Friday, February 3, 2012

If you want to Know what your job would be like without Unions, Ask a Concussed NFL Player

On 01/28/12 Chicago Tribune ran a story on former Bears Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer and his struggles upon suffering his career-ending concussion during the 2010 NFL Season.
On August 28 2010, Hillenmeyer suffered a concussion during a pre-season game. He was placed on injured reserve before the season and has never played again. The Bears terminated his contract Feb. 28, 2011, one month after the team's concussion consultant, Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth, a board certified clinical neuropsychologist, examined him and recommended he no longer play. The Bears cut him with one year and $1.8 million remaining on his contract. According to the union, Article 45 of the collective bargaining agreement stipulates Hillenmeyer is eligible for an injury protection benefit of 50 percent of his base salary up to $1 million, meaning he should be able to collect $900,000.
If you want to know what it's like to be a non-unioned employee, look at what the NFL Teams do to their players. Oh got hurt? Can't play anymore? Gone. NFL players have short careers, averaging roughly 3.5 years. They have a famously powerful Union. Hunter Hillenmeyer had a contract. The Bears aren't honoring it.

This is what we have to look forward to as the 1% continues their drive in the Right to Work for Less laws. RTW doesn't actually secure you a job what it secures is your employers' right to fuck you over. And fucking over workers is what American Capitalism is designed to do.
Don't want to come in on the weekend? You're Fired!
Don't want to work Thanksgiving? You're Fired!
Got hurt on the job? Well, the Company says you didn't. Now, try and get benefits. Oh and the Republicans eliminated Medicare and stole Social Security.
The Indiana Republican controlled Legislature pushed through Right-to-Work-For-Less and Governor Mitch Daniels signed the bill into law on 2/1/12.

Quickly upon the heels of this success the Republican controlled State Legislature of Minnesota and Arizona are trying to pass through Union-busting and anti-worker agendas. Minnesota Republicans want to amend their state constitution to outlaw Unions.

2011 saw Republicans in Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan push through heinous anti-worker legislation in direct opposition to the will of their constituents. The current Republican attempts at fucking over the 99% are always done on the strength of We're a Representative Democracy. But, what it shows is Republicans are the equivalent of governmental suicide bombers. Once they get elected they never ever represent their people but engage in a political campaign of doing the most damage possible without worrying about the electoral consequences.

Because even if the Republican scumbags are voted out or recalled, they've done the explosive damage they sought to do and they've assured themselves of Right-Wing Paradise being lavished with hundreds of thousands in speaking fees from Conservative Think Tanks or jobs as rhetorical bomb-throwers on Faux News.

Non-Union workers demonstrably receive less in wages and benefits. Non-Union workers are at whim workers. This is precisely what the 1% wants, the ability to reduce pay and eliminate pensions and have every worker afraid, one wrong step, one breath away from termination.

And do you think you're going to be able to fight and win a lawsuit against a Criminal Corporate Conglomerate? Look at the former Bears player Hillenmeyer. He earned millions in his career but it's coming up on one year since his release. Think you can hold out for a year trying to win a legal battle against Corporate Criminals? They will drag court procedures out for decades because they never die, but the victims of Vulture Capitalists, the 99% do...

9 comments:

One Fly said...

Right fucking on!

toma said...

Compared to most hardscrabble folks, he's probably doing better, even with brain fog. He can afford to see a doctor. Most the poor have no insurance and are forced to tough their way through things like G-I bleeds, busted bones, cardiac episodes . .

Grung_e_Gene said...

Hillenmeyer's an educated man, went to Vanderbilt and has pledged to donate his brain to science for study after his death.

Health issues and Republican Union-busting just goes to show how evil Republicons are today. They will do anything they can to harm the lives of the working classes and succor and defend their Masters the 1%. All the while being obtuse or disingenuous like NY Teabagger Ann Marie Buerkle who didn't know why everyone was asking her about Government paid healthcare after she voted against Obama Care.

Or the recently stroke afflicted Mark Kirk, who ran on this slogan in 2010, “I’m Mark Kirk and I can’t wait to vote against the health care bill next week.” And when asked by an audience member what he would do if the health care bill is passed and signed into law, Kirk said he would lead the effort to repeal it.

I once pulled Hillenmeyer over for illegally tinted windows a few years ago, nice guy.

Sarge said...

Indy Abti-Right To Work Protest Update:

Yes, we expect to see protestors at the stadioum - they will be behind a fence and as you can imagine - security is heavy.

The place to protest isn't at the Lucas Oil Stadium of even in front of the State House - the place is in the ballot booth. Now, there are a lot of Republicans who are union members here in Hoosierland who very well might vote Democratic in November. I am voting a straight Democratic ticket.

Please do the same.


Sarge
Indianapolis

Silverfiddle said...

If you want to know... Ask the 80% of Americans who don't belong to unions...

This is nonsensical:

If you want to know what it's like to be a non-unioned employee, look at what the NFL Teams do to their players.

NFL players are unionized. You've just made the argument that a union can't help you...

Grung_e_Gene said...

NFL player contracts aren't guaranteed and Unions are having a hard time helping Americans because Republicans exist.

Silverfiddle your sean hannity tuned alternate conservative reality crystal makes reading the truth "nonsensical".

Silverfiddle said...

You're illogical and unhinged Gene. Your post just shows the powerlessness of unions.

Right to Work states enjoy lower unemployment and greater economic prosperity.

Grung_e_Gene said...

And Slavve Labor Nations enjoy even Lower Unemployment and Greater Economic Prosperity!

The economic model Silverfiddle is endorsing is called "smoke-stack chasing". In which, the Compnay enjoys low overhead, a large pool of poor workers, “right to work” laws that stop unionization, and power to stop environmental lawsor any other sort of regulation.

And that is what Silverfiddle and his Republican Overloords wish to turn America into. A giant pool of labor wherein the Captains of Industry and Wall Street can play off Indonesian Workers against American Ones, they can pollute the water and land at their whim, while secreting off profits to offf-shore accounts in Switzerland or the Caymans.

Unknown said...

I wrote about this issue awhile back on my half-dead sports blog..but it is a great testament to unions and how they spend more time protecting their members than asking for higher wages..which as we know is the basic bullshit talking point of the GOP.

Firefighters and law enforcement unions do the same thing..they try to get safety equipment for their members far more often than higher wages..but don't tell a GOP lover that..their head will probably explode as they wont have a canned GOP talking point response.

On second thought...perhaps it's not such a bad idea to bring it up to some idiot spouting GOP rhetoric about how bad unions are and how they are bringing our nation to it's collective knees. ;-)