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Teamsters fail to stop filming of cable show
By adamg on Thu, 08/21/2014 - 9:24am
Deadline Hollywood reports on how local Teamsters protested a "Top Chef" filming in Milton earlier this year over the show's not hiring Teamsters as drivers.
By the time Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi’s car pulled up to the Steel & Rye restaurant in the picturesque New England town of Milton just outside Boston, one of them ran up to her car and screamed, "We're gonna bash that pretty face in, you fucking whore!"
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Comments
Hmmmmm...
Do the Teamsters think that calling people "Fucking whores" and threatening them with violence increases or decreases support for them among the general population?
Unions...
They are in a union...so they don't think.
Wow, that's quite a HOT TAKE
Wow, that's quite a HOT TAKE you've got there.
How is union thuggery any
How is union thuggery any different than harassment by the abortion clinic protesters? Why the double standard for tolerance of buffoonery?
Teamsters are
mostly conservative republicans.
.
.
You're talking out your ass
Farrell Dobbs, the Teamster who led a general strike in Minneapolis and basically tutored Jimmy Hoffa, was a Trotskyist and a member of the Socialist Workers Party. But don't let history and actual fact get in the way of your mindless orthodoxy.
Maye a LONG time ago....
..but the Teamsters have generally been pretty cozy with the GOP for many decades now, except for a brief period in the 90s (during the short period when Ron Carey was in charge).
(Specific compononent unions and locals may be more Dem than the national organization)
Westboro Baptist Church
And let's not forget, it was the same Teamster Local that was willing to step in and block the Westboro loonies from picketing Krystle Campbell’s services. But I guess that doesn't work with this narrative either. So let's ignore it.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/1...
Yep super cozy
http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/teamsters-union/f89c8e3ab2b44f...
Campaign donations the past year:
Democrats($53.3M)
Other($6.1M)
Republicans($3.6M)
Campaign contributions
Campaign contributions indicate otherwise.
HAHA You're to funny
Name a SINGLE conservative that was backed in ANY race in MA by the Teamsters. Or any union for that matter. Most of very liberal in their voting!
you may want to check the local 25 web site
not looking too republican given the endorsements they've listed.
Unions
contribute more money to political campaigns
Groups with thousands of
Groups with thousands of members donating money to political causes? That's definitely undemocratic. Rich individuals and rich families donating though? Yeah, definitely democratic...
Yes
that's exactly what they think. It's the hive mentality, and they're so used to getting away with it.
Aaaaa
Classic union thuggery! That article is wild, it seems crazy that no arrests were made after 2 weeks of harassment.
Yeah, those thug unions! I
Yeah, those thug unions! I saw a bunch of math teachers beating up people at random the other day!
Wait...the teamsters acting
Wait...the teamsters acting like goons? Stop the presses!
Thats one way to ensure
Thats one way to ensure future film companies totally avoid using the specialized skills of teamsters drivers.
"Specialized skills"
What a crock of shit. They'll give a CDL to literally anyone who can pass a 5th grade math test and pour their kid's piss into a cup. The teamsters stopped being relevant when mules and oxen stopped being the "teams" that were driven. Now they act like whiny, petulant little bitches. Perhaps if the cost of hiring you didn't build in the cost of a hundred inflated no-show executive salaries and kickbacks to New York, people would actually _want_ to.
Dude , you nothing about
Dude , you nothing about anything !
Care to elaborate? Which
Care to elaborate? Which part of the above can't currently be proven by actual facts? Or do you just reflexively counter with a "nuh-uh" anytime anyone says something objectionable?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/us-usa-newyork-mafia-idUSBRE96...
Lets start with piss. Do you
Lets start with piss. Do you know anything about taking a piss test? Do you have a CDL ? Do you know anything how to get one beyond your 5th grade statement. Grow the fuck up!
Hit a little close to home
Hit a little close to home did I?
Take your rant over to 544
Take your rant over to 544 you piss ant.
Police didn't arrest these
Police didn't arrest these thugs for harassing people on private property, slashing tires and damaging vehicles? So union guys can break the law and not be arrested, if I slash the tires of someone I don't like and yell and scream at a restaurant will the police not arrest me either or is this one union looking out for another instead of doing their job.
This would have made for a
This would have made for a great reality show. Or at least a segment on the local TV news.
Where are all the union fans today?
Awful quiet.
Usually there's an army of people out here defending these people.
If it's about fair wages, decent benefits, safe working conditions - all good.
What troubles most about unions are these kinds of "use us or else" tactics followed closely by the "don't make us work too hard" shenanigans.
Very good example of the "or else" here.
Poster child
for "or else"
What a ridiculous argument.
What a ridiculous argument. You want to conflate all unions with the Teamsters? When a business does something wrong, do you also blame all businesses? Should we get rid of all TV because Comcast is annoying? Going down the road of your reductivist logic, we'd probably have to get ride of everything because there's probably one group for every category of human activity imaginable doing something stupid. Actually, we should probably all just kill ourselves now, right?
Because Local 25 makes us look bad
The sad thing is, now those who want workers' rights destroyed and any benefits accrued by the middle class due to unions taken away will point to these assholes and say, "look, unions are bad."
You don't see the SEUI or MTA doing this crap, yet they will suffer because of it. Even worse, the more thuggish a union is, the more money (and benefits) they get. Meanwhile, janitors and health care workers get jack squat.
Not all unions are full of mob-backed thugs, you know.
Question.
Can I both disapprove of this behavior and support unions, in principle?
Or is this not possible?
Or must I be against all unions, because this union is badly behaved?
Yes (to your first question)
And most, like myself, do. Then there are others (see below)
Thuggery is only one part of the problem
It's the work rules - don't make us work too hard. A few real world examples:
Don't install too many phones in one day - you make the rest of us look bad
Don't repair too many trucks on the train - you make the rest of us look bad - go fishing for half of your shift.
Where are you going with that television - this is a union building - you need a carpenter to mount it for you and an electrician to plug it in.
Whoo - they did a truck inspection today and I was afraid they'd find my hammock in the repair vehicle assigned to me - fortunately they didn't inspect my vehicle.
Daily routine from a NY based road crew - Let's start our day guys - this truck takes special fuel and the nearest place with the fuel is 45 minutes away. Then we have to go pick up our mail at a post office that is 45 minutes from the fueling station. Time for a break. Let's go to our job, which is 45 minutes away. Work for 45 minutes - well - it's lunch time. Time for a break.
Details, Details, Details...
What? Some children might CHOOSE to go to a non-union public school. Not on our dime. Let's get the legislature to cap the number of these terrible non-union schools that our parents and children are flocking to.
And on, and on and on...
What does any of this have to
What does any of this have to do with schools? Unionized teachers work their asses off.
Go figure`
Explain why the teacher's unions are so active in limiting the spread of charters? What's your explanation for that phenomenon? Why wouldn't the teachers agree to longer school days? There are only so many hours in a day. Why didn't they bargain in good faith and say - OK - we'll do more classroom time -but then we can't do "X"? They just said pay us more. If they are "working their asses off" - why not just work on something shown to be effective (like more classroom time) and say we can't do something else that is less effective - fill in the blank.
Hmmm.....
You're ducking the question
Local 25- vandalism, threats of violence, overall boorish behavior.
BTU- ??????
When the BTU starts slashing John Connolly's tires, threatening to beat up members of the General Court who are pro-charter expansion, or start swearing at parents who send their kids to charter schools, come back and start making the point again. Heck, just post some photos of the BTU picket lines in front of the charters. Until then, it's a false dichotomy.
BTU is way better
but...
it was still super dodgy and undemocratic to have some Rozzie interior decorator whitewash $500k in education union funds from out of state to help Walsh get elected. All carefully and specifically time to avoid any disclosure until after the election. Just a total slime ball move by someone within the greater educational union sector.
Want to disagree with you
but my dislike of shady money in politics means I can't.
As Waquiot pointed out, these
As Waquiot pointed out, these questions are entirely irrelevant to the question of thuggery, but I'll play:
Because charter schools take public money away from public schools and give it to private schools with no measurable improvement in education quality (and which are often quite worse, e.g. in Louisiana).
Probably because a lot of teachers work all day, into the evenings and on weekends already.
Why do you think they didn't bargain in good faith?
Why shouldn't they get paid more for working longer hours?
I'll play back
a) Charters ARE public schools. They are paid for with public money that follows the student - so if the average student cost is $15,000 - that $15k goes to the charter when the kid leaves - PLUS the state pays a bonus in declining amounts over 3 years to the charter
-PLUS to the best of my knowledge - the charters have to pay to rent or own their own facilities. Your statement is patently false. If the schools are so much worse a) why is there such large demand and b) why are the teachers so desperate to shut them down. If BPS is so much better - nobody would be running to the charters in the first place.
b) If they are working so hard - why does it matter if they have to spend a little extra time in the classroom. Just means they have to do a little less of something else. If they are really working that hard - it's a non-issue. And most charters DO have longer school days in Mass - which is one reason why they often outperform BPS
c) I have NEVER heard Stutman say we'll do more classroom time - but we have to give up X. His answer is simply give us more money.
d) As you note - they are already working 24/7. They can't work more. We are just saying work different. So according to you, they don't want money for working more. They want more money for simply substituting classroom time for something else job related they are doing. If they are already working from say 3 pm - 5 pm doing whatever they are doing - why can't they just spend that time in the classroom instead of "whatever".
Okay, let's play this game, then
No, the problem is the exploitation of the workers by the upper classes out of touch with actual work. It is the 1% that somehow controls the bulk of the wealth, not the folks in unions.
Work rules- somehow you forget that these are in contracts that were agreed to by the union and, you guessed it, management. Did GM have to set up a system under which employees were paid not to work? No, but they did. Conversely, are you saying that managers, which, let's be fair, have never fixed phones (who fixes phones, anyway) or locomotives, can decide that every employee must work as fast as the quickest employee, lest they be disciplined for it? For that matter, what is wrong with rewarding workers for innovation with the free time they created.
I'm reading Michael Lewis' latest book on high frequency trading. How are these guys able to make millions doing what essentially a computer program does? Explain the value they add to the economy, then we can discuss the value of unions.
Explain to me how your linking of Local 25 to the struggle of janitors or Walmart workers to have fair wages and good working conditions makes any sense.
I know these guys
Personally. Some of them actually want to work harder - but they are literally physically threatened with harm if they try to buck the system. Some are just plain slackers.
Keep in mind the auto union had to give back big eventually because they almost killed the entire industry (admittedly with lots of help from management - it was a twofer). There are very few union workers left in the private sector (teamsters are an exception like a few others that don't have to compete internationally)
I agree with you on the HFT biz - but that's dying too as people put roadblocks in their way. Total cost to the economy - about $1 billion and shrinking - a drop in the bucket. You want real thievery - you can pick up my book "Grand Theft Portfolio" in about 6-8 weeks. I show how the personal finance industry is milking hundreds of billions - maybe more - from the American investor (for now you can follow me on twitter @grandtheftfolio).
As for janitors - can't say SEIU is as guilty as others - simply don't know - and Walmart isn't unionized. Want a better job - get an education - but you won't have a union to fall back on unless you work for government (maybe).
He wants misery to have more company
..to love, as long as he isn't included.
Speculators and traders and other people in Real Estate and Finance siphon stupid amounts of money off of financial activity while doing substantially less than the laziest union goon.
This is all worthless deflection. Just be glad your hustle works, live well and let the pot be there kettle, will ya?
Union
How much is Gates and Allen worth? How much is the union boss worth Hoffa? If you want to get rich don't join a union. If you want to get paid 80,000 instead of 30,000 then join a union.
I'm pro-union as a rule, but
I'm pro-union as a rule, but your comment about union buildings brought back a memory. Back in the olden times, I was a mover here in Boston. We were not unionized (although that would have been nice, maybe my employer wouldn't have stolen so much from us). Occasionally, we would show up at a union building or on a union job site.
Once, we had a job moving all the furniture out of an office that was being gutted and renovated. The union construction crew was already there, and blocked us from moving anything because we were non union. They wanted either a union mover to come in (at the time, there was only one in the greater Boston area), or for us to let them move everything out of the building and thus out of their union shop, while we then loaded it on our truck. Fine, we said, and stepped outside to smoke a butt while they started moving stuff. They got as far as moving two desks, then gave up. Turns out that moving furniture is hard, so we were back to work.
Good times, good times.
Must be a bunch of people who
Must be a bunch of people who hate weekends, vacation, sick-time, and non-slave labor in here.
Because those things aren't
Because those things aren't required by law and have been abolished in right-to-work states?
Time for you to crack open
Time for you to crack open that history book you skimmed through in High School.
Sick time and vacation time
Sick time and vacation time are not required by federal law, though sick time was almost approved this year until republicans (of course) blocked it. For others, they get plenty of sick and vacation time.
And
You must be stuck in the Industrial Revolution.
You mean the time when unions
You mean the time when unions fought single handed for the life style we enjoy today?
I just hate idiots.
Like the union hack that spewed that awful bullshit.
Right, right, right. Nice
Right, right, right. Nice level of discourse. And I guess you some kind of kleptocrat plutarch spewing your aweful bullshit, right? That's where we're going with your argument.
WTF?
Why wasn't everyone hauled off to jail?
Seriously
What the hell?
Malicious destruction of property?
I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet
But to answer your question, maybe it's because it didn't happen the way this report suggests? There doesn't seem to be a date associated with all of this, but it seems to have gone on for at least a few days if not a week. This is the first I'm hearing of it, and I follow a lot of locals news (not just UHub, although it's the best *brownie points*!).
So a major disturbance that allegedly included 14 cars having tires slashed, trespassing and possible kidnapping (locking the doors behind them), assault (verbal threats), and other possible crimes over multiple days just a few minutes away from Boston results in zero coverage other than this one story? And zero arrests?
Allow me to hypothesize that this might be a blog post that took a few facts and ran with them to epic proportions outside of what actually happened, and is in fact part of a larger union vs. non-union debate in Hollywood that has little to do with Boston. I'm not sure of the editorial slant of this particular site, but from the comments there it seems like there are a lot of entertainment-industry debates about union crews going on in LA, and this may be a chance to garner clicks, revenue, and anti-union sentiment on an issue that happened far enough away that no one in LA will question its veracity.
Apparently no one on this site seems to, either.
I'm not saying that nothing happened-- clearly the police were called at some point and a police report was filed. I'm just saying maybe it wasn't exactly the way this reporter is suggesting, and, if you read the actual post rather than just get into "UNIONS BAD ARGLE BARGLE" you'd see that most of it is about general labor/management issues in the entertainment industry.
So chill the f*ck out, guys.
PS- Just to head off the trolls: I am not in a union, don't really think much about unions one way or the other, and don't really care. I just was amazed at how reactionary these comments were and how you all seemed to be completely missing the point.