kmccook writes “The Providence Journal, Friday, March 31, 2006, reports:
The Providence Public Library has repaid a library worker who was suspended for criticizing his bosses.
Michael Vallone, 54, a clerk in the technical services department, was suspended for three days without pay in January after he posted a critical letter on an internal Web site. Vallone’s paragraph-long missive ended with, “PPL administrators: The light is shining on you and it looks ugly.”
Library officials called the letter aggressive and threatening.
The United Service and Allied Workers Union, which represents library workers, filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations board on behalf of Vallone and a librarian who had been suspended in another incident.
Earlier this month, the union agreed to drop the complaint involving the librarian and the library settled with Vallone. He was repaid for the three-day suspension and the incident was removed from his personnel file.”
Good
Good for them! I’m agressive (although I don’t think particularly threatening), but I’m all for people telling the truth. If it really as as enlightening perhaps they should have given him a prize of 3 days off with pay, rather than what they did – and then had to undo.
Still not a big fan of unions though.
No Fan of Unions?
That’s fine… now give up your paid insurance, paid holidays, retirement. THAT’s what unions have done for the U.S. worker.
Re:No Fan of Unions?
Fooey, Kmccook. Outside of your list and things like worker safety, 40 hour work week, 8 hour work day, workers compensation, living wages, pensions, overtime pay, and fair treatment of employees unions have done nothing good.
Re:No Fan of Unions?
Unions have done wonderful things and I think they had their place years ago. I think their time has passed. Many others think otherwise and that’s fine.
I do that that the idea that health insurance paid for by the employer (I was just switched to an HMO that I hate so I really don’t see that as a big benefit – and I’ve previously turned down employer partial pay PPO plan to go with my own indemnity insurance because it was cheaper), paid vacation, retirement ( I don’t have that I work for a municipal services taxing unit that does not provide that benefit – I’ve always relied on myself to fund my retirement), or paid holidays would never have existed save the unions.
On the other hand look at the cars in the USF (or FSU or any big parking)lot, most of them are probably not US cars. There just is not the quality and value one can get from a foreign car. At my library we have Mazda, Hyundai, Saturn, Toyota and another Toyota and a VW driving librarian. 1: 6 does not seem like a good ratio to me and Saturn is one of the few American car makers doing well because of union concessions.
I’ve not done a study on it, but anecdotally when I see union worker pools where union members are paid not to work and when I hear on NPR that if Delphi goes on strike for more that 2 weeks the american automobile industry will crumble I don’t see how the unions are doing us any good now.
The first 2/3 of the last decade, sure I’ll give you that, but since then it will take me a lot of convincing that market forces and state and federal regulation do not do a better job of protecting the worker than unions ever could.
Sago Mine
Under Repubs. feds doso not protect workers.. Sago mine wasn’t union and ignored safety. Look at all the regs eliminated by GWB2.
Re:Sago Mine
They violated the law at the Sago Mine, they should be held accountable. The Mine Safety and Health Administration should have no higher purpose than to protect the safety of miners. Look at the website they were penalized hundreds of times last year.
Mining is a dangerous occupation, and I am in favor of the proposed rules (and anyone can comment on the proposed rulemaking from the aforementioned page). I am in favor of the requirement for new safety equiptment and additional oxygen reserves.
However the US is not the only place where mine disasters occur, recall from a few weeks after the Sago disaster the Pasta de Conchos mine accident that killed 65.
Unions are not a panacea.
N.B. the anonymous comment above is mine, I’ve no idea why it posted that way.