A voice against unions
My issues with the union is during World War II when the government had to coordinate with the mafia in order to keep union dock workers from striking during wartime.General Doolittle, while preparing for his raid on Tokyo, was forced to use union workers to prepare his aircraft. He wrote a scathing letter to his superiors about the shoddy work and how long the union workers were taking to prepare the aircraft.
My experience with unions goes back when I worked for a union aircraft contractor who was notorious for laying people off every six months. Reason was non-union companies were winning contracts. Their non-union mechanics made less per hour but they had jobs for years. I also had relatives who worked for shipyards and aircraft companies that were union. They were constantly striking or getting layed off.
My 22 years in the Air Force proved to me just how lazy and spoiled union workers can be. Numerous times when jets were sent to the depot to be overhauled by union workers the jets would return in worse shape than when they left. While in the Gulf War, I had the unfortunate opportunity to work with some civil service workers who were called to active duty. Even in wartime situation they whined and complained about not being able to take their standard breaks, working more than eight hours a day and working seven days a week. Matter of fact, two of them wrote their congressman.
Now I work for a non-union airline that has millions in contracts for engine and aircraft work. Companies come to us because they know we won’t strike in the middle of the contract. We have the reputation of getting quality work out on time. Something most unions know nothing about.
Tom Quattlebaum, Newnan
