Yes, but it's a self-limiting problem. Here's the union mentality, and I
know for a fact it it true. Bad employee was constantly missing time. He
was told that he had to bring in a note from his doctor in order to get his
sick pay. He brought in a note that said "I have not treated Joe H... or
seen him professionally in the last six months." He said that satisfied the
requirement, since the company only told him to bring in a note from his
doctor. He ultimately was fired (for other similar reasons), years later,
and arbitrated his termination. The company bought him off. It cost a lot
of money, since it was virtually impossible to fire an employee and make it
stick through the grievance and arbitration process.

In another aviation-related event, an employee missed lots of time,
allegedly because of a chronic illness. Turned out he was not only a pilot,
but a CFI. He presented a diagnosis letter from a doctor which purported to
authorize the lost time. Termination was grieved, and appealed to
arbitration. We issued a subpoena for the logs of the employee/CFI. Turns
out the doctor (who was not licensed to practice in this state) was a
student pilot. We issued a subpoena for his logbook too. We also issued a
subpoena for the employee/CFI's medical application to see if he
"remembered" to list all the "treatment" from his "doctor". Funny how the
guy was sick only on VFR days. This guy was nailed good, and he just
disappeared. He didn't count on the fact the I would know what records he
and his students would have to keep, and what representations he would have
to make to the FAA. He also didn't count on the fact that I would know what
tyrants the FAA are, and that fooling around with the company could possibly
end his flying career. (The basis for the only subpoena I know of relating
to the 9/11 hijackers was for making a false statement on a medical
application by concealing a prior knee surgery. It wasn't much, but it got
the government through the front door.)

So, all of this is terribly labor-intensive (pun intended), and wasteful of
the company's resources. They closed the plant down last January, and
opened a non-union facility in the Midwest. The entire plant is out of
work, and on workers' compensation because they just happened to injure
themselves before the doors shut. They used to make $50-110k per year for
semi-skilled work not requiring a high school degree. They refuse to go
back to work because the only thing they can find pays $11- 12 per hour, so
they stay on comp and vocationaly rehabilitation for ever. But that pays
only a fraction of what they were making.

The union was constantly belligerent and obstructionist. When they got
there nose out of joint, we'd have dozens of grievances and OSHA complaints.
It was non-stop for years. Tell me how the union's conduct benefitted its
members.


"Jose" wrote in message
m...
Since then, [unions] have gotten very powerful. Arguably too powerful.
Still?

I don't know. I am not taking a stand on whether the unions (or any
particular union) is or are too powerful. What I am taking a stand on is
the idea that "it's a small issue so you should just comply".

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
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