Hey, Mike Bouser!  Remember the message about Re: Unions?
You said to Tom Patierno on 05 Oct 96  17:56:40...
MB> Hey, 
MB>         That's all good stuff. I never dreamed that things were like 
that. 
MB> sounds like unions might be the way to go. 
MB>         Only one problem, and it is an ethical problem. For one thing, in
MB> Nashville (TN), they just recently went to pulling 12 hour shifts instead 
o
MB> 24 on, 38 off. This let a few of the old-timers demand back pay 
(thousands 
MB> dollars) and seriously hindered every one else's opportunity for second 
job
 
    In a city like Nashville, it is about time that type of shift was done 
away with!  If the call volume is below a certain amount per day (on 
verage),
then I could see using a 24 hour shift.  But, considering the population and 
the amount of calls that you guys have, it's about time...
    As for the company not wanting to give others a "second job", if you owed 
the company money, because they overpaid you, would they expect you to pay it 
back, even if it created a financial hardship on you?  Believe me, the 
companies can make up the 
difference!  This has also been the trend of the industry for the last 10
years!  I received about $700 owed me from when I worked the 24 on, 24 off
shifts, and the same arguement was used to deny us raises!  Then the company
hired 3 new billing secretaries, and purchased 5 non-emergency ambulances
(chair cars), and expanded into 3 towns.
    According to our Union, a paramedic working a full time work week (more 
than 35 hours) should be getting paid about $19.70 per hour.  An 
EMT-Intermediate should be getting about $17.00 per hour, and an EMT basic
should be getting paid around $15.00.  That would be commesurate with a 
firefighter with 180 hours of training, as a base starting salary.  An EMT-B 
has roughly the same amount of training, hourly, that a FF 1 has, and 
erforms
approximately the same type of job.  An EMT-Intermediate has about 60 hours 
f
training on top of that, which is what a FF2 has in training; and a paramedic 
has 1,800 hours of training, which is about what a Fire services officer has 
in training (Lieutenant or Captain).                                    
    EMT's, on average, respond to more calls than any fire department, and 
re
therefore in the path of a dangerous situation more often than a firefighter.
(Not knocking fire fighters!  Just stating the obvious)  Yet, they get paid 
garbage wages.  Paramedics that get paid any -less- than $18.00 per hour are
getting ripped off.
MB> The way they pay aound here, that is a bad thing. To top it off, the ones
MB> pushing for the change split, pursuing different careers, etc. Not only 
are
MB> all the young bucks now broke, they have no way to effectively continue 
the
MB> education. Like I said before, I am in school now working for my 
EMT-Basic.
MB> also work 11 hour days in the Army. I couldn't do it if I worked 12 hour 
da
MB> Plus, EMT-Paramedic in TN is only offered 3 days a week during the day. 
You
MB> see what is going on. These people are hurting.
 
    Believe me, a company can do anything it wants to do.  If they wanted to,
they could flex a person's schedule.  They're the company! Or, could your 
oss
go home at any time he wanted to?  Or, is he forced to stay in his office for 
8 hours per day? :-)
    What is happening is that your bosses are trying to prevent you "young
bucks" from getting any fancy ideas that you try a stunt like this in the 
future!  Collectively, these "old- timers" finally said, "Enough with getting 
ripped off, and worked like cattle!"  They, for a time, "unionized", and got, 
as you put, "thousands of dollars" that they deserved, after being taken 
advantage of by their boss.  If these guys are hurting, then perhaps its 
because of how much they're getting paid?  That is a direct result of what 
youre managers have decided.  Do you know how much you get for each ambulance 
run you go on?  How much the city of Nashville pays your company to provide a 
service for that community?   What are the criteria for getting fired/ 
disciplined in your company?  What could you do to get a raise?  What 
riteria
is used to determine excellent-good-average-fair-poor work performance?  Is 
their a way to appeal the ranking of your work evaluation with your 
supervisor?  How are employee/management disputes settled?  Did you know that 
you can take an employer to court, who unfairly fires you from a job?  Know 
anyone that has been "unfairly" fired from a job? :-)
    All these issues are addressed because a Union that advocates for the 
ank
and file workers- the ones that actually do the work- can point out that 
here
are laws to protect EMT's from being exposed to undue hazards; that a manager 
can only fire a person from a job for "just cause"; that work rules are 
greed
to by the management and workers collectively; that greivances about how 
another worker is treated by an outside agency (the hospital; FD; or LEO) be 
addressed and that someone be there to advocate for that EMT; that Laws that 
deal with emergency Medical Technicians not be burdensome or unreasonable; 
nd
that they be treated fairly and paid a decent wage.  Since over 70% of EMT's 
are paid at or below the poverty line, would asking that they be paid above 
t
be asking too much?
MB>         Another ethical problem is one where some unions don't deal 
airly
MB> with employers. That sounds weird, but a union is really great for 
"correct
MB> deficiencies in fair labor relations", but it can be abused. Something 
alon
MB> the lines of Congress voting themselves a pay raise when half the country 
i
MB> below the poverty line. If it weren't for the amount of money car
MB> manufacturers bring in, I would almost say UAW is abusing someone. I have 
s
MB> assembly line workers in action, and I can't believe how much they get 
paid
MB> Another unethical consideration: recently in the news, I've heard about 
som
MB> unions 'salting' a non-union employer with a pro-union agent who works at 
t
MB> place just long enough to document a long list of fair labor practice
MB> violations. He then quits and files a complaint. The watchdog 
rganization
MB> uses federal money to prosecute and the non-union employer comes out of 
poc
MB> to defend himself. Even if he's cleared, he lost a lot of money.
 
     If an employer is engaged in UNFAIR labor practices, 
hould
they get away with it?!?!?!  And, how man times have people been written up 
for tickets, and had to go to court to clear their name?  I couldn't produce 
my dog's rabies vaccination certificate fast enough for the damn dawg warden, 
and was issued a misdemeanor summons to court!  
    As one who also has employed workers, dealing with federal, county, state
and local regulators is a fact of life and a part of doing business.  I had a
lawyer on retainer every year, and had liability insurance "just in case" i
was sued.  I still carry liability insurance as an EMT-I, even though I've
never had to use it.  the $100 per year I pay for it more than makes up for
the peace of mind and security I enjoy if I ever face a lawsuit.  And, if a 
company has to deal with a union VS a State regulator, they'd rather deal 
ith
the Union.  It's just cheaper in the long run to be fair to those that work 
for them, instead of some government bureaucrat deciding what is or isn't 
fair.
Regarrds,
Tom P
--- Renegade v4-05 Exp
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