AFGE's UnionBlog Latest Comments

RE:Toyota Republicans Should Cut Their Own Pay

zebb brockle — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:57:00 EST

at least Toyota is not making my great grand children pay for YOUR MISTAKE ford employees make about 153 dollars an hour if you count their benefits. And yet there you cheer them on!! woo hoo the union gets to make the working man suffer just so a few people can retire and live large and the rest can scrap by you socialist. Marxist people, that are narrow minded like YOU make me so proud to be a union member...will not renew my membership in the upcoming months

RE:President Obama Wants You to Join the Union

Brent Barron — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:10:00 EST

First let me say that I agree 100% with everything the author has said in this post. I truly believe it is high time that the Congress put some fairness back into the Wagner Act and corrected some of the anti-union provisions of Taft-Hartley Act. EFCA will go a long way to leveling the playing field for trying to organize a union in the private sector. As far as the overall union movement, the pendulum has begun to swing back in favor of unions. For the first time in a long time, we have more union members then in the previous year. However, those modest gains in union membership must not placate anyone's efforts to continue to grow. We must insist that our elected leaders co-sponsor the EFCA in both the House and Senate. Currently 12 Democratic Senators have not signed on or committed their support for EFCA. If you need more information about organizing a union, visit www.workingfamilies.org.

RE:Bullying in the workplace

eeyolpmE ASS cixelsyD — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:20:00 EST

There is a supervisor in my office who apparently gets a kick out of bullying certain employees, especially women. Grievances have been filed before by some of these employees, but after a month or two this PieceOfWork goes back to his same old intimidating tactics. Scary thing is, the rest of management approves of his ways.

RE:Military Commander-Directed Investigation (CDI)

Herman Winters — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:57:00 EST

I am a present president of Local 1778 and I retired from Civil Service in 1988. I just ran across this blog today and was amazed by your story. I hope this issue has been resolved to your satisfaction but I believe it is probably too late to revisit the issue I'm reading.

Your issues had been resolved during my tenure as president of the local. William Harper was my Executive Vice President at the time we fought one of our representation issues and the decision is in the following link. http://www.flra.gov/decisions/v28/28-145-3.html

RE:Another Hit Below the Belt from Social Security Commissioner Astrue

David Tindell — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:36:00 EST

Regarding Mr. Gage's impassioned defense of EAA, which serves as another even more passionate attack on Commissioner Astrue, I will say that my contact with EAA since joining SSA in 2003 has been worthless. I paid my dues timely each year and received nothing. Many of the services provided by EAA were only for SSA employees in Baltimore and a few other large offices. My main purpose in joining EAA was to allow my son to apply for the scholarship available through EAA for SSA dependents. Each year I was told that either the scholarship was not available at all, or it was restricted to dependents of employees in Baltimore. No explanation was ever given as to this policy. I might also say that EAA's service in responding to my inquiries was sub-standard. I was hopeful that this year I might finally be able to get an application for my son, who has one more year of college left after this semester. It appears that will not be possible.

RE:RE:Uniform Wear

Pope Guy — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:52:00 EST

These should be text book issues for a strong union to fix. Could you imagine if I were a member of the UAW and a plant manager told me to shave every day, keep my hair cut short, wear a hat outdoors, supervise others without getting paid for it ect... mean while at another plant you are not required to do any of these things...The UAW would be all over it and it this uniform thing would go away in week. So why would I be this union?

RE:The True Meaning of Obama's Victory: A Meditative Reflection on Election Night from a Washingtonian

Edwina Don — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:26:00 EST

I, like host of others, hope that Obama's victory means that classiness and kindness will come back into vogue when it comes to treatment of employees. The current administration in the nation's capitol is contemptuous of unions and its members. This administration speaks of accountability but is silent regarding providing resources for for employees to do their jobs competently. Even more galling is the fact that these people fuel the false public sentiment that government employees are lazy, skill-less, and overpaid. I sincerely, hope that Obama's presence will cause the public to take a more in depth look at the reasons why employees can't provide the high standard services that they deserve. Maybe upper level managers will be more honest and evaluate employees not on what they should do under optimum circumstances but based upon what they have done under the worst possible working conditions.

RE:Toyota Republicans Should Cut Their Own Pay

Phil Glover — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:00:00 EST

Shouldn't some sort of media campaign be started by AFL-CIO, Change to Win and others to highlight this to working americans? The problem is these things come and go, then during a campaign they might be brought back up. It shouldn't be something that waits until a campaign for re-election.

They should be hammered constantly about this hypocracy.

RE:Toyota Republicans Should Cut Their Own Pay

Billy Strob — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:09:00 EST

Here's an idea for the Big Three. Make a product that Americans want to buy, and offer it at a competitive price that isn't based on the burden of union wages and retirements (which are unsustainable).

RE:Another Hit Below the Belt from Social Security Commissioner Astrue

JAMES MITCHELL — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:30:00 EST

You now some idea of what the Judge's Union has been going through with this political jerk. The management of SSA would sooner lie than tell the truth any day. All they really care about is cranking numbers and cya so they can brag to Congress.

What you really need to do is write your Congressperson and urge new Administration fire the entire upper management of SSA and apppoint new people. Spare no one since they are all guilty by association and are nothing but a bunch of poitical hacks anyway.

RE:still fighting the AR 190-56

K Janson — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:25:00 EST

I am so sorry this is not a place I should be leaving you a message, but I am only able to find you here. Will you please contact me kim360@comcast.net. Thank you and again I am sorry about leaving this message in here. I really hope you do not get into any kind of trouble for this.

RE:RE:RE:Speech at Redstone Arsenal

Samantha Jinkins — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:15:00 EST

Hello Mr. Mabray

My name is samatha, is there a more private way to get in contact with you. An email address preferably, so that I am able to disclose some business?

RE:Do LPN's really matter

Nicci Davis — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:58:00 EST

So what do you have to do to even get a GS-6? I should have been hired as a 6 at least. I see co-workers with less skill and experience receive their 6 and I'm still a 5. Where is the incentive?

RE:RE:Do LPN's really matter

Mikki Lugo — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:59:00 EST

Hey all you LPN/LVN's out there who work for the federal government. This is your chance to speak up! President John Gage is ready, able and willing to do what he can to help our cause, but if no one speaks up, how can he do anything. He needs to know what our issues are, he needs to know what he can do to help. He needs to know who you are and where you are. So start writing now!

I hope the next time I open this page, I will see at least 10 more entries, and the next time, twenty. Maybe when there is enough interest, we can all meet somewhere - maybe at the next Multi-District Training? Remember, there is strength in numbers and we can make a difference!

If you want to contact me personally, I can be reached at mlugo007@satx.rr.com

RE:Destroying What the UAW Built

Bruce Storace — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:34:00 EST

To the Grinches of the Senate,

Chrysler has announced it is shutting down its' North American operations until Jan 19, 2009, GM is stopping construction on the plant that would have manifactured the Volt engine and Ford will be shutting down 10 of its' North American plants until Jan 12, 2009. Are you happy now?

This woll impact thousands of company and supply workers not to mention the contract workers transportation workers (drivers who get the supplies from plant to plant etc). Michigan unemployment just reached 9.6% without these additional job cuts!

The Japanese couldn't buy up all our real estate in the 70 & 80s so now they are going after our economy through the key component- the manufacturing base. Primairily the auto industry which happens to be the lions share.

To quote an old TV commercial "Thanks for you (lack of) support."

RE:Destroying What the UAW Built

Bruce Storace — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:54:00 EST

For everyone's information Chrysler just announced yesterday Dec 17th that they are shuttung down ALL of their Michigan plants effective Friday Dec 19 through Monday Dec 19, 2009. Not only does this affect all Chrysler employees but their contracted dirvers (Penske) and their parts suppliers as well. Merry Christmas Sen Shelby.

Bruce Storace

AFGE Local 1658

IT was also reported on Monday that Toyota was also cutting production in 2009 because of lagging sales.

RE:Theft of Union funds

XX xx — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:18:00 EST

What was your President doing? How the heck can this go on for that many years and they couldn't figure it out? Sounds like an inside job involving more than one or they were just plain stupid for allowing it to happen.

RE:RE:RE:Kicked off Sheppard AFB for SWAMP Shirt

colbey thorson — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:19:00 EST

i didn't think you had FREE SPEECH on a military base...hmp. things you learn

RE:Joining the Union, Buying a Home — Two Good Decisions for AFGE Member

frank lynn — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:41:00 EST

If the union is to remaim viable the union has to broaden its middle class control upon the whole world not just the northeastern united states. Back when NAFTA was signed into being the unions of America should've responded by expanding their power across the world. The enability of the unions to push their power on the emerging markets is one of the most depresing reasons why the American worker no longer has any power in the current market. The American workers playing field was taken away several years ago when the unions of America concentrated their efforts in America and failed to realize that the emergng markets would soon be able to over come America, had they too, had a strong union to protect thier workers. Today we as Americans and Union workeers need to stand strong and correct the defficiencies of gettelfinger and expand our horizons to all of the corners of our plant until then when will remain weak in the eyes of the world.

RE:AFGE TSA Local 1 Leader Addresses AFL-CIO

Auther Peterson — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:19:00 EST

I hope all airports privitize all passenger screening to get rid of these TSO's. Now is the time airport management must look into these options to help cut costs. TSA itself is a joke let alone these weiners, I mean screeners.