Even Unions Don’t Want To Pay Union Wages By Betsy Newmark

Tom Elia at The New Editor links to a story in the Detroit News that notes some union hypocrisy. Imagine that. Unions are hiring homeless people to picket non-unionized employers for not paying employees more and not providing more health benefits. But, guess what?

In Washington, Baltimore, Atlanta and elsewhere in the country, union organizers are scouring shelters and recruiting homeless people to staff their picket lines, paying just above minimum wage and failing to provide health benefits.

The national carpenters’ union, which broke from the AFL-CIO four years ago in a bitter dispute over organizing strategies and other issues, is hiring homeless people to stage noisy protests at nonunion construction sites.

“We’re giving jobs to people who didn’t have jobs, people who in some cases couldn’t secure work,” said George Eisner, head of the union’s mid-Atlantic regional council in Baltimore.

The carpenters who belong to his union, Eisner explained, are gainfully employed. With homes and offices being built or renovated and real estate booming in many urban areas, he said, the union carpenters are too busy to join the picket lines.

Sure, it’s a crummy job and they’re not getting health benefits for picketing, but at least they’re treated right on the job.

The union organizers allow the hired protesters to take two-minute breaks, Howards said, but dock their pay for the time off.

Oh, the humanity of those unions!

Tom Elia has some more examples of harsh union working practices.

This content was used with the permission of Betsy’s Page.

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