Before unions had closed shops (all workers are union) in their contracts, they had closed shops on a voluntary basis. At a company that had 200 workers with 50 of them union and the rest non-union, they got closed shops very simply. When there was a lay off, and the company wanted to lay off a new person hired, lets say a male, 18, unmarried, no kids, but union. The 50 union members would stop work until he was hired back. They told the company that no union person would be laid off until all the non-union people were laid off. So the company would hire back the union member and then lay off a non-union person, lets say a man, 40, married, with 6 kids. A strange thing would happen when the man with 6 kids was hired back, he would go straight to his shop steward and sign up with the union and other non-union members would sign up too. The union must take care of it's members first no matter what happens to non-union people. Otherwise what good is it?
You say "This is not fair: " During the Iraq war, 150,000 of Iraq's army were killed, and only 400 on the USA side.
"This is not fair. The USA should kill more of it own troops and less of Iraq's" (That is a stupid statement)
Vancouver has 4 goals the Oilers have 2 goals "This is not fair. Let's let the Oilers win". (That is a stupid statement)
Eurocan is laying off non-union people and union people say, "This is not fair, lay us off instead" (That is a stupid statement)
Union people can not forget the way they took to get here. Otherwise, they will be lost
See you at the next union meeting
PETER G. KING
CEP Local 298