I was listening to the NY governor (a Dem) complaining about the slow progress in the restoration of power; he should toss the unionized guys and use the non-union workers. It would be done twice as quickly at half the price...
That's not just an opinion!
“When school children start paying union dues, that 's when I'll start representing the interests of school children.” ~Albert Shanker, President of the United Federation of Teachers from 1964 to 1984 as well as President of the American Federation of Teachers from 1974 to 1997
And it's gotten worse, not better.
Why the surprise? Its just a Union showing its true colors. They don’t want the utility or the public to experience the benefits of non-union labor. By contrast their norm of extortion would be exposed.
http://www.politickernj.com/60807/ibew-says-they-didnt-demand-union-affiliation-alabama-linesmen
Didn’t happen
Ray Hardin, general manager of Decatur Utilities, said a six-member crew left Wednesday for Seaside Heights, N.J. It got as far as a staging are in Roanoke, Va., where it waited for clarification of documents from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He said the documents implied the non-union workers had to agree to union affiliation while working in New York and New Jersey.
"It was and remains our understanding that agreeing to those requirements was a condition of being allowed to work in those areas," he said Friday.
While waiting for clarification, Decatur Utilities learned Seaside Heights had received the assistance it needed. Decatur Utilities attempted to contact other areas that needed assistance, but decided Thursday to bring its crew home based on the uncertainty of union requirements, Hardin said.
IBEW spokesman Jim Spellane said he did not know what papers the crew was given, but "there appears to have been a misunderstanding."
. . .
Decatur Utilities later issued a statement on Friday that said: "To be clear, at no time were our crews 'turned away' from the utility in Seaside Heights."