[ShepherdsDog]

Lemmy Lemmy:

andyt andyt:

Then what are the company and right wing media whining about?

Because they're ignorant douchebags that live to bash unions.

andyt andyt:

In places I've worked with generous sick days, many people took them off so they wouldn't lose them. And the posties I used to know seemed to do the same thing. Or let's just say that hangovers were counted as being sick.

That's the perception, but my research (mind you, most of my research is with teachers and police) overwhelmingly concludes that accumulated sick leave is rarely used and, in sum, is a net benefit to management, not union member.

When we were up north, sick days weren't feasible. You had no subs. Well actually a couple of the RCMP wives were qualified, but the kids and the bitches that spawned them made the experience so miserable they wouldn't come back. if you needed to see a dentist you had to fly to Thompson or Winnipeg($500 riundtrip) because the dentists sent to the reserve once a week, weren't to treat non natives.

[andyt]

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Reports+demise+snail+mail+premature/4955794/story.html

$1:

Reports of the demise of snail mail premature

Canada Post still vital for those who need it, moving millions of items every day

Before the rotating strikes started, Canada Post was delivering about 11 billion letters and parcels a year, about 30 million a day.

Unlike Air Canada, there is no competition at a similar price for much of what Canada Post delivers.

One local example is the HST referendum ballots, which Elections B.C. started dropping off at post offices this week. Even though they knew of the high probability of a strike, there was no backup plan because no other organization has the capacity to securely deliver ballots to every household in the province at a price that makes the whole exercise affordable.

The 59-cent stamp remains a modern miracle in terms of what you can do with it. For less than the price of a chocolate bar, Canada Post offers to deliver a letter from Vancouver to Backwater, N.S., with a reasonable assurance that your Aunt Maggie will get it within a few days. It's a service that, once lost, will never be regained.

[OnTheIce]

smorgdonkey smorgdonkey:

By the way...we were LOCKED OUT. When we were on rotating strikes it was little more than a slight disruption. The corporation's actions are what keeps the public and business hostage.

I would say that you are delusional but I know that you are just uninformed.

Bullshit.

I'm glad your locked out now, a couple more weeks and I hope some of you start missing payments on your cars and shit....and you can wave at your car as it drives by hooked to the back of a tow truck while you stand there all righteous with your stupid sign.

[smorgdonkey]

Perhaps the most enlightening couple of minutes that you could watch/listen to:

http://front.moveon.org/scribbling-shar ... O;facebook

[Benn]

Lemmy Lemmy:

andyt andyt:

In places I've worked with generous sick days, many people took them off so they wouldn't lose them. And the posties I used to know seemed to do the same thing. Or let's just say that hangovers were counted as being sick.

That's the perception, but my research (mind you, most of my research is with teachers and police) overwhelmingly concludes that accumulated sick leave is rarely used and, in sum, is a net benefit to management, not union member.

I can't speak for teachers Lemmy but I know that when looking at Police use of sick time it is a whole different monster than most of the rest of the working world. There is a lot of peer pressure within police services to not take sick leave unless it's for a major injury, Eyebrock can correct me if I'm wrong, maybe it's just a Winnipeg Police thing. This is such a big issue that here in Winnipeg officers who want to come back on duty after an injury of some kind need to be seen by a special municipal health services branch to get approval to return in many cases, regardless of having a family doctors note, this includes physical or psychological injury. A lot of officers would return to work to "not let their partners down" before they are fully healed which causes further future sick leave claims and problems or injuries.

In my experience at least from working private and public sector most people take sick leave for the reasons Andy mentioned, including non-police Law Enforcement and in many cases hangovers and sporting events were counted as sick days, in others Friday or Monday flu was a big one.

[smorgdonkey]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

Bullshit.

Not bullshit. We were not on strike. The postal workers were on 24 hour strike in a different city or cities each day - hardly enough action to hold anyone hostage.

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

I'm glad your locked out now, a couple more weeks and I hope some of you start missing payments on your cars and shit....and you can wave at your car as it drives by hooked to the back of a tow truck while you stand there all righteous with your stupid sign.

You are a very negative person. In my experience, people who are as negative and hateful as you tend to have that eat them up inside. You are entrenched in your uninformed opinion and I know that you think you are right but you aren't. It is a small man (or a small soul) who wishes doom/gloom or hardship on other people.

[Benn]

smorgdonkey smorgdonkey:

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

Bullshit.

Not bullshit. We were not on strike. The postal workers were on 24 hour strike....

And they are part of a collective so you suffer as a collective. Don't like it then get smarter union leadership.

This is akin to say having the US having a military base in a foreign country and soldiers from that base attacking the country they are in, would anyone say that the US government as a whole should not face sanction or reprimand for that because "it was only one part of the military?"

[smorgdonkey]

Benn Benn:

And they are part of a collective so you suffer as a collective. Don't like it then get smarter union leadership.

This is akin to say having the US having a military base in a foreign country and soldiers from that base attacking the country they are in, would anyone say that the US government as a whole should not face sanction or reprimand for that because "it was only one part of the military?"

Ok...obviously you have not read my comments very thoroughly...but they have been long so I have to be understanding in that regard - however, most information isn't short and sweet particularly when the issues are complex.

What you don't seem to understand is that the corporation had no intention of ever bargaining in good faith or being fair. They want to download the cost of poor management on to the employees who have been dwindled down in number but have continued to do the work. They locked out the workers because they KNEW that it would lead to 'back to work' legislation and head to binding arbitration (arbitrator, I am sure will be a conservative Harperite who will side with the corporation).

However, I am happy for that as I knew from the start that the corporation would never willfully submit a fair offer to the workers.

Your military analogy does not make any sense and is not applicable.

The workers are being accused of 'holding the mail and therefor the public & business hostage'. With the rotating strikes it was symbolic to the corporation that we would not be intimidated (their intimidation campaign is ongoing and has been for a long time) yet we would continue to serve the public and businesses who rely on the mail service. The corporation locking out the workers completely halted service.

Let me say that again: The corporation locking out the workers completely halted service.

If you can't understand that then I don't see any other way to put it into words for you. Some people get an 'anti-union' mentality and then they just stick with it regardless of the situation. Watch the 2 minute video that I linked earlier and it explains a lot of things. If the current trends continue, don't worry...you won't have any unionized workers that you have to fight with soon, as they will all be joining the rest of the workforce in a neck and neck race to the bottom.