USMC vs UAW

I grew up fairly poor. Not dirt poor but money was real tight. Seven kids, two parents, (sometimes two grandparents), and a dog in 900 square feet. Mom and Dad both worked long hours so that we had food in our stomachs, clothes, and shoes. No excuses were ever accepted for bad behavior or for not doing our very best at everything.

Things could have been better had my Dad, who was an awsome machinist had chosen to work in a Union shop rather than an independent. Probably could have doubled or even tripled his income. But he had a thing against Unions and I never found out what it was. It may have been something that happened before or after his service in the Marine Corp (1944 - 1948) but he never had a good thing to say about Unions.

As for myself I've never been in one. I'm what is considered a "White Collar Worker" - which is funny as I live a blue collar life. The whole concept of paying to work never made sense to me. I've always preferred to be responsible for my own actions. Add in some less than stellar experiences with Unions on job sites and I'm glad with the path I've chosen. Please don't take this as a dig towards Union labor. Most of these guys (and girls) work their asses off and I respect that. The public face of the Union drives me insane. From the inability to negotiate in good faith to getting involved in politics they portray Unions in a bad way.

So when I came across a post on Blackfive about the UAW denying Marine reservists that either drive foreign made cars or have cars with Bush stickers on them from parking on UAW property I realized that Unions still don't have a clue. What a public relations blunder. These Marines put their lives on the line for all Americans - a little courtesy goes a long way.

So - what to do? I plan on writing a letter to the UAW president (see Blackfives post for an address) asking to to return the parking access to the Marines. If not - well the next car purchase I make won't be one made by UAW labor. It'll still be made in America but it'll mean a Toyota or a Honda. And that hurts me. I've always prided myself on owning cars made in America by American companies. But not if it means supporting asinine policies such as this one.