Union Bosses Target 86-Yr Old Volunteer Crossing Guard
by Liberty ChickFirst, they came for the Babysitter. Then, they came for the Eagle Scout. Now, they’ve come for the Crossing Guard.
Warren Eschenbach, an 86-year-old a retired Wausau Water Works employee volunteers his time as a crossing guard at the Riverview Elementary School in Wausau, Wisconsin. After the Wausau School District built an area just outside an intersection at the school’s location for parents to pickup their kids from the school, the intersection became busier than usual for a short time every day. So, Eschenbach did a noble thing. He went over to the school and spoke with parents, kids and administrators, and he volunteered to patrol the area at pickup time to make sure kids got to their parents’ cars and that others crossed the streets safely. After all, he worked for five years as a crossing guard at the Franklin Elementary School up until three years ago. He lives two doors down and it’s for a half hour every day. Who could take issue with that?
Well, apparently union bosses can.
John Spiegelhoff, a local union rep for American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 1287 (AFSCME) wants to know if the 86-year-old retiree has undergone a background check. And if he has liability insurance. AFSCME insists that Eschenbach is “undermining the union” and has demanded that the city get rid of him and replace him with a paid union worker at $12.65 an hour. The city has been cutting back crossing guard hours from 15 hours a week to 10 a week. Of course, the elderly volunteer isn’t a volunteer with the city, he volunteers with the school. Since the pickup location is newly restructured, there hadn’t ever been the need to have a crossing guard there. There was no prior job this gentleman has taken away from the union. Really, the guy just lives right there and thought he’d help out.
Riverside Elementary School Principal Steve Miller was shocked.
“Here we have a community member who’s giving back to the community and offering something to the children to keep them safe and so I just view it as a good thing and I’m not sure why someone would find fault with that but obviously somebody has.”
After AFSCME filed a grievance regarding the matter last October, it was recently denied by the Police Department, the Human Resources Department and the Human Resources Committee. Next step: arbitration, if the union so chooses.
If this keeps up, if I were Mr. Eschenbach, I’d simply take off the vest and put down the stop sign (both lent out by the city), and I’d just cross the street back and forth with those kids just as any neighbor living on that corner or any public citizen might very well do. Last I checked, you don’t need liability insurance to cross the street as a public citizen. Or is that against the law now too?
I don’t think this is the America that Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about in 1835.
Read the full story from my friend Peter List over at LaborUnionReport.com.
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185 Comments
Can we outlaw unions with some obscure anti-trust thing? They're a blight on our society.
Time to VOTE unions out of existance!!!
And people wonder why government budgets keep going up. When I was a kid, we had moms volunteer to be lunch ladies, tutors, crossing guards, library volunteers, and so forth. They were home during the day and happy to help out. Now we're hiring people for those jobs and it ends up coming out of our taxes–and part of their income goes to unions. Can someone point me to the exit? I want to get off of this ride…
Unions don't give a crap about anything except expanding their membership… so they can collect more dues.
Governments all around the country are experiencing tough times, but all the union cares about is getting their grubby little hands on every and any job they can.
I want one of these union scum bags to explain how this is good for the people. I'd love to see them squirm to come up with whatever BS excuse they're going to try to peddle.
Gotta pay the Mob ya know…. good God, what is wrong with these people?
It really boggles the mind. Exactly what was the thought process and ultimate conversation that led to the afscummy union thug protesting a voluteer effort?
[...] [...]
Because "volunteer" is not in the union vocabulary. Scum sucking pigs only.
Unions need to learn the limits…
Either the government restrains them, or I am going to start carrying a baseball bat…
Well, at least they didn't break the old fellers legs……………
Until Union members wake up and realize what they are a part of, nothing will change. It's high time the American people start “undermining the union” as the AFSCME insists that Eschenbach is doing.
My Father was a union worker for International Harvester for 46 years. He eventually became a steward, and despised the entire process. He has told me that the only goal of the unions was to make every place of employment as inefficient and wasteful as Washington DC, and to gain control and power over the people. He told me all of this about 20 years ago…! The unions do not represent the workers, they only represent the political agenda of the Left. Somethings will never change…
When you find that elusive exit please share, I'm ready to get off this neverending nightmare too!
Back in my day the older kids helped the younger kids, it's was an honor to be a part of the crossing guard club.
Unions literally suck the life out of our country, c'mon now, pay some dope 12 + dollars to do this 'job', are they for real??
yet
I agree with you. We need a test case and go all the way to the Supreme Court if need be. These unions are getting out of hand and bordering on the ridiculous.
It's about time the American people start fighting back against these thugs. Unions have outgrown their usefulness a long time ago.
Unions suck. They suck the life out of everything they get close to. Don't believe me? Look at Ohio and Michigan. Both states sucked dry by the unions.
Move to a right to work state asap.
Don't you know that the AFSCME and the SEIU OWN the whitehouse. They admit openly that they bought it for 60 million dues payer dollars. Unfortunately their lease does not come up for re-newal for 3 more years. In the meantime they will push for all the money and control they can get. If you are keeping score, unions already got 1/2 of the stimulus bill and are getting untold number of ear marks as we speak. With all the money Oblamer has in his 'stimulus' slush funds they will be sitting fat for years to come.
COME ON UNION RANK AND FILE, IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR 'LEADERSHIP'? Re-take control over them, raise your voice and be counted as Americans.
Skeeter,
I really do wonder if the problems aren't union LEADERS. I would really like to know how more of the rank and file feel about what unions stand for. I think a lot of people are forced into unions against their will for no other reason than to make Andy Stern and his ilk wealthy and powerful. Didn't a large part of union rank and file vote for Scott Brown #41?
Even though they cut the work week from 15 to 10 hours per week, this job would require at least 4 union workers.
We had something similar happen here locally not too long ago. A local eagle scout troop volunteered to go to a local recreational park and move limbs and debris from bike paths and such. Wouldn't you know it but the local labor unions made a fuss about it. Apparently they believed someone should be getting paid to do that work rather than volunteers doing it for free. It just goes to show how greedy though labor leaders are. It''s not enough they get a cut of workers wages to make sure they get "fair" treatment but they also feel it necessary to drum up new wage earning positions from which they can bilk even more "dues".
Unions…they are about as useful as teats on a boar! Oh shucks am I a sexiest for saying that?
Will the unions talk to the student patrols next? Will they demand these kids get paid and health insurance for patroling school grounds?
The days of the Unions are drawing to a close. They suck the life and money out of everything they touch. They were once a viable entity looking out for the workers well being, but with all the rules and regulations that ensure the safety and equality in the workforce, now the Unions are only looking to get rich off the government and employers.
CLOSE THEM DOWN!
[...] Read more…. [...]
Unions are the SCOURGE of the earth! Wouldnt work for or in one and am doing my best to show others that unions are socialist/marxist freaks who hate capitalism.
UNBELIEVABLE! Guess which schools are fully functioning and thriving post-Katrina, in New Orleans? The ones where parents and the local neighborhood have all pitched in and even volunteer as crossing guards (without any crossing guard gear).
Unethical
Narcissistic
Idiotic
Out of touch
Nutcases
I like Leadfingers comment – these unions would rather see a cash-strapped community hire a union worker than allow a volunteer to do it. It's time for trade unions to go away. They served their purpose in the times of child labor and rampant abuse of workers; now they just contribute to destroying American businesses by keeping them non-competitive.
He is a volunteer, not an employee. The union can suck it.
I'd have to respectfully disagree with one point. They crossed the border of ridiculous many years ago and are deep into ridiculous territory. And they crossed without papers!!
The stories of the longshoreman's union that I have heard from a colleague of mine ….. it's on-par stupid with this story and it goes back 20 years at least.
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Unions have outlived their usefulness. They are becoming a burden on our society. They cost consumers and taxpayers more each day and are ruinning our economy. They take dues from their members and use the money for political agendas and not to improve conditions for their membership. I don't understand why the dues payers can't see this and continue to support their leaders.
This is a great opportunity for Tea Party groups to get involved at the neighborhood level. Wausau has a group and has a protest party planned for Apr. 15th.
A small gathering with a few informative signs combined with calls to media and officials could go a long way to make this nonsense known to the general public.
These type of actions at the local level, supported by regional and national groups, and exposed by sympathetic media like BigGovernment can start to turn the tide.
anti-trust or parhaps RICO
This is the same mentality that caused jobs to be sent overseas. It's not an accident that there are more union members in the public sector than the private. All the private sector jobs are fleeing overseas.
This is an example of Union Thugerry. Why would any one buy a car made by a UAW member when you can buy a better car made in the USA from numerous other companies who don't have Unions. As someone said they are happy that they didn't break this guys legs, which some unions would attempt to do. The SEIU attacked several people at public meetings this last year who were protesting or selling something they did not like. Unions are a main contributor to the corrupt Obama hegemony. Don't buy union. The teachers union is another problem, brainwashing our children into good little progressives. Unions are The Constitutions enemy.
Just more proof unions are inherently evil. Frankly if someone were to tell me they were an actively participating union member (some people are force to join unions against their will), I would want nothing to do with them. I would consider that person to be a vile reprobate of immoral character. Sorry; it's just a fact, you can't be an active union member and be of good character. I call on all union members to have a back bone and dump their union! Have we had enough America? Stop the liberal take over of America! Fight it everywhere. Don't allow the MSM to get away with it either. Boycott their sponsers and let the sponsers know you won't support anyone that supports socialists and communists! Do it today! Before they take anymore of our freedoms away from us.
Unions actually had a function in early 20th century, they protected miners and construction laborers in dangerous jobs, those jobs are heavily regulated with safety in the present workplace now and most union members are government workers, teachers, and services workers.
The steel workers union last month was trying to unionize car wash workers in Los Angeles – most of whom in LA are either felons, illegal aliens or both.
The only thing unions protect now is their own asses, about as useful as a buggy whip. (with apologies to you horse folk)
LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL, and then boycott the product. Unions are a principal reason for the decline in US manufacturing. Sure, they blame the corporations for sending the jobs overseas, but what they don't tell you is that the unions made it impossible to function profitably where they were. The evidence is right in front of us. Look at manufacturing in 'right to work' states and then look at Detroit. Look what Boeing just did by leaving the socialist/union state of Washington, They left and left the union members there with NO JOBS. If you suck too much blood from the host body, even the parasite dies. Union Leaders don't seem to know when to stop SUCKING.
Yes, the union vote was overwhelmingly in favor of Scott Brown. There were even SEIU members campaigning for him!
…yet.
If I happen to come across an accident or other life and death emergency, where a person is in dire need of help, I think I'll pause to ask them if they are union. If so, I not being a union member, under there own ideology would not be able to help them . Sorry I have to stop typing. It's break time.
The part that is crazy is that most of these kids will be conditioned by the union teachers, that this is a good thing. I swear to you all no lie..I work as a company employee that oversees union labor, and I couldn't pick up a box of Kentucky Fried Chicken bones that someone left by my office window and throw it in the trash without someone filing a complaint.. "It's a sweeper's job , m*****-F*****er"! I just wish we had another Reagan to say "you're fired". Of course when all you are capable of doing other than being in jail or being homeless is picking up some chicken bones for a 125,000 a year plus the best pension and benefits.. you will beat a scab to death. Ah, the most ironic thing is the Longshoremen I write about making their Mercedes payments thanks to all the Chinese Import Containers they unload, and the "empties" containers they send back to China.
Agree with this tact. But it takes the government to procecute and guess who is running the government…that's right, no one with any common sense.
Agreed. At one time unions were needed.
Today they've outlived their usefulness and morphed into political machines which are highly partisan. They do little to protect workers that actually want to do their job. They'll protect the scum with all their might while the ones that do want to work end up getting punished for it. I live in a union town and see this frequently.
UAW use to brag about the hourly average their employees received for assembly line work on their website. Last ime I checked, it was between $68-71 an hour. Haven't checked lately, but would guess they took it off by now. Our tax $$$ are now paying these meager wages to those workers that still have a job.
NOTE: Stevedores wages are even higher. O'Bummer likely has a bailout planned for them too.
Boy Cott UNIONs starting NOW, today. We as Americans do not have to support them. Read the book Atlas Shrugged. We do not have to Purchase anything made by a UNION Jack A@@. So when the ecomony drys up and true American people start to take possession of Our Country we can do a "Card Check" as we put them on a Chinese freighter and send them overseas to a good communist country, Russia for example. Then they can get a true taste of what Communism is realy about. Stupid UNION member, stupid is as stupid does.
…yet. Have to wait and see how the arbitrations go.
StoryKeeper, Stupid is as Stupid Does. Or better yet, Unions at their best, getting rid of jobs and wonder, hey why did they leave us??? Too Stupid to figure it out, LOL…
From your keyboard to God's email.
FORBID unions from crossing state lines, which means NO "national" unions. Keep them state and local only.
Governmental unions have taken over the state of Oregon, counties of Oregon and all of the public agencies in the state. Recently, the union employees passed a major increase in the state income tax with the help of their governmental employers i.e. the governor, his staff (ex union executives), the legislature, mayors and city councils.
Oregon is a blue state, almost entirely Democratic. Truely, the unions are running the state of Oregon with no end in sight. The union can and will vote themselves salary and benefit increases at their whim, anytime. This is happening in the majority of states and in the federal government. The unions are running our federal, state and local governments with the help of our elected officials. The recent economic events in Greece is our destiny unless the American public (non union) rebel against this basic unfairness that is developing in governmental wage disparities with the private sector.
In Obama's unionized America, no good deed goes unpunished.
repeal the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and this would stop this Union nonsense.
Better yet, repeal the closed shop laws in your state.
Any out of work union employees want to take up the cause with your fellow man? Detroit?
Ain't gonna be allowed to happen. And no, I'm not replying to myself. Different Mark.
This issue just about sums up where our great nation, or used to be a great nation, now stands. It is just pathetic. The kids and their parents should picket the offices of the union in question. That would be fun to watch on TV.
Union Rank and File is just that. They stink so bad they Rank and then just File like stupid cattle to the slaughter.
How about a fifth wheel on a wagon?
I would love to see a beer summit with obama, Biden, Mr Eschenbach and his dog. Bravo to Mr Eschenbach!
OK,…OK!
The tail wagging the dog has become a tolerable situation at times.
But now we are supposed to tolerate the tail BITING the dog????
Come on Local 1287… you guys can't be that silly!!!!
Hear that? It's the death knell of the union scum.
To Mr. Eschenbach,
Thank you for your efforts to protect our kids. You are what America used to be.
Too many times, rules and laws are made for one situation this is sometimes a good reason for a law, sometimes it is because we know that this behavioral pattern will repeat. All I have to say is Volunteering was what this country was build on, many kids enlist many people will continue to. Some folks volunteer for food pantry or crossing guards but for pete's sake they are not looking for anything more rewarding then a smile or a thank -you perhaps that is what the union wage should be.
For crying out loud government get the heck out of the way! Perhaps this could be another beer summit.
Greedy union thug scum-bags, he these animals with RICO and shut them all down and end this extortion racket on the American public.
Public employee unions will be our down fall.
Wasnt it not to long ago that "The ONE" was asking for us to get out and volunteer our time, if I remember correctly there was something going around that we would be forced to volunteer our time. This event as well as the scout troop event should be enough to get "The ONE" to break the unions, you cant have volunteerism and the unions co-exist.
Donate to the "Right To Work" lets abolish unions and get our nation out of this hell hole.
How will they deterime when the 86 year old man will need the kids to help him cross the street?
The ONLY valid point that I see, from the Union's perspective, is questioning whether the man has had a background check performed. The most disturbing part is they're DEMANDING he be replaced with a Union worker, making $12.65 an hr, for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. What Union worker wants to do that for all of $31.63 a week? Run a background check on him, and if he passes, let him continue on. BTW, did anyone else see the Seattle security guards watching that young girl get pummeled? Does anyone know if they are part of a Union?
you have Obama and the unions working together Obama wants the people to volunteer then when someone does the union steps in and demands and sues anyone that is or the company so they can get more union members quite a little game the two have going on so we need to get rid of the both of them asap we the people have to stand up and fight the health care bill and the other things Obama wants to do all end up helping the union to control the the country so when he gets out of office he will be the big guy running all the unions they will combine them all to one big union and Obama will be the number 1 guy so we have to stop them now
When i was in Elementary and was a 5th grader (the oldest grade in Elementary) we had a Crossing Guard group that left our last class 10 minutes early to strap on the vest, grab a flag, and walk to the intersection to be crossing guards when school let out. I never got lost finding the intersection, i never got run over, i never had liability insurance, i never had special training (outside of my parents teaching me how to cross the street a few years before), and i basically thought it was a cool job because i got to wear a vest/hat and carry a flag all while getting out of class 10 minutes early. We wont point out that in my younger self's calculations, i never thought about the fact that i actually got home later from school because i had to wait till most kids had already gone home before i got to turn in my stuff and leave.
or they may trump up some claim of child abuse
Simple greed.
Just like most government jobs: four supervisors to one laborer.
We can trace the roots of this issue back to DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER. He ran as a conservative, yet created a new cabinet level agency, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
In 1979 the Department of Education became its own entity. REAGAN tried to dismantle it but couldn't get the support he needed. Under BUSH, the idea of dismantling the Dept. of Education was dropped.
The department of education has cemented the idea of the right to an education, the obligation of government to supply it, and the support for another government monopoly (mainly forced tax theft with no choice though).
The monopoly has allowed easy infiltration of the POLITICALLY DOMINATED UNIONS, and therefore another addition to a broke, failing, laughable, government attempt to run something well.
Unions need to go. Complete losers.
throughout my working life in the construction business i hated unions but at times i had to join them in order to get a job. i was always the guy they told to slow down, you will work us out of a job. i worked hard to become a boss so i could get out of the union and become a company man. as such i have incurred the wrath of many a union member for firing their workers. mostly this occured in fl. where unions never really got a lot of power. my work life is over now, but i still feel the same way. the unions have to be broken up before any chance to save the republic wii surface.
When asked if insured and whether the guard underwent a background check,
"The principal says the school is insured and every volunteer undergoes a background check. To him, Warren (the crossing guard) is no different, for example, than someone who helps out in the school library."
When i worked for the Country healthcare system, i was a member of the union (AFL-CIO), but the union's main job was to make sure that the rights and processes detailed by the County's HR policies were strictly and fairly adhered to. I.E., if an employee was disciplined in a way inconsistent with the written policies, then in the course of a grievance hearing, the union would have a representative present to make sure all parts of the process and policies are followed. That union activity I can support. What I didn't like and still dispise to this day is all of the political manipulations and activities that dues are paying for, as well as manipulations in compensation rates that circumvent market forces. A union should not have to be involved in making sure the Engineering department has a career path for their employees. If there is no path, then the employees will be content or go elsewhere. If their skills are in high demand and short supply, the employer will make the changes necessary to retain staff. Shouldn't involve union manipulation and intimidation.
We had a similar problem at our school. Budget cutbacks resulted in the loss of regular landscape maintenence. The lawns were mowed once every six weeks or so and that was it. So we got parents together to volunteer on a Saturday to cut overgrown limbs that blocked the sidewalk, pick up trash, pull weeds, etc. Our principal got a call from the district and said to tell the parents they would be sued or worse if they did the work of the maintenence crew. I told the principal (and a letter to the editor) that they were welcome to sue me. They said it was for our own safety (and their's in case a parent was injured on the property), but in the end it was because volunteers were taking the job of non-existent union workers. We showed up anyway and nothing happened.
That i really agree with!!! I think Unions have the right to organize, but I'll be damned if I ever think state governments should ever have laws that decides who gets to work and to what extent based on membership or lack thereof in a union. It's like my friend in Minn. He can only work part time in a grocery store because full time workers have to be union members. Madness….
I watched union members in state government. Out of control. They are all out of control. They are not helping the problem, they are a huge part.
Now you're talking! Those locals can do something. Crap like this around the country needs to be exposed and then followed up by the "real" Americans. We have the power in numbers.
Same thing happened to me!
If Charitable Volunteerism undermines a union, that is a sure sign it desrves to be undermined.
And then they complain that parents aren't involved enough. You can't win for losing.
Skeeter, I'm from Mass. and yes there were alot of union members that voted for Scott. The State Police Union and the Cambridge Police Union endorsed Scott. Relevence being Coakley is the states top cop. Her husband is a retired Cambridge police officer.
[...] 11, 2010 at 12:53 (General Stupidity, News, Society) Why, any way they can of course. They may have served a purpose back in the day, but once they were co-opted by [...]
Did you know that prior to Ford motor Company being unionized that ford had like the worlds third largest army?, His Commander in chief was Harry Bennett, why? to keep the damned unions from harassing his workers. I think I read that in the Ford family biography David Horowitz/Peter Collier, great book, they have another great book in the same vein on the shenanigans of the Rockefeller clan.
Unions are not just the blame for jobs going overseas, they are also part of the reason the educational system has been dumbed down, you cannot fire a teacher once they are in a union (or it is nearly impossible).
California had a law for years specifically saying no unions in State positions because the State jobs already had a gravy train of benefits, thanks to Gov. Moonbeam, that all went to the wayside.
Write your Congress rep. and insist, NO MORE GOVERNMENT WORKERS IN UNION POSITIONS, remember when President Reagan fired all the air traffic controllers union?, it can be done.
Why would Mr. Eschenbach and his dog want to lower their standards to have a summit with those two yahoos?
doesn't matter what the union worker wants, it is the power of the union thugs at the top that matters. Union thug leaders are like compost, if they don't spread their feces about, you can't grow the union.
If you live in California – even if you don't- check out and support "unplugthe politicalmachine.org." If it can be done in California ( as it has been in 5 smaller western, right-to-work states) it can be done nationally. The public sector unions are dragging us down the fastest. They must be stopped first.
They served a purpose years ago, to improve conditions in sweatshops with children workers. But now, conditions are pretty damn good. They've outlived their usefulness, and it's time to retire.
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The union leadership should be executed along with the entire democrat party. It's long overdue to begin cracking skulls.
I've worked in a railroad coach shop and on the track, both union jobs. I've also worked in a UAW machine shop. All accounts of union activity slowing production were true in these cases. Otherwise industrious people became slaves to the art of slowing down just to the point of not getting a reprimand. Electricians to change an ordinary light bulb…not just a cliche.
The newspaper here is trying to encourage volunteerism among adults to teach the kids in the government schools to read. Wonder if the unions will claim this is a job taxpayers should pay for. Sorta wish they would…
Elections matter. Judges decide this stuff at the local level at first. Every position is important. Make sure candidates aren't soft on election integrity and judicial appointments. Vote Hard.
Reminds me of the movie Brazil. The folks doing work for free were the criminals. I guess there is a lot of volunteerism that could really eat into the unions' leverage. Yet another face of John Galt?
True that. A parasite should ensure the health of its host, not seek its death.
If he holds a childs hand to help them across the street……. ABUSE! (you know they will)
Today's politicians and reasonable individuals (two groups with no crossover) should watch "On the Waterfront." Union corruption ain't a new thing.
Next thing you see is like ah three security offices standing around watching a girl get her face kicked in ….
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