Unions: The folks who brought you summer vacations!

[umbertino]

by: Steve Share

August 14 2012

MINNEAPOLIS - This is my favorite story to write each year: Talking with union members about fishing and hunting, or the importance of time alone in the woods, or the thrill of working with dogs in the field. Each year, union members welcome me into their world. They talk about the father or grandfather who taught them to hunt. They share the excitement of the kids they're taking fishing. They tell stories of trips to hunt and fish with family, friends, and co-workers.

And these avid outdoors folk also speak about the importance of their union job - with decent pay, benefits, and paid vacation - a job, which allows them the financial resources and the vacation time to go hunting and fishing. This year I visited with three union members. Here are their stories.

Kurt Schroeder, Sprinkler Fitters Local 417, 49, currently lives in Fridley with his wife Geri. He grew up in north Minneapolis and graduated from North High in 1981. "I ended up getting into the Sprinkler Fitter trade and going to St. Paul Vocational for a five-year apprenticeship," he says. "It's been good ever since."

Schroeder now is a 27-year member of Sprinkler Fitters Local 417, currently working for Simplex-Grinnell in Plymouth as a service technician.

Schroeder just got back last month from a fishing trip to Lake Michigan and Algoma, Wis., traveling with his son Nick Schroeder, a member of Pipefitters Local 539, and Nick's two friends, Plumbers Local 15 members Ryan Bordwell and Jon Gerrits. "They've known each other, all of them, since kindergarten," Schroeder relates.

"My son and his friends learned the same values as me," Schroeder says. "I make a pretty good wage. I'm not afraid to work overtime."

In addition to fishing at his cabin on Woman Lake near Hackensack and at Lake Mille Lacs, Schroeder enjoys grouse hunting near Grygla, by the Canadian border.

"It's just relaxing getting close to Mother Nature," he says. "It's as serene as you can get. It's a good thing to do with your children - something you can do until you're old."

Paul Klesmit, IBEW Local 292: "I enjoy hunting with my two labs probably more than anything," says Klesmit. "I've had chocolate labs for more than 25 years."

Klesmit, 61, lives on Sarah Lake near Loretto. He grew up in northeast Minneapolis and graduated from Edison High. He was drafted in 1971 when Vietnam was winding down.

After his military service, he took a two-year course at Anoka-Ramsey Technical College and joined the IBEW apprentice program in 1976. "This year is my 35th year," he says.

Klesmit served IBEW Local 292 7-1/2 years as a business representative and also worked 4-1/2 years as director of the Minneapolis Building Trades' Market Recovery program. He's currently unemployed. "Especially when you're unemployed, you've got a lot of time to spend in the woods," he notes.

When he is working, Klesmit notes, the negotiated vacation package he gets as an IBEW member means, "you have the money to take time off."

"One of my favorite sayings from my folks," Klesmit says, "was 'Are you working to live or living to work?'"

His father, Eugene Klesmit, was a Minneapolis firefighter and his grandfather, Dan Klesmit, was an IBEW Local 292 member. Paul Klesmit has fond memories and vivid stories from hunting with both his grandfather and his dad.

"There's so much to do outside," Klesmit says. "The new generation is just tied to technology. We've got to teach young people to enjoy the outdoors." He adds: "I enjoy shooting deer but I also enjoy just taking pictures and watching them."

Gary Larson, of Bricklayers Local 1, will be 65 next month. He joined Bricklayers Local 1 as an apprentice in 1970 and retired in 2009. "I loved every minute of it," he says. "I would do it again if I had my life to live over."

"I take pride in helping to build Minneapolis and St. Paul," he says, including landmark buildings like the IDS Tower.

Larson grew up on a farm in western Minnesota, he explains, so he was "used to hard work so masonry wasn't that out of line." He notes: "We hunted on the land all the time."

His two sons, James and Curtis, followed him into the Bricklayers but in recent years they had moved out of state seeking work. Larson lives in rural Howard Lake, where he and Curtis now breed and raise yellow labs doing business as Yellow Lab Kennels. "I buy dog food by the pallet," he says.

"We have a very good bloodline," he says. "When we have puppies we have all yellow puppies." He emphasizes that his pups are family-raised and country-raised, offering "a dog for the kids and a hunting dog for dad. They do well as both."

Larson's care for the pups extends to delivering them in person to buyers as far away as Colorado.

Larson is primarily a pheasant hunter, he says, and his kennel is a Pheasants Forever sponsor, raising and releasing 100 pheasants each year.

http://www.peoplesworld.org/unions-the-folks-who-brought-you-summer-vacations/

[DiveDeepSix]

Unions are a joke. At one point in history they were a good thing, however they have outlived their usefulness and are becoming more and more worthless every day. For businesses to keep good employees they need to make those employees happy as there are far to many competitors who would gladly take them in.

Unions the people that brought you the $50,000 pickup truck.

Unions the people that drive businesses and manufacturing jobs overseas.

Unions the ones in bed with mr O helping him screw America.

[cris]

So, how did a Union bring me a summer vacation?

Everything costs more, from the milk in my fridge to the

hotel I visit, because of Unions.

There is actually less money for a vacation, because of

Unions.

Edited August 15, 2012 by cris

[eddiemac]

Unions are a joke. At one point in history they were a good thing, however they have outlived their usefulness and are becoming more and more worthless every day. For businesses to keep good employees they need to make those employees happy as there are far to many competitors who would gladly take them in.

Unions the people that brought you the $50,000 pickup truck.

Unions the people that drive businesses and manufacturing jobs overseas.

Unions the ones in bed with mr O helping him screw America.

Unions are the biggest part of the downfall of America, why do you think

So many jobs go over seas? Why do you think the work ethic in America

Sucks? Because everyone thinks they can drag their butt to work

And do a half a## job and then get paid extremely well for it. I cannot tell you

How much the work ethic of Union shops pales in comparison to non

Union guys, it is a freaking joke. America is losing it's jobs and

It's dignity because of Unions. Why would big buisness want to deal with

Unions when they can get twice the production at half the cost by going

Overseas? Look, Unions were ment to

Protect workers, but this intention has gotten out of hand, we have OSHA

For that now, and don't even tell me how your grandpa was mis- treated in

The coal mines.

Compare it to slavery! Where were the Unions then, a bunch of fat

Narrow minded white people saw a chance to feed off of a growing

Nation, the opportunity for easy money. We were the Industrilalist, we were the competition , now we are

Paying for our mistakes! We have forgotten what our forefathers

Endured, we have forgotten what it feels like to work your butt

Off and come home and look at your family and say I've done the best

I could, forgotten are the times when what you had was good enough

We have become spoiled and have lost the very essence of what made this

Country great, we have given in to every special interest group,

Given in to mothers who do not want to stop having babies

With Fathers who are not there, given in to those who

Opt to not work,Or given in to the fact that we have just given up!!! I am not

Trying to upset anyone and I am sorry for the format of this all, Using a I-Phone

For the record I am a white male, in construction, married for 22 years with two kids

In college. I am no better than anyone, I am just stating a very personal

Belief, for that I apologize to those offended, But Guess what? Freedom Of

Speech Baby!!! Ha!! Be easy on me folks, it's been a long frustrating

Day , and I'm a little strong headed. P. S go R. V. Lol

[poppy dinar]

Unions are the biggest part of the downfall of America, why do you think

So many jobs go over seas? Why do you think the work ethic in America

Sucks? Because everyone thinks they can drag their butt to work

And do a half a## job and then get paid extremely well for it. I cannot tell you

How much the work ethic of Union shops pales in comparison to non

Union guys, it is a freaking joke. America is losing it's jobs and

It's dignity because of Unions. Why would big buisness want to deal with

Unions when they can get twice the production at half the cost by going

Overseas? Look, Unions were ment to

Protect workers, but this intention has gotten out of hand, we have OSHA

For that now, and don't even tell me how your grandpa was mis- treated in

The coal mines.

Compare it to slavery! Where were the Unions then, a bunch of fat

Narrow minded white people saw a chance to feed off of a growing

Nation, the opportunity for easy money. We were the Industrilalist, we were the competition , now we are

Paying for our mistakes! We have forgotten what our forefathers

Endured, we have forgotten what it feels like to work your butt

Off and come home and look at your family and say I've done the best

I could, forgotten are the times when what you had was good enough

We have become spoiled and have lost the very essence of what made this

Country great, we have given in to every special interest group,

Given in to mothers who do not want to stop having babies

With Fathers who are not there, given in to those who

Opt to not work,Or given in to the fact that we have just given up!!! I am not

Trying to upset anyone and I am sorry for the format of this all, Using a I-Phone

For the record I am a white male, in construction, married for 22 years with two kids

In college. I am no better than anyone, I am just stating a very personal

Belief, for that I apologize to those offended, But Guess what? Freedom Of

Speech Baby!!! Ha!! Be easy on me folks, it's been a long frustrating

Day , and I'm a little strong headed. P. S go R. V. Lol

Spoken like a true scab!!!.................Freedom of Speech Baby!!!!!!!!!!!

[cris]

Spoken like a true scab!!!.................Freedom of Speech Baby!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats cool....unions are going bye bye, one State at a time

[poppy dinar]

Thats cool....unions are going bye bye, one State at a time

Sure they are...............been hearing that for years!!!!

[cris]

Indiana becomes Rust Belt's first right-to-work state

2/2/2012

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the bill shortly thereafter without ceremony, making Indiana the 23rd state in the nation with such a law. Indiana also is the first state in the "Rust Belt" of the Midwest and Northeast to adopt the measure.

Wisconsin Unions See Ranks Drop Ahead of Recall Vote

May 30, 2012

Public-employee unions in Wisconsin have experienced a dramatic drop in membership—by more than half for the second-biggest union—since a law championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker sharply curtailed their ability to bargain over wages and working conditions.

Michigan bills hope to strengthen state power, eliminate union benefits

Mar 07, 2011

Ending binding arbitration for local public safety offices. Repealing prevailing wage. Allowing city managers and school superintendents to cancel labor contracts. Asking for $180 million in concessions from state workers.

Today it’s taking collective bargaining off the table in local construction contracts where special state tax breaks are involved. Yesterday it was banning teachers from getting a slight pay increase while their expired contract is still being negotiated.