffa's been the "main man" since '98.

And THAT is the problem.

 

[CharleyHustle]

Sweet. Pete Rose posts on the Brown Cafe now.

Got any gambling tips?

I would wager that if we still had the executive board appointing a general president that Hoffa Jr would not be our president now.

 

[BROWNHOG]

its amazing how rights fought for are easily wasted away with lousy fiscal policy and poor management of members healthcare and pension contributions.

 

[PiedmontSteward]

I have very mixed feelings on TDU. They continue to do some good rank-and-file education work and that's how you build a union -- from the bottom up. Historically, they also pushed for many of the democratic reforms we enjoy today such as contract ratifications requiring a simple majority rather than a 2/3 vote to reject, rank-and-file election of the General President, etc.

But I really think they've over-politicized the recent UPS contract. Look at how hard they've pushed the UPS material over the ABF contract; the IBT Freight Division should be ashamed over the ABF deal, they didn't just give away the farm, they pimped out the farmer's daughter on the corner in a bad neighborhood. ABF was in bad shape and concessions needed to be made (along the lines of pay freezes/cuts, allowing supervisors to pull loads if no driver was available, etc.), but giving the company an in-road to discipline via technology and taking away a week of vacation? C'mon.

But TDU is all over the UPS contract because that's where the numbers are and that's how they plan to run against Hall in the next Executive Board election.

It's easy to sit on the sidelines and claim your slate could get the members a $1.50/hr raise every year, raise starting pay to $15/hr, and add another 20,000 FT jobs. We gave up things in the TA we had no business giving away (the 4 year progression comes to mind) but negotiating a contract covering 250,000 people is a little bit more complicated than saying, "We'll get what we want and if we don't, we'll strike!"