Unions? You mean worthless employee protection racket

A recent experience has reinforced my decision that unions are nothing more than a money-making scheme both for the unions and for union members AND a scheme to keep bad employees on the payroll.

I shan't bore you with all my experiences with unions. Those are somewhere herein. Dig 'em out at your own risk.

Rather, today I present you another example of a union protecting a bad employee.

I am a federal firearms license holder. I buy, sell and trade guns with the (not needed) permission of the government.

Guns are shipped to me.

A recent shipment was a handgun. It came via US Post Office.

That same day a shipment of medicine for an organ transplant recipient (roommate in the house) was also delivered via the Post Office.

The gun required, please note the word required as this is vital, an adult signature.

I got home the evening the items were delivered. Because I was in Big Red, I had to pull past the mail box and get out to get the daily delivery. This is important. If I were in the little truck, I could have reached the mail box. Likely, I'da driven into the yard and parked, never seeing the packages.

There, lying against the front yard pecan tree, were 2 packages from the USPS. Note here, I live on US Highway 41, the second most famous road in the United States. Allman Brothers, Ramblin' Man.

I also live on the edge of the Hood. The packages were visible from Highway 41. I've had stuff stolen from my fenced back yard in the past.

I took the packages inside. Look at me, being a responsible adult and all.

Meds for the kidney transplant patient. These are literally life and death medications. 

A pistol.

FAILED

Once again, I failed the Stoics. I was mad enough chew steel and s--t nails. My ass wanted to crochet bobwar.

Let's not belabor the point.

COMPLAINT

I filed a complaint.

I wrote, at the request of the USPS investigator, 2 reports on what happened.

The first report outlined what happened.

Report 2 addressed the statement the letter carrier gave to the investigators:

1) The package signature had Baker Brothers. BB Easy Handling Watermelon System is the name of the gun company.

2) The carrier said she spoke to my daughter who the carrier said refused to sign. The carrier said my daughter (who she could not identify) told her to leave it under the tree. For the record:
    a) Progeny 2 is a paramedic. She knows how important those meds are.
    b) Also, my favorite daughter was at work that day.
    c) Offspring the Second receives mail at my house but does not live there.

THE INVESTIGATION

The investigation included an interview with USPS officials and, of course, a rep. from the USPS union.

Under questioning, the carrier would not identify who signed for the gun. Would. Not. Hrmmm.

Repeating questioning, with the union rep present, proved as useful as interrogating a wood duck about the current state of affairs in Iran. Lots of quacking, plenty of ruffled feathers and s--t piled high and deep.

THE CONCLUSION

The lead investigator and I talked, in person, in front of my house. The investigator fell on the metaphorical sword.

What'd I learn?

The carrier was given "punishment." The investigator did not say what that was, what it involved or how serious it was. Reading between screaming billboards on fire on the Interstate, I inferred the carrier was given a mild reprimand and was told, "Do not do this again."

The investigator told me that is what the Union "would allow."

Uh huhn.

So we have a quasi-federal government employee in a union who was derelict on duty and:

1) Put another human being a real risk of severe health problems, possibly death.
2) Put an entire community at risk of a stolen firearm going into the hands of various community thugs. My neighborhood has shootings (generally no one hurt) pretty regularly.

The union has, once again, stepped in to protect someone who should not have the job the person holds.

AFTERMATH

Aftermath? Exactly as I have come to expect from unions.

In other words, not a diety-cursed making-of-the-beast-with-2-backs thing.

The investigator told me that carrier is "our problem child" and is under increased "observation" by the Investigator and the Post Master. "If (entity) did it once, likely (entity) has done it before," the investigator said.

Again, in other words, not a diety-cursed making-of-the-beast-with-2-backs thing will be done.

This has reinforced my belief that unions are not worthless. They serve as a bad example and tell us what we should not do.