Nice one Shonga, your on the ball. Have a nice weekend whle we still can. That would be a good KPI to lock in the AWU. No selling out on the weekend.

hedgehog,
Yes isn't it ironic, the union that started it all has slowly whittled away to become the weakest of them all. I had the misfortune to be a member 30 years ago, we had a stopage over a safety issue involving insuffiecient protection for workers in a toxic gas situation. Well the AWU rep turned up, the first thing he said was, "ok if you go back to work I'll talk to them" we replied "YOU GO IN AND TELL THEM WHAT WE WANT, WE'LL WAIT AND IF THEIR ANSWER IS SATISFACTORY, WE WILL THEN GO BACK TO WORK" he was left in no doubt what we would settle for, so did the business under duress.The AWU only exists these days to do the employers bidding, sad really, if they were otherwise inclined they could do the labour movement a lot of good, happy Labour Day mate...

I will not defend myself ,my members will do that and over 100 who left without being invited other unions to come to mine.
Members who while not mine HAD food for a week on $1.000 I lent them instead of paying my rates and sweated in fear untill I saw it back in the bank.
Look with an open inquireing mind, if refuseing to stand over bosses is weak mark me weak, if refuseing to be so radical I add to the 75% of workers who are non unionists mark me weak.
If knowing ALL UNIONS exist ONLY for members and ALL have some who should be unloaded mark me weak.
If knowing radical dreams are not ever the way to goverment, and that Hawk and Keiting are great Labor icons not your demons mark me weak.
But NEVER weak enought to turn my back on the only party that can remove conservative goverment , and brave enought to explore change and new ways to serve real workers not those you fail to admitt think in different terms than you.
Workers united gentlemen can never be defeated, and that is all I am.
Each card I hand out is given with these words ment from the heart I will never let you down.

Belly,
Itis not you that is the problem mate, it is your union. I have said before that I believe you to be a genuine person, however the upper echolons of your union really don't care less for working people including Bill Shorten. Within any organisation there are good people, you being one of those, can you not see that it should have been the awu that should have provided the $1,000 not you.

Much like churches who sit on a fortune but ask the parishioners to shell out every week, the awu is a parasitic organisation, who are happy to see people like you extending themselves taking on their responsibility. If you can't see that mate, you would be like the majority of members who you try to represent, who work free overtime, and are subservient to their employer. You are a good person, employers {awu} take advantage of that fact, and load you up with extra work, knowing that you will move heaven and earth to get it done.

Unions established an 8 nhour day, how many of your members work the 8 hour day, including yourself mate? Open your eyes and see reality, Hawke and Keating were the servants of the wealthy, as all conservative PM's are. Labor can't free us of conservative government, while they remain conservative themselves, a move to the centre is needed, they are unable to provide it.

SHONGA Brother I have and want no comrades, the reality is my life has seen me in any union that covered the work I did but always the AWU as well.
I work as best as I can with all unions and load myself up with the work not the other way around.
Hawk and Keiting[ I would gladly kick Paul for his endless repeating himself] are heros.
And while seaking no internal battle radical unions put us in harms way, all of us.
Those hungrey sacked building workers came from another city centric union not mine.
Fact is they shared $54.000 in back pay as a result of my weak unions actions, no fee was ever paid or asked of them.
The Labor reform of IR will add fuel to the insulting view that the centre is in fact very far to the left of politcs.
Workers are not even commited to unions 75% are non unionists, how can we dream of a socialist goverment being elected by such.
And Labor even new Labor will do far better than any conservative goverment.
I am proud of my union and the emerging future Labor goverment, but aware the middle of todays road is crowded with Howard voters we are duty bound to win back.
And all unions must not fear constant change and improvement in ways we serve members, SHONGA would you have me not take a membership card from a worker who voted conservative?

elly,
Of course I would mate, the AWU and the Labor Party is conservative enough without adding fuel to the fire. I see the reason why 75% of workers not belonging to unions as a reflection of how the largest Australian Union has let its members down, and the word has spread, sadly enveloping all unions.

Modern workers now see all unions as irrelevent, sadly the awu in 95% of cases takes the bosses version of the truth, leaving the worker in the lurch. I am not saying in your case mate, but in most. My mother who is 78 still tells me of when she was a young apprentice hairdresser, and the awu that she was a member of told her exactly that "we take the bosses word" funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

With a Labor Party dominated by this philosophy, why on Earth would fair dinkum worker vote Labor? We want a party that will stand up for us, and improve our living standards, useing progressive policies. Perhaps a change of emphasis from the ALP Right wing policy of, National Competition policy, to a National Excellence and Efficiency policy, I saw mentioned in my local newspaper by a letter writer. Poverty in Australia is far too prevelent for a rich country, we cannot rely on the awu or the Labor Party anymore to help us, we should begin a new party to represent working people, as it seems Labor doesn't do that anymore, especially with the domination of the right wing awu in control.