Unions - a plague on our society

I have to give the City credit, they did respond (one of the three Councilors at least) to my email concerning the recycling of batteries and she elevated my concern to the Deputy Commissioner of Public Works who just happens to be a neighbor (a couple of blocks away anyway) and he called me the next day to discuss the issue. Asking me what I saw, Who was working that day etc. I told him about the previous incident two years ago and now this and all in all the conversation went well - he planned to touch base with the work crew on mine (and his) route and they had already issued a memo reminding all workers of the recycling policy.

It is strange there are actually two crews each trash day. One handles the recyclables - paper, cans, bottles etc, the other takes the non-recyclables - except this one month out of the year (July) the non-recyclable crew take the batteries - seems ridiculous, but apparently that is policy or maybe Union rules, and if so another example of a misguided policy.

Speaking of misguided policies & Unions: Case #1: The local Community College once had a Dental Assistant program but found the cost of the program in relation to the graduation rate was too high to maintain. But it did supply local Dentists with a pool of assistants and provide free Dental Care - i.e. guinea pigs while people were training on how to clean teeth etc. But it closed. Then over the course of several months dentists and educators got together and made an effort to revive it and after months of work it appeared that the program would be back - though not run by the local College, instead another College from Northern New York with more experience and a better track record. They would use the local College's facilities, but supply their own educators/instructors and associated educational programs. It was a win for all - local free care, Dentists and students and then the local College's Union spoke, threatening to sue because the action violated a clause in their contract with the local College, even though all the local college was doing was renting the facilities to another - in the end both colleges walked away to avoid litigation. So who won? The Unions I suppose, they succeeded in denying educational benefits to students, free dental care to those who can't afford it and local dentists who now must search elsewhere for assitants and raise their costs appropriately, oh and their members they are still without jobs though my understanding is that when the program closed those involved retired and most likely are not interested in returning.

Then there is case #2: A Convention Center Hotel, something like a $65 Million dollar investment in the Community. Construction jobs, Hotel jobs, and the spill over effect for the local businesses and restaurants - all held hostage by another Union and their demand that before any State funds are approved to assist in the development or construction of the hotel the Hotel's Developer and Managers must agree to a "Neutrality Clause". Which essentially from what I have been able to determine would compell the Managers of the Hotel to remain silent concerning any efforts to organize future Hotel Workers into a Unionized workforce. Other issues were also involved but they have all been negotiated - and from what news reports say the Hotels Managers bowed to all of the Union's demands, the Union has yet to concede a thing. All except this last clause which the Hotel Managers will not abide to and rightly so. This clause is akin to saying that only Democrats can campaighn in an election. Only Democrats can voice their positions on issues or candidates - the Republicans must remain silent unable to express their points of view or ideas leaving a one sided discussion of the issues of the pro's and con's.

If I were the developer - I'd walk away and lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Union, for right now it's members are unemployed and have been so now for several years when the Hotel Syracuse closed downtown due in part to mismanagement and Union demands. And all I can see is a radical Union whose leaders are more interested in being obstructionists rather than facilitators and consequently are not looking to provide jobs to it's members, but instead to exercise control and power over others.