Tea bag co-worker just now: "Non-union electricians turned away..."

[OriginalGeek]

"...from helping in New York"

My response: "Good!"



Now I do like to be fair. His statement as I came into work this morning was out of the blue and I had heard nothing about the story before that so literally the only info I knew was non-union workers were not allowed to take a union job and that is always a good thing in my book. But extraordinary circumstances sometimes require suspending deeply held beliefs to make sure everyone is getting put back to right.

But he also has a habit of presenting the looney-toon, tea-bag side of any situation as if it is the only truth so I had to consider that when I said "GOOD!".

So my initial reaction without having any of the facts or knowing any of the story was that Non-union workers can just GTFO. I'd like to be fair though so are there any other facts I should know? Has anyone else heard about this? I'm not above suspending my belief if it is truly for the greater good but not based on some tea-bagger twisting the story to fit his union-busting ends. (This guy is well known for hating unions and I freely admit that knowing that colored my opinion of his statement as I came into work)

[monmouth]

1. I believe it is true but like you, I don't think it's a good idea in an emergency like this...n/t

[Hugabear]

2. Ask your co-worker to prove this

Has this story been fully verified? Can your co-worker point to any news sources that aren't right-wing hacks?

[OriginalGeek]

6. lol, no

he never can and I ask him every time. He always comes back with something from the Blaze or or other wingnut site and believes it as gospel every time no matter what I show him from anyone else.

I just showed him the link from the other thread in GD where they say it never happened and he still doesn't believe that.

[kentuck]

3. Probably in the way

Just like they are in our government.

[durablend]

4. Did he at least mention BEN GAZI?

Since clearly he had a hand in it.

[OriginalGeek]

12. not this time

but he has been yammering about it for days.


He's also mad because "the (liberal) media is exaggerating how bad Sandy was because that's where their headquarters are..."


I put liberal in parentheses because when he says "media" like that it is always the "liberal" media he means.

[frylock]

25. is ben gazi the union rep?

[Pharaoh]

5. Just did a search

I see nothing on this.

Ask him for a source.

[RantinRavin]

10. Easy to find

http://www.waff.com/story/19981857/some-nonunion-ala-crews-turned-away-from-sandy-recovery

[Hugabear]

13. That claim has already been debunked.

See Post #7: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1692286

[Horse with no Name]

7. And...here is the correct answer for $1000 Alex

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/11/huntsville_utilities_denies_cl.html#incart_river_default

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Representatives with Huntsville Utilities and Joe Wheeler Cooperative, two area utilities mentioned in media reports claiming their crews were not allowed to help with storm aid in New Jersey because they were non-union, said this morning the story is untrue.

[doc03]

8. Are they certified electricians? Since they are non-union they may not even be

qualified, like (Joe the not a plumber). Good let them go down south and work.

[cherish44]

9. Non union electricians probably making $10/hr

They probably don't want the non union linemen helping because, well you get what you pay for and they'd probably not be of any help whatsoever...(just a theory anyway) Would anyone with any skills at all do that highly dangerous work for just $10 an hour? I sure wouldn't

[2pooped2pop]

11. I would think that it is true

that they don't want any ol' JimmyJoeBob that comes along and says, "I know how to wire" to just jump in there and contend with major commercial and residential wiring without credentials. If the house burns down because JimmyJoeBob's fine offer was accepted, the homeowners might escape the flood only to die in the fire.

I have read on another thread that the story is false and these guys were directed to another area.

here's one
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021692322

[brooklynite]

14. Amazing-earlier this morning the same rumor was circulating about New Jersey.

[LisaL]

15. It's a false rumor.

[jody]

16. "My response: 'Good!'" Great idea so the 88% non-union workers should not help the 12% union workers

Do you want to apply your logic to the rest of government?

[OriginalGeek]

19. nope

I can't even apply it to myself - I'm not in any union but I go to work every day.


And I freely admitted I had no information except what he told me and what I already know about him. That's why I asked here for more information so I could adjust my opinion accordingly.


But it looks like the story is untrue so it doesn't matter except to tea-billies.


Edit to add: I should explain more back story. This guy is a tea-bag republican and he has been a friend of mine for almost ten years. He knows I'm a liberal Dem and he likes to surprise me in the morning with goofy shit his tea-bag websites have come up with and I generally respond in kind, only oppositely. At lunch the other day he was said he was voting for some amendment in FLorida that would disallow public money going to perform abortions - I told him I was going right down to get two abortions before he could take them away from me. (We are both guys, by the way). That's just how we do. So I did say "Good" knowing full well he wasn't giving me the whole story and wouldn't even if he knew it. Perhaps I should have put that in the OP.

[jody]

20. Apparently the AL crew was sent to NJ where they were refused and then redirected to NY. The real

lesson from this incident is don't believe anything the msm reports.

See &quot Updated) Non-union utility crew from Alabama in N.J. to help restore power is told to go home, report says"
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/non-union_utility_crew_from_al.html

[OriginalGeek]

23. THAT lesson applies to everything

everywhere.

[Habibi]

17. Debunked.

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/11/huntsville_utilities_denies_cl.html#incart_river_default

[redwitch]

18. That is simply not true. nt

[easychoice]

21. Union bashing ,pure and simple!

Tell a big lie, create false outrage,profit.
Those line crews service Huntsville,AL, and do storm work for the T.V.A..They are licensed and qualified or they wouldn't be onsite.

is there anything these Republican slobs won't lie about?

[WilliamPitt]

22. DEBUNKED. LOOK HERE.

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/11/huntsville_utilities_denies_cl.html#incart_river_default

[PD Turk]

24. Typical reactionary bullshit

Here's the meat of the real story:

Yell said going to assist with utilities recovery is not as simple as sending donated goods and requires a lot of coordination.

"We were not turned away," he said. "It's a lot more complicated than that. One of the problems is whenever this kind of thing happens people call and ask, 'Are you going to send crews out?' but it's not a situation where everybody jumps in truck and heads up there. You have to work through trade associations. You have mutual-aid agreements and you've got to find a system that needs you and is able to take you."

He said some systems don't use the same voltage and may have different configurations. "You don't just go up there and say, 'Hey, we're here. We're going to start putting up poles for you."

As usual, right wing idiots acting like children in the midst of a crisis that adults are working to handle