Union disruption
When union leaders are unhappy with some other organization, they often require union members to participate in protests.
As a union member, you could be told to participate in union protests - and possibly punished by the union if you didn't.
What kind of protests do unions do? Here are just a few examples by one union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers:
The top line
When a hospital used a non-union construction company, the IBEW put out false information about patients dying. The hospital sued the union; the members had to pay legal costs.
Here's the story:
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 357 protested when Dignity Health Medical Group hired a nonunion contractor to expand one of its hospitals in Clark County, Nevada.
Starting June 19, 2014, the IBEW placed a large banner on a corner in front of the hospital that said: “DANGER 1 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE DIE AT THIS HOSPITAL.” The banner included drawings of a coffin and two tombstones.
The union also passed out flyers saying: "1 out of 10 people DIE at Siena Campus, Death among patients with serious treatable complications.” At the bottom of the flyer it said: “Brought to you by the IBEW Union Local 357 Information Department.”
The statement about 1 out of 10 people dying was a lie, and Dignity Health filed a lawsuit against the IBEW saying the union posted the banner “despite its knowledge of the falsehood of the statement.”
Unfortunately, it's the members of IBEW who have to pay to fight the lawsuit, as well as paying for damages if the union loses. To read the whole story, click here.
The top line
When a restaurant owner used a non-union construction company to begin building another restaurant, the IBEW told customers they got food poisoning and threatened the owner's family.
Here's the story:
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 protested when the owner of a diner in Philadelphia started building another restaurant in a different part of town using a non-union electrician.
Instead of picketing the construction site, the union decided to picket the owner's diner. In a report to the police, the owner said “They are picketing at breakfast, lunch and dinner at the diner. They have a way of stepping into the street and into our driveway and stopping cars in order to annoy our customers.”
The owner said union protesters told drivers along Germantown Avenue that they got food poisoning after eating at the diner. Workers in the diner also were targeted with verbal abuse and offensive gestures.
When the protests first began, the owner and his son brought the picketers coffee and doughnuts. One protester politely said no, but others “turned to us and said, ‘We know where you live and we will visit you.’ It was a direct threat.”
The owner said: “I would never hire a union electrician after watching how they act. Why would you ever hire a union electrician when they threaten you and your family?” To learn more, click here.
The top line
When the St. Louis police department used a non-union company to do electrical work in one of their police stations, the IBEW picketed the station. One night, the station's electrical system was mysteriously vandalized.
Here's the story:
When a police precinct in St. Louis hired a non-union subcontractor to do electrical work, members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1 picketed the job site.
A few days later, the precinct was vandalized by people who seemed to know their way around electricity.
County officials said the culprits disconnected electricity inside the building before targeting a circuit box, wiring and cables installed by a subcontractor. Spools of wire were also missing when the incident was discovered.
The vandals ignored the plumbing, carpentry and other areas of construction, said St. Louis County Chief Operating Officer Garry Earls. Nor were any other tools or materials stolen.
“I can’t tell you I know who did this,” Earls said. “But whoever it was knew to cut the wires beforehand so they wouldn’t get electrocuted. This was not just some hoodlum walking down the street.” To see the newspaper story, click here.
To learn more
Go to the website of The National Legal and Policy Center, which tracks activities by all unions, by clicking here.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
SunCoke strives to be an organization you can be proud of.
Unfortunately, many unions don't seem to care how proud their members are.