Union skirmish now personal - Page 5

ALAEA Fed Sec · 20th Oct 2012, 08:45

Quote:

After their last EBA NSW paramedics left the HSU in droves to join a newly formed national professional association founded and run by operational paramedics. No political affiliations are tolerated and no member contributions are donated to political parties. They are sufficiently financial enough to employ had picked a very good team of industrial lawyers, with great experience and knowledge of how FWA works, to represent their members in both individual and collective problems. I have joined the same organisation in Victoria after a disgraceful outcome in our EBA when the ALP was in power. A question was raised at a union meeting as to just how much the union was contributing to the ALP, who , at the time were screwing us to the wall. The question was not answered - danced around by the executive - mentioned an obligation to the parent union the LMHU. When it was investigated, the union's financial statement revealed nothing other than fees to the parent union. I then investigated the parent union's financial statements to find over $300,000 dollars over 2 years paid to " The ALP, Trades Hall and it's Affiliates".
In Victoria , we are currently in the early stages of out EBA and the professional organisation I am now a member of is representing a significant amount of us, and very well. Although the outcome is a collective vote , they will ensure the most honest outcome under the present law. Under current FWA law union membership is not a pre requisite for representation in industrial matters.
Think of what you are paying in union fees . Think of how many of you there are. Think about getting organised. Register yourself with FWA. Use dedicated and enthusiastic members to do the groundwork like membership, treasury etc. I did it for 12 months. It was a labour of love .The funds soon build up. I know that , if I am in the poo, and need help, I would rather a qualified and experienced industrial lawyer in my corner than a politically motivated union rep. Just saying there are alternatives.

This pretty much describes the ALAEA. We have nothing to do with any political party. Not one member of our Exec is an individual member of one and we do not donate to ALP. We are striclty not a union but a professional Association with two solicitors on staff. It was LAMEs who got organised in 1960 and set us up this way to break away from the very thing you appear to dislike.

Arnold E · 20th Oct 2012, 10:57

Cargo, the next time you have a day off sick and get paid for it, you can send me a PM and say "thank you Arnie for fighting for this for me through your union". The next time you get your holiday pay and get your leave loading you can send me a PM and say "thank you Arnie for fighting for this through your union". When you take your long service leave you can send me a PM and say "thank you Arnie for fighting for this through your union". Now if you dont get any of these things, well let me tell you, I get them all, and if you do get them, then you are riding on my, and other unionists back, because I was there during all of these struggles and I can tell you that no employer offered them, it was all fought for. So, do I hear you saying, thanks Arnie and all of your unionist mates from that era, or are you just going to scab on the work of all of us and go on your merry way???

Worrals in the wilds · 20th Oct 2012, 11:44

Nah, they're managers, on big fancy packages that are so fancy they can't tell anyone the details.

That's because they're individually negotiated and when you hear some of the details from some of the individuals they're just not that fancy

.

That's okay, because they're much more important than you are.

They won't dare call in sick, they won't dare take their annual leave and they'll work sixty hour weeks for a salary package factored on thirty eight, but they're doing great, just ask them.

The 'all unionists are crims' argument is like the 'all priests are peds' argument; pervasive, popular with the cool set and competely untrue. Never let that get in the way of a good story though, particularly at EBA time when the whole management 'team' has been off to seminars about how to divide and conquer their stoopid workers.
Unions | directory.actu.org.au
The majority of unions listed above that haven't been accused of rorting, that aren't big and newsworthy and that consistently do their thing for their members.

Quote:

I'm all for everyone getting a fair go and fair pay for the work they do but i for one am sick and tired of the disgraceful and sometimes criminal behaviour of some Unions. They are detrimental to workers, the company and our economy as a whole.

Absolutely correct and so are a bunch of due paying people.

That doesn't make the majority guilty. Show me another way that the relatively uneducated worker can stand against his/her company's HR experts and finance gurus when it comes to pay and conditions time and I'll support you. In the meantime, my experience with non-union worker representative groups is that they bow to the first pressure, buy all the corporate BS thrown at them and sell their group up the garden path out of fear and ignorance. I'm not referring to professional associations or half breeds

like the ALAEA, but the token 'representative' group that exists in many non unionised companies that is frequently hand picked by HR so as to cause the least trouble for the company.

IME the MO is to find a bunch of scared neurotic people who really want promotion but aren't capable. Stick 'em on a committee and tell them they're important, then tell them what the company wants and why they have no choice.

Just my experience.

genxfrog · 20th Oct 2012, 12:00

Arnold, you dont have to justify your argument to Cargo744. He is just another one of those faceless "Im better than the rest" and "I know it all" trolls who would no doubt be the first to scab on any fellow workmates if there was ever a need to stick together. He'd also dob in a workmate if he thought he'd get a pat on the back by his boss.
He probably carries pics of Joyce and Gina Reinhart in his wallet, is a Scientologist, puts his rubbish in his neighbors bin at night, wears an imitation Rolex watch and his favourite movie is Gone With The Wind.

The Bullwinkle · 20th Oct 2012, 12:48

Ahhhhhh, now I remember why I stopped looking on PPRuNe!

Worrals in the wilds · 20th Oct 2012, 13:56

Off you go then! There's a big wide web out there...

Cargo744 · 20th Oct 2012, 20:26

GENXFROG... gee you know me so well!! One day you may open your eyes but in the mean time keep wandering aimlessly along. I better go and update the photo's in my wallet and give praise to Tom Cruise.

1746 · 20th Oct 2012, 20:58

ALAEA Member & Proud of it!I trust these guys and happily pay my dues!
I know they can't fix many of the ills in our industry but I know they are trying too!

priapism · 20th Oct 2012, 23:18

If the paramedics had been represented by a union like the ALAEA there would have been no need to leave it and form a separate professional organisation.

Romulus · 21st Oct 2012, 09:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arnold E

On Earth, where I live, its true that we have had a very small number of rouge union leaders

Do you mean rouge as in red, some form of sunburn perhaps?

Or do you mean rouge as in Red as in Communist?

But I'll go with a rogue typo creeping in....

ampclamp · 21st Oct 2012, 09:59

Romulus,
I'm glad it is not just me that think the Khmer Rouge are the rogues here.

Seen it many times but ...now they are on weekend release I'm onto it.

Arnold E · 21st Oct 2012, 11:08

Ok, I cant spell and I am wrong, happy now???

Romulus · 21st Oct 2012, 16:36

Arnie, I'm usually the king of typo's myself, in this one I fund the rouge/Red/communist union leader a bit irresistible (hence the broken tooth smiley). Not having a go at you, just having a bit of a giggle at the unintended pun.

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