Mika Brzezinski on Unions: "They cripple the system that makes a company work."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/while-morning-joe-crew-sa_b_211212.html

Posted: June 4, 2009 06:00 AM

While Morning Joe Crew Says All Unionized Business Fail, 1,000 Execs Endorse Pro-Union Bill

The Morning Joe crew was on an anti-union tear this morning, claiming the union label on a company means "sell." Mika Brzezinski went so far as to say of unions: "They cripple the system that makes a company work." Collectively, the journalists on Morning Joe couldn't name a single "successful" unionized company.

This says more about their qualifications to discuss public policy and labor relations than it says about unions. To pick just one obvious example, UPS is unionized -- and the company made more than $3 billion last year. That's "billion" with a "b," and those are profits, not revenues.

Oh, what the heck, let's take one more example. GE is one of the world's largest companies; in 2006, its revenues were greater than the gross domestic products of 80 percent of UN nations. The company made more than $18 billion in 2008 -- again, billion with a b, and again, those are profits, not revenue. All that despite (or, perhaps, because of) the fact that 13 different unions represent GE workers.

Oh, and GE owns NBC-Universal, which owns MSNBC, which pays Joe Scarborough a handsome salary (and the unionized workers who help get his show on the air considerably less.)

Does Joe Scarborough think NBC and GE are not "successful" companies? Does Mika Brzezinski think the unionized workers she no doubt interacts with every day are crippling her ability to do her job, or her employer's ability to be successful?

asking her what the hell she knows about the history of Trade Unions in America or the world.

Mika lives in her own little bubble of privilege. She doesn't know shit.

I doubt she can read her own email.

NGU.

and are quite big and competitive.

esp. Scandinavia.

They said Mika was up all night with a sick dog. I hope that's what it was. That's just appalling...

Double post.

Explain the German economy to me please.:crickets:

Whether they believe what they're saying is less important to them than whether their viewers believe it.

what they might not otherwise.

this is the kind of analysis we can expect.

Anyone who doesn't believe this should take a look at the richy-rich educational and previous corporate work backgrounds of 90% of CNBC anchors, particularly resident HMB Erin Burnett.

perfectly lighting up her carefully and professionally made-up face behind the scenes are union members. They obviously do nothing for her image or career. And the writers, information gatherers, etc. just make her look silly and ignorant on purpose.

:sarcasm:

Nothing like being propped up by a few unions (stagehands, writers' guild, janitorial services, etc.,) so you can bash them in complete willful ignorance)

made her look externally as ugly as she is internally. Amazing how much GOOD lighting and makeup can do to improve one's looks.

Is there proof of that to be spread about? Would be great to catch some of these talking heads out on this catapaulting of propaganda.

http://www.cwa-union.org/about


I don't know if she's a past member, but probably at least a few employees in the building she works are...

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Former member of the Providence Newspaper Guild

with a network such as NBC. She has worked for networks and their affiliates for years, NBC, CBS, she's done both cable and full tilt network news broadcasts. Looks like she has 20 years in, so she'd be a Vested Member of AFTRA, with full pension and health benefits, retirement, the works.
Edited to note that MSNBC is not Union. Mika, however, has worked in many a Union shop and you can not do that without being a member.

http://www.aftra.org/

new york city


http://www.ibew1212.org/

How nasty and mean-spirited republicans are. I can't stand them.

a company that sells cheap labor in india is nothing more or less than an indian labor union. the indian company has an incentive to negotiate for as much compensation as possible without losing the contract, just as a union has an incentive to negotiate as much wages and benefits for their members as possible without putting the company under.

The NBA? MLB?

:banghead:

Other than reading a telepromtper, the only qualifications are the ability to nod your head and let out an "Uh huh" every so often

Embarrassing.

If not they are scabs that try to bring down their own companies' union workers. I think Mika should find her wardrobe malfunctions, her hair turns green, her facecovered onscreen with a big ass blob of mascara that looks like a booger on her cheek, hag lighting in the studio, a dead fish hidden in her dressing room, someone tripping and accidently spilling something on her 3 seconds to airtime.

Union people need to deal with these company finks at a level they understand.

:sarcasm:

and history proves you're also a lackey for power. suck up.

Unions may not be perfect but they're all we got.

"...it says about unions."

:rofl:

Burn.

NGU.

And thus reflects the mindset of her class. She really has very little original thought, and lacks the curiosity to explore the world outside of her very limited realm.

Throw her into a minimum wage job for six months and she would change her mind on a lot of things, including unions.

the robotic cameras glaring at him.

Apparently MSNBC is not Unionized, and thus all there are Scabs, not just Joe. Larry O'Donnell should be ashamed of himself. Ashamed.
No more of that MSNBC stuff for me.

unions with elections, and company with government, and you've got another thing someone might say.

83% unionized -- one of the most heavily unionized airlines around.

38 straight years of profitability.

http://www.aftra.org/home.htm



American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

I am going to assume that even these people will admit that in the late 1800s and early 1900s Railroads were both successful and helped make this country great.


http://www.utu.org/worksite/about_utu/local_chairmans_manual/chairmans_manual.htm#history

the rules here won't let me include as much from this site as I would like to, here is a taste

^snip^

Railroad unions representing operating crafts were organized in the 1860s. They were formed primarily to provide life insurance to those members who died as a result of the extremely hazardous jobs


At the time these organizations were formed, conditions for employees were horrible. Wages averaged $1.00 per day and 70 percent of all train crews could expect injury within five years of service. In 1893, over 18,343 railroad workers were injured and 1,657 were killed. Insurance was not available to railroad workers because of the hazards of the job. In addition, railroad workers did not have the following:



• Seniority rights for employees;

• Discipline Agreements – employees were fired at the whim of officers;

• Laws requiring safety in the railroad industry;

• The Railway Labor Act, and

• The Federal Employers’ Liability Act.