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| 21st century, preservation and unions. https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9012 |
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| Author: | Jack A. Siffert [ Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | 21st century, preservation and unions. |
First of all let's relate this to preservation. For my living I'm manager of shop and field operations for a industrial Railway switching operation.My name is real, the e-mail is real. My crew and I have restored 3 coaches for a local preservation group.We also did a historic repaint of B & O 6604 for the state of West, Virginia. Anyone who's seen this unit can atest to my crews work!!!! I'm currently starting on a project to manufacture street car trucks that are afordable, and appear historicaly correct useing modern and easy to get parts. My crew also maintains many historic locomotives. a Baldwin, G.E.'s, Alco's and lot's of E.M.D.'s. I have shared and will share any information with anyone in the preservation field. For"fun", free, and love of history, I'm vice-president(and trustee) of The Lake Shore Railway Assocation. We own and operate 20 miles of The Lorain & West Virginia Railroad.One of my crew just got elected to the board of trustees. All of my crew have given some of their time for my "stupid" love of history. I'm in a union, my crew is in the same union.Not sure wich one, haven't got a card in 3 years. changed locals 4 times.No votes for anything or anybody, Our contract is expiring soon and the union we belong to wants to have our jobs replaced by people in the same union ( different company)with no experiance in what we do. At this point and time in my life the only thing a union is for is protecting idiots, hurting and insulting people I care about and respect and taking my money for nothing. This subject is far to deep to go into here, but from where I stand I'm not a big union fan and I am tring to figure out why anyone is using this forum to debate something as off the prevation subject as brakeman dog houses and unions here??????? The way I see it(steping up on a soap box) This is the 21st century. It's time for the tail(the union) to stop tring to wag the dog irss@eriecoast.com |
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| Author: | Tom Cornillie [ Sun Mar 28, 2004 4:18 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 21st century, preservation and unions. |
Dear Jack and Everybody, Despite how we view unions today, it is important to remember that unions have played a major role in shaping the railroad industry. Moreover, the effectiveness of their organization is reflected in the equipment we preserve, whether it be a dog-house on the back of a tender, an extra seat or two in the locomotive cab (or armrests on those seats), and wood cabooses that lasted well into the 1970's because a local wanted it that way. Understanding this history, and how it functioned, is key to effectively interpreting our equipment, artifacts, and ephemera. It is also important to remember that union members were/are people - just like museum visitors who are people. It is easier to understand the significance of an inanimate object when we (museum folks) can describe what is was like to work with and live around that object. Tom Cornillie > This subject is far to deep to go into here, > but from where I stand I'm not a big union > fan and I am tring to figure out why anyone > is using this forum to debate something as > off the prevation subject as brakeman dog > houses and unions here??????? > The way I see it(steping up on a soap box) > This is the 21st century. It's time for the > tail(the union) to stop tring to wag the dog rrhistorian@hotmail.com |
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| Author: | Erik Ledbetter [ Sun Mar 28, 2004 5:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 21st century, preservation and unions. |
> This subject is far to deep to go into here, > but from where I stand I'm not a big union > fan and I am tring to figure out why anyone > is using this forum to debate something as > off the prevation subject as brakeman dog > houses and unions here??????? Well, if you are asking the Moderators for an opinion, our rough and ready yardstick is: any topic that directly relates to preservation or to railroad history is welcome here. So, it's OK to ask which union advocated doghouses in a labor action at some point. However, it is also true that we are not here to debate the merits and demerits of unions or management or labor-management relations on current-day railroads. > The way I see it(steping up on a soap box) > This is the 21st century. It's time for the > tail(the union) to stop tring to wag the dog This turn of the conversation would constitute going off-topic for the Interchange, as it veers from history to current-day labor-management relations. I would appreciate it if we did not pursue this further on this forum. If we can bring this topic back to--and keep it on--something that relates to preservation, like "what is the involvement of unions in present-day railroad preservation," then that is fine. But this is not the place to debate the general role of an organized shop in 21st century society. I hope the distinction is clear. eledbetter@rypn.org |
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