Sunday, April 25, 2010

Workers camping out in LIC

From the NY Post:

Like a scene from the Great Depression, about 300 men camped out along four blocks in Queens to get hold of a few precious job applications that won't be handed out until tomorrow.

The first job-seekers started camping out at 4 a.m. Friday, hoping to land employment with the Local 3 Elevator Mechanics Union. Officials will be interviewing 750 applicants for just 100 positions fixing elevators around the city.

Some cooked food on small barbecue grills and slept in tents on the sidewalk on 36th Street in Sunnyside as they waited for the union-hall doors to open at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.

With unemployment in New York state hitting 10 percent last month and some 400,000 people unemployed in the city, some said they weren't surprised that so many people had joined the line of desperation by yesterday afternoon.

17 comments:

Frank said...

Before reading the article I was worried they were camping out for a job at Dunkin' Donuts!

Anonymous said...

is dunkin donuts hiring?

georgetheatheist said...

The early birds get the worms.

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[x] Male
[x] No, not of Latino, Hispanic, or Spanish origin
[x] White

Juan Moore Thyme said...

Stop kicking my feet!

Joe said...

That's only a myth, sorry to say Not in this case George. That union is pretty much father and son like the IATSE.
Unless somebody dies AND you know somebody AND other members vote you in forgedaboutdit.

These unions are crooks who are driving up the cost of everything.
The IATSE and SAG would garnish 1/3 of my paychecks when I worked at NBC.
Most of the higher ranking members are a bunch of scumbags who lurk around doing nothing.
That's why Broadway theater tickets start at $100.
A building owner should have the right to hire a qualified elevator tech and keeps these thugs dirty hands out of the cookie jar

Anonymous said...

Joe you are a moron and should stick to working behind the curtain. I would rather pay more to a trained union memeber to work on an elevator than some JOE SMO to learn it on his way. And for your info, the contractors would make , if not more than, the unskilled worker. So either way, you end up paying the same. Pay the educated worker or pay the contractor the same for an unskilled worker? I say power to the unions, for not only do they know their crafts but they speak ENGLISH too!

Joe said...

Leave it to a Union Member to come back with such a pityful defense.

When did Unions train and test people for skills ?
Any Joe Smo from dunkin donuts can work his way or be daddy'd into a union shop, do shit work and not be fired for it.
We have the toppling cranes, dead people and shoddy repair work on our streets to prove it.
I have seen fire hydrants put in backwards with the ports pointing at houses !

Unions were Ok years ago but now most have become greedy skylarking THUGS who operate no different then the Mafia.

Anonymous said...

Leave it to a Union Member to come back with such a pityful defense.

When did Unions train and test people for skills ?
------------------------------------------------

Obviously yours is not spelling and grammar!

Anonymous said...

This is all for show. Everyone they are going to allow to enter the union is a related to another union member and already picked.

georgetheatheist said...

Since when are you allowed to legally pitch a tent on the public sidewalk?

-----------------------------------
[x] Male
[x] No, not of Latino, Hispanic or Spanish origin
[x] White

Anonymous said...

These are honest workers, waiting in line for an exam to get a job.

There's no nepotism or connections here. If there were, they wouldn't be camping out there.

But it's true. Many unions and professions in our city are clannish, jealously guarding against newcomers.

Anonymous said...

Yep, all a show.
Who ever is "getting in" is "family" and already been chosen.

All them people want a shot at that $38.46 an hour, over $60 an hour if you include the fringe benefits.
These mobsters stole 10 million $$ from the MTA last year in a billing scam. Anybody who thinks they are honestly going to take in strangers is out of it.
ttp://www.nlpc.org/category/keywords/international-union-elevator-constructors-iuec?page=2

Anonymous said...

what about putting American citizens and people from Woodside and Sunnyside at the front of the line?

Anonymous said...

The average American citizen from Woodside & Sunnyside know’s they don't stand a chance of getting into that “brotherhood”. That is unless they are related to a long time union member who can give and vouch for he or she.

This cattle call is a cabaret to go through the motions

Anonymous said...

Local TV news milked this story Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for only 100 apprenticeships. I'd like to see the follow-up in six months to see how many of the people who waited on the line for three days got into the union, and are in reach of that $80,000/year job.

Anonymous said...

Joe,

You are right about SAG and AFTRA and all those unions. And in SAG some of the talented get left out and the ones who get in only get in because they need a certain type, and most of those "types" don't even know not to look at the camera. They never heard of the method, Stanislavski, never took a class and never heard the question: "What is my motivation?" These unions want you to pay dues even when you don't work. And they keep people out who can't afford the, what is it now - probably $2,000 to get in.

Joe said...

For 30 mile zone NYC and Hollywood SAG is $2,277, plus the first $116 payable only with a cashier's check in full to join.
Less in rural areas

$116.00 2X a year plus 18.5% of all individual earnings $1- $200K under SAG contracts + add +5% more if you gross over 200K in a year.
Then add the managers, contract lawyers and casting agents fees.

Nobody wants to hire SAG actors and shoot in studios anymore because of these unions cost everybody to much

That why we have all these imported British producers and actors running around with surplus news cameras making scripted reality crap in private buildings, houses etc.

Its mind boggling how stupid the viewing public has become. 1/3 of the US population watches and WORSE is entertained this garbage.

My theory is if you spoon feed people shit for X amount of time they truly believe its a meal.