I'm a union member, IBEW in Oklahoma. And once again, my "brothers" betray my interests.
Look at the statistics. Blue state vs. Red state union membership is 2:1. Union voters for Bush vs. Union voters for Kerry is 2:1 in Ohio and everywhere else. It's as if all red state union members voted Bush, and all blue state members voted Kerry. Of course I know it's not that clear cut. But its close to that.
Unions fail to deliver again
daily herald
Asked about the outlook for a relationship with Bush, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said icily, "You can ask President Bush." In the first term, he added, "there was no relationship."
About 14 percent of voters Tuesday said they were union members, compared with 16 percent in 2000. Union households were 24 percent of the electorate compared with 26 percent in the previous presidential race. About two-thirds said they voted for Kerry, matching similar support for Al Gore in 2000, despite union spending that is expected to double the $90 million bankrolled in 2000.
In Ohio, which denied Kerry the White House, union members were 17 percent of voters. More than one-third of them voted for Bush. Almost 17 percent of Ohio's work force belongs to a union.
114.626 million people voted, Bush wins 59.096 million to 55.53million.
5.6 million Ohio voters turned out.
Sweeney After Kerry Loss: 'We Have To Do More'
zmag
Exit polls commissioned by the AFL-CIO show union households were 24 percent of the electorate, almost double the 13 percent of union members in the U.S. workforce. And they backed Kerry by a 5.8-million vote margin, or 65 percent-33 percent, Sweeney and pollster Geoff Garin said.
Zogby
union voters by state
When respondents are asked whether they belongs to a union or not, in the Red States, just 15% claim union membership; in the Blue States, the figure jumps to 29%.
Nationwide and in Ohio, Kerry got 66% of the union member vote. Had he got 77% nationally, he would have squeaked out a popular victory. 80% of the union vote in Ohio would have given him the electoral college.
I'm really disgusted with my union brothers. My red state union is barely hanging on by the skin of it's teeth, and I'm sure that at least half of our members voted for Bush. So I'm doubly disgusted.
I could laugh at the antics of my union brothers and sisters over the last several years if they weren't so frustrating and self defeating.
Once our business agent got a great concession out of one of our employers for a construction project we were on. Anyone who put in a full 40 hours, no absenteeism, got an extra $100/week. Did that make our members happy? Hell no. They protested long and hard and vocally. One nearly came to blows with the business agent. Why? "Because," as one angry member put it, "It should be like that all the time!"
During contract negotiations 4 of our members volunteered to take time off without pay to negotiate our new contract with our employers. The business agent brought a vote to the monthly meeting to pay these guys out of our union funds. Easy decision, right? OMIGOD, a shitstorm broke out!
Over half of our members argued vociferously against it! Most were old-timers, followed by some impressionable youth trying to score points. What was there argument?
"They should do it for free, out of the love in their hearts for the union!" No, I'm not exaggerating. That was the only argument. We had plenty of money to pay them!
The head of the "no money, all love" faction called for a "division of the house", a voting procedure where those for go stand on one side of the room, and those against stand on the other. While those of us for stood on the north side, the grizzled, bearded old timer leading the rebellion walked up and down our side, looking into our faces with a nasty, tobacco-juice grin saying "Mm-hmm. I see who you are. I know who you are now. Oh yes."
We were like, "What the fuck is his problem?"
We lost.
We had a long strike in the late 80's. 4 of our members, key foreman for our biggest contractor, dropped their membership and went with that big contractor on the basis of some promises he made. That contractor never came back to the union, but after the strike was over (we lost, made concessions) these 4 guys tried to get back in. They met with our business agent, said they had been the victim of broken promises, and vowed to do anything that the business agent wanted to get their tickets back. They said they had a good shot of getting that big contractor organized back into our fold. We could get his signature back!
Golden opportunity, no? We snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. So what did the B.A. do? What would you do?
He kicked them out of his office and told them never to come back.
For this, he is a hero. They talk about him and this event glowingly to this day. So what if we're broke? John Wayne lives! Hurray!
I could go on and on. I've got a million of them.
If I were the business agent, and my state had absentee or mail in ballots, I would require all members to get one, bring it into the hall, fill it out in front of me, and mail it from the hall. If you don't, you lose your ticket. NO exceptions. I'm tired of this betrayal.
Oh, by the way, on another topic entirely. You know that Jesusland/Canada map that has been posted here? Some people took offense to it. Condescending and all.
Well, here is where it comes from. This is a right wing Christian Reconstruction news website. They made this map. That's how they see themselves. Kind of implies that we're not true Americans, but they are. Or maybe that this is not America, it's Jesusland, and they own it.
Jesus land map.
omega letter
And I know that they don't represent all christians. Let's not go there.
I want my country back.