No Red Tape'? New Jersey Turns Away Non-union Relief Crews

[bonnie]

No Red Tape'? New Jersey Turns Away Non-union Relief Crews

by Joel B. Pollak 1 Nov 2012

How desperate is hurricane-ravaged New Jersey? Not desperate enough to suspend a union monopoly that keeps the state in the bottom ten states for economic competitiveness (and #48 for business friendliness). Relief crews from Alabama who were specifically called to New Jersey found themselves diverted to Long Island, NY after they arrived because they use non-union labor. Alabama is a right-to-work state.

Crews from Huntsville, as well as Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can't do any work there since they're not union employees....

Understandably, Moore said they're frustrated being told "thanks, but no thanks."

With so much at stake--and lives still in danger--it would seem logical to tell special interests to step aside.

On Wednesday, while visiting cleanup efforts in New Jersey in the company of Gov. Chris Christie, President Barack Obama vowed: "We are not going to tolerate red tape, we are not going to tolerate bureaucracy."

Unless, of course, that red tape is enforced by Obama's union cronies. Then stranded residents have to wait.

[olger]

That is UNBELIEVABLE

[Guest]

Sean Hannity was talking about this on his radio show this afternoon.

[Guest]

They were actually run off by union thugs:

[bonnie]

That is UNBELIEVABLE

I would like to hear Christy as he takes the union to task and allows any able bodied volunteer in that can help.He has had his photo-op now,maybe he could be a little more proactive behind the scenes.

There is no excuse for the bumbling and lack of preparedness.They had days to prepare.

Maybe the ever efficient government needs to go home and leave the volunteers.

Romney was mocked and ridiculed for his efforts.

When we were hit in 1965,before we "knew" government agencies

were supposed to take care of us and with absolutely NO disaster training there was suddenly a efficient well run volunteer force that could figure out what to do.

We did not have days to prepare,most families like my husband could only lay on our baby to try to protect him from flying glass and then everything was gone

Many area's of Mn were hit early on a Thursday evening.The damage was as complete in those area's as what you see in Staten Island.No gas,no electricity and no phone for over a week. We also lived on an island,very difficult to get on and off.By 7:30 Fri morning information was being passed from person to person that meals for all could be had at the fire hall and local churches. Caravan's of volunteers got as close to the disaster sites as possible to bring people back and forth for meals.This was kept up over ten days following the tornado's.Every church within miles of each disaster site was up and running with the exception of my home church. No one went hungry.This was not the Red Cross or FEMA.Only volunteers that knew we needed help and right now. We did not have clothes,shoes or diapers for our families. That started appearing by the pickup loads before noon of the next day.

The Red Cross did show up two days later and gave each family a voucher for Target for two changes of clothing.While that was appreciated,transportation to get there to use the voucher's was extremely difficult.

We were also hit by looters within a couple of hours.Thankfully the governor was not concerned about being politically correct and called out the National Guard with orders to shoot looters on sight Ended that problem rather quickly.

Watching what these people are going thru I am very thankful we didn't have FEMA and the Red Cross helping us.

People gave cash,emptied their cupboards and their closets to help.They didn't stand there with cookies and hot chocolate. People came with chainsaws/pickups

and loaders from out of state.You can bet they were not turned away.

Those of us that had lost everything rebuilt and furnished our homes with donated items. Those wonderful people that donated did not donate cast- offs. I could never have afforded the furniture I was given.

All of the local businesses that were left standing emptied their shelves of needed items.

All done by unprepared,untrained volunteers.It hit without warning and they went into high gear and did not need the experts to tell them what to do.

All of us on the receiving end of their kindness and generosity will be forever grateful they did not wait for a government agency