Fond du Lac, WI [ JSOnline ]  I remember getting a lowball job offer last year, and how proud I was that I’d clung to my principles and told that employer where to stick their lousy paying job.

I also recall that my mortgage holder wouldn’t allow me to pay off my principal with principles, nor could I get much to eat with a check written against the balance of my character.

So I acquiesced to the realities of today’s economy, and this year, I make less than last.  Am I thrilled about that?  Insofar as the alternative is living on the streets and eating from dumpsters, hell yeah I’m thrilled.   This downturn won’t last forever, and better jobs (like better girlfriends) are a lot easier to come by if you already HAVE one.

I was a union worker.  My first union gig was in an aluminum foundry.  I wasn’t thrilled with the pay, so I asked what I could do to make myself more valuable.  Guess what?  Those same bargaining agreements that stipulate the minimum pay rates that union workers crow about ALSO limit what you can earn on the UPPER end.  No matter what.

Could I work two shifts?  No.  Any overtime work would first have to be authorized, then offered to people with more seniority who might not even WANT that work.  Could I outperform my co-workers by hauling ass all day, gaining recognition, and taking the corporate escalator instead of the corporate ladder?  Uh uh.  Can’t get promoted substantially faster than the others in your pay grade.

So I’m proud to see the Mercury Marine workers staunchly (read: “stubbornly and stupidly”)  sticking with THEIR union… careers, economic reality, and feeding your families be damned.

At least you folks still have your principles…

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