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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Greed got to unions

The Spokesman-Review

I am a senior citizen, raised in a union family. My father retired from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (now Burlington Northern-Santa Fe), with 50 years of engine service.

During what was referred to as the Great Depression he had enough seniority to work full time. I asked him why we never went for need. It was because of his seniority. But he would put in his 24 or 25 days a month, and lay off to give another man a chance to work to support his family. In the mid-1940s I asked him why they went on strike. He said it was greed more than anything else, and he didn’t see any sense in it.

Every day in the paper, or on the electronic news, more people are being laid off. The state unions are suing the governor they supported, because their raise was not funded; the grocery clerks union is pushing to unionize Albertsons. The automotive union, along with top management, has all but killed the U.S. auto industry.

The reason: greed.

Now is the wrong time to try to push something down an employer’s throat. Now is the time for those that have jobs to see about taking some time off instead of forcing someone else to be fired.

R. E. Walker

Spokane Valley