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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsI was a NEA member. What Union did you belong to? When we speak of Labor Day, we must remember, the end of child
Last edited Sun Aug 31, 2025, 07:56 AM - Edit history (3)
labor, safety conditions. 40 hr weeks. vacation time. break time.overtime, and sick days, Remember our work conditions did not come from the goodness of the owners. We and others before us , Fought for it.

lpbk2713
(43,232 posts)
Without the IBEW I'm sure I wouldn't be here today.
It's that simple.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
JT45242
(3,628 posts)Helped negotiate contracts...
Lost a friend because he was mad that we froze salaries rather than lay off all the specials teachers (his wife was a music teacher in the district). His kid went to school there.
But he would have rather had a raise for himself and no music, art, or gym for his kids and no job for his wife.
I have zero doubt he became. MAGAt after I left teaching.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Diamond_Dog
(38,487 posts)International Printing and Graphic Communications Union
Hubby was in the YEA - Youngstown Education Association
Youngest son is in the NEA right now.
My two other adult sons were in grocery unions in college.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Jeebo
(2,527 posts)I don't think the ITU exists any more, unless it's what your union morphed into some time after 1986. I've tried to Google search the ITU several times over the past 10 or 15 years and could find no hint or vestige of it, except for the union printers' home in Colorado Springs, and there only a few very old retired printers living there. Nowadays, everything and more that we did in the ITU can be done by a fifth-grader in his own bedroom on a laptop with a few Adobe software programs like InDesign and Photoshop and Illustrator. Technology wiped out my old union.
Ron
Diamond_Dog
(38,487 posts)I was a graphic artist. I did artwork, design, paste-up, comp type, keylines, all done by hand back then. As well as some camera work. As you said, anyone can produce all that now at home with a computer and the right software program. Technology wiped out my job, too.
catbyte
(37,811 posts)for 34 years.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
catbyte
(37,811 posts)

anciano
(1,948 posts)
debm55
(50,749 posts)
vishnura
(348 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
vishnura
(348 posts)

Borogove
(230 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
Wicked Blue
(8,241 posts)once upon a time ...
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Wicked Blue
(8,241 posts)Before I got into lae enforcement, I was a shop steward.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
GPV
(73,311 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
JMCKUSICK
(3,922 posts)Law Enforcement Labor Services
debm55
(50,749 posts)
LLC
(37 posts)APWUAmerican Postal Workers Union.
😊
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Kali
(56,454 posts)it was when I had a waitress job in Anchorage for a few months when I was 16. maybe SEIU
wish I could find that info somehow. mostly grew up in AZ, not many unions here back in the day.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Kali
(56,454 posts)more likely I think
thanks! you have a good weekend too!
ProfessorGAC
(74,454 posts)I was in technology or management my whole career, so no union.
But, I support unionization 100%.
debm55
(50,749 posts)terrific Labor Day.
KitFox
(409 posts)to all of you for the years of hard work!!! Union Strong!!! Ill be going to the Labor Over Billionaires Rally at my state capital on Labor Day. An excellent book, Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina, is a novel about all the early 1920s labor turmoil, violence and strife set in the southern West Virginia coalfields. Be well, Deb and all you DU family! 😊🧡
debm55
(50,749 posts)after you folks. Union Strong. Joe Biden, would come to Pittsburgh ever year for the Labor Day for the parade. Have a great and safe Labor Day.
DBoon
(24,283 posts)People in IT think unions are for losers, and since IT workers believe they are above average, they are sure they will succeed due to their inherent genius.
Suckers.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
MIButterfly
(1,291 posts)I have been all my life. I've never crossed a picket line. I have boycotted anti-union companies and those whose employees were on strike.
To me, anti-union means anti-worker and I will always be pro-worker. Maybe it's because I understand that when union employees fight, they fight not only for themselves and their livelihoods, they fight for everybody. We all win when unions win.
Many years ago, my mother lived in John Conyers' district in Detroit. We went to some kind of rally in a union hall to hear him speak. On the walls were pictures of striking workers getting abused by police back in the 30s and 40s. It really affected me. We must never forget how hard those who came before us fought for basic human dignity and fairness on the job and we must never allow anyone to ever take it away from us.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
MIButterfly
(1,291 posts)Happy Labor Day to you, as well!
PittBlue
(4,615 posts)And the PSEA. Without this Union in Pennsylvania, we would have never had salary raises or benefits.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
The union did much good all around the country, elevating wages and providing excellent health care benefits.
My Local, not so much.
We joked that the union should just move their headquarters into the offices of the grocer I worked for since they were nothing but a company union. When the pandemic started the beginning wage where I worked was 5 cents over the state minimum wage $9.45 per hour. Granted, you could make the princely sum of $10.00 per hour after @five years.
Additionally, we eventually wound up with a three-tier wage system. Old timers, even checker, earned $20-$25 per hour, New employees who started during the pandemic started at $14.50 per hour, but those in the middle were in the $9.50 area.
Oh, and the union never insisted that the stores be fully manned. So, you had filthy stores, and not enough employees to deal with customers and keep the stores stocked.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
waterwatcher123
(406 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
MuseRider
(34,949 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
Americanme
(274 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
Aristus
(70,880 posts)But back when I was a Medical Assistant, I was a member of SEIU Local #1199. They always made sure we got off work in a timely manner, and got our yearly cost-of-living raises.
Unions rock!
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Wolf Frankula
(3,780 posts)Later I was a Teamster. I was fired from Goodwill for being insufficiently anti-union.
Wolf
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Tanuki
(16,072 posts)as we are on a slippery slope with loosening of regulations in Arkansas and elsewhere. My paternal grandfather was a child coal mine laborer (tipple boy) at the age of 12 before the UMW and other unions changed America for the better.
debm55
(50,749 posts)beyong third grade and worked for US Steel and the Railroad .Enjoy your Labor Day.
Jilly_in_VA
(13,047 posts)most of my life I worked in what my late ex called "right to slave" states. The only place I ever worked where there was a union was as a traveler in Cincinatti, and I could see how beneficial it was for the nurses.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Wiscodoug
(108 posts)We won our fight to unionize in 2022
debm55
(50,749 posts)Labor Day.
AloeVera
(3,734 posts)Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Deep State Witch
(12,199 posts)Pennsylvania Teacher's Union. He had to leave the union when he was promoted to Vice Principal, because he was then considered to be management. His brothers and father were all union. And my maternal grandfather helped to start the Baker's and Confectioner's Union in Pittsburgh.
debm55
(50,749 posts)Allegheny County. Have a wonder Labor Day.
Deep State Witch
(12,199 posts)Kind of between Perrysville and Wexford. I went to North Allegheny HS and Chatham University.
Freddie
(9,962 posts)For non-teaching school employees in Pennsylvania. Then I got promoted into a non-union position (payroll manager) but still 100% support the union.
My cousin is a retired teacher and a Trumper. Her nice retirement is thanks to the PSEA and she supports the party that hates teachers, unions and public schools. I rarely talk to her.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Upthevibe
(9,785 posts)Great post!
I was in UTLA in the early 2000's. United Teachers Los Angeles....
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Upthevibe
(9,785 posts)Thank you!
I hope you have a great weekend as well....
FireUpChips10
(24,016 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
Emile
(37,553 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
MarineCombatEngineer
(15,922 posts)but I did belong to the biggest brotherhood, the United States Marine Corps.
Semper Fi and hope everyone has a good Labor Day.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
Groundhawg
(1,160 posts)debm55
(50,749 posts)
turbinetree
(26,548 posts)than the pilot, while the plane was on ground. for public safety I was in charge for a no go or go for flight..........................and public safety is what it is public safety , I would and did ground a planes that was unsafe.................people got up set but my attitude was I will no let a plane fly knowing to do so could in danger lives and I could and can be charged with murder. I have worked on every plane from the Atlantis Space shuttle, helped build all one hundred B1B bombers.
B737-200/300/400/500 B757100/200, AW320,/321 A350.//600 DC10-20 10c-30.MDII, Emb 220, Folker Wolf 100, B747-200, -300- 400and the Chinook Nighthawks, and V22 Osprey and I was a aircraft Inspector.................without airplane tech we WOULD not have anti-skid brakes' Gps......thy list goes on and on .And finally I saw the crew off on the FLT 93 Tail NO. N591UA heading EWR to SFO on 9/11 .............................it still pisses me off..............brother n law that died from the asbestoses in the steel at ground zero and my wife's nephew friend on the memorial wall.........
Thank you for letting me rant,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
turbinetree
(26,548 posts)

whathehell
(30,269 posts)Way back in 1970 -71 when I was a telephone operator in San Francisco.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
PJMcK
(24,216 posts)NYCs musicians union. The less I say, the better.
debm55
(50,749 posts)
debm55
(50,749 posts)
JustABozoOnThisBus
(24,349 posts)Later, I was salaried, non-union, but I know when I received an improvement in benefits, it was due to agreements between the company and the UAW. Their hard-won benefits "trickled down" to us non-union folks.
debm55
(50,749 posts)