Quote:
Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
I've just never understood why these skilled union guys can't go to work on their own, or for someone else? Other than extorting inflated rates and strong-arming others, what purpose do unions serve? Things get built just fine elsewhere without using a union. God knows skilled workers are in demand, what is the point?
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They can also use their influence with their Democratic representatives to delay projects being done by companies that are "unfriendly" to their views.
Here in Sacramento, one of the big hospitals was attacked by the SEIU. Seems the hospital would not make union membership mandatory. The SEIU filed lawsuits to delay a hospital expansion project, claimed the environmental impact studies that had already been reviewed were flawed(that went on a few months) but it turned out to be a ploy, they folded their tents on that part of it when they would have actually had to make some argument supporting their position.
Another beneficial act in this same battle was to pressure the state employee union to drop their contract with this same hospital. This was for the same reason as the obstruction of the expansion project, but they said it was because the hospital charged too much. Hospital's response was essentially, "What do you think would be fair? We will set our fees wherever you think we should" Response was, no it is too late, we can't work with you. Then something like 50,000 people in the union had to get new doctors in another managed care system that was overloaded.
That part of it worked out fine for me though. I had literally hundreds of patients that came to see me and paid me cash on a fee for service basis rather than the regular capitated rate I would have gotten. Actually that deal worked out pretty well for everyone but the Cal Pers union members, but hey, they had their guys looking out for their best interests, right Supes?
