I am an installer for what sounds like the same company as phatnuts, going through sane type of issues, thoe in my region, company vehicals have not come to pass. I live in a slave- state known as Idaho, in which is not a right to work state, and the bosses (masters) crack the whip on a regular basis threating jobs if techs dont take on extra work for same pay or set unrealistic demands such as driving 500 miles in a day in and expected to do 4-5 complete installs of varying callaber with phone lines. And if you do work for these contractors, you know each job is of different degrees of difficulty... groundsource, line of sight, cable distance to travel, customer specifications, and trying to keep the install as tight as possiable without creating a serious eyesore. I strongly agree that a union is nessasary if employees expect to last in this field. There needs to be some sort of regulation of what a humanbeing should be required to do in order to make an honest living. because when people are forced to work from 7 am to 300am (if customer allows)on a daily basis, and have days off takin away because the company need him to line there pocket books, without concerne or compinsation for the over worked worker, and the only means used to compell them to get the jobs done right and get them closed, ist to threaten his livelyhood, This in no other terms that fit is called slavery, and oppression. I like the job, I like the work, and satisfaction of doing a job well done. I just have been developing an increesingly bitter attitude towards working for people who have no respect for the humans who do there leg work, and want them to walk till the soles are worn off there feet, and the wheels fall off their trucks. I guess my company sees us as disposable assets, or dirty whores who better do as they ask, who they ask, and as many as they ask, to bring the pimp his cash. SORRRRY...... needed to vent. But anyways, it has come to my attention that There is a union availabe to us, and I cant help but wonder why is it that living in this state no one else in my field has thought to organize here. Or have they? I was told by a co;worker yesterday that he called the Idaho state board of employment, and they told him that an employer in Idaho could fire anyone for any reason, even if he just dident like the color of your hair. I live in some backward county up here, some 60 years behind the times, where the men are men and the sheep,... well they do there best to keep their backs to the fence im sure. The cwa came to my attention yesterday, and so when I came on line today and began to research, I saw your posts, and am tryint to get as much information together to make an educated desision on what action to take, im tired of living in a state of fatiuge, fear of unemployment, and being takin advantage of. I have recently been schooled by my new supervisor as to who is boss. I spoke out leting him know that these late nights and early mornings were killing me, and only having one day off a week was not enough to recoop, as well as take care of personal bussness. I guess that was a mistake because now the gameplayn has begun. sending me out 500 miles one day with 4 installs up and down the mountain sides across 2 states, and the next because I dident complete all of those jobs and told him that I was gratefull I had a couple of people who wanted to reschedule because with all that distance I traveled I would have been out till the break of dawn to get those jobs done unless the gods were smileing on me and I had the luck of the irish lepracons behind me where these jobs had had satieite service in the past with a groundsource near by and phonelines at every location. So the next day 3 big jobs were lined up locally, other techs walked out with 3- recievers, I walked out with 9 and a Tivo. So I said to myself, ok... Im game, lets play. I left the office ready to take on the day. the first job I got to, all the customer wanted was to have a site survey done incase maybe he wanted satelite, the second, no one home, the third told me over the phone she dident set an appointment nor did she want an install to take place, that I must be mistakin. Coincidence? Im not even going to guesstimate, Im not a big beliver in coincidence, but never the less Im takin the message that I need to do something to protect my rights, and set some regulation of those rights or anyone with a little power gone to his head and over a situation can use it to my disadvadge. But I wasent too upset, I got to spend the afternoon with my honey, and I came to a dissision that If I was going to last any was ever going to have any peace doing the work I like to do, Ive got to contact a Union, otherwise I can be takin out the game by any jerk with too much time on his hands who wants to take me out, or toy with me until I go postal, or just give up. What I would like to know, is what stat you are in and what you might know about cwa, and what kinds of experience you may have had concerning the union vs/ employers. And if by some luck u are in the same state, same company, how many others do you think would stand up. It takes at least two with the head to keep their mouth shut, and the balls to to stand up and not fold at the fallout that may occur when the union contacts their employers because they wish to have the represent them. please Reply....anyone
