seamuskeogh

https://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=13598


Photo by: Christopher Myers

Quick and Dirty | Labor
Pedal Power
Employees Of Mount Washington Bike Shop Go Union


By Ed Ericson Jr.

It's day three of the union at Joe's Bike Shop in Mount Washington, and owner Joe Traill steps outside to say that nothing has changed "so far."

Traill wears a worried look and chooses his words carefully so he won't sound too defensive. On May 1 he learned that all 10 of his employees had joined the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)--the storied Wobblies.

"My guess is the significance of May Day was not lost on them," he says.

The IWW formed in 1905, and while it never numbered more than about 200,000 members, its radical influence is still felt today. Wobblies got the eight-hour day for lumberjacks, put backbone in the dockworkers unions, integrated racially and across gender lines, were imprisoned for sedition, and were lynched. Legendary leftists like Big Bill Haywood, Mother Jones, and Joe Hill were red-card-carrying Wobblies, and the men and women of the rank and file were tough, fearless class warriors fighting mine barons and government repression.

And now all that history is falling on Traill's head.

Josh Keogh, who has worked at Joe's Bike Shop for seven years and says he'd like to work there indefinitely, led the union effort. He is 23 years old and only one credit from graduating with a bachelor's degree in American studies from the University of Maryland. Unlike many students, he is not saddled with student loans in the five or six digits. "There was plenty of money in the family to put me through College Park," he says.

Keogh says he really likes his boss.

"He's really been somewhat of a mentor to me--he hired me when I was like 15 years old," Keogh says. "But this is more about what we think is fair and what we think is just and how we're going to go about getting it."

Keogh says the top wage at the shop is $32,000 a year, with no health benefits. The full-timers with health insurance get $12 an hour, he says, which is about the going rate at bike shops.

Wages aren't the issue so much as information and consistency, Keogh says. "Part of what we're looking for is more transparency in business practices. Obviously nobody here wants Joe to go out of business, [but] we don't really know what he can pay us." He says the union has asked Traill to open his business records in preparation for negotiations. Unlike other unions, the IWW doesn't go in for contracts with no-strike clauses, so the ball is in Traill's court. The business review will come "after summer--after the busy season," Keogh says.

And so things go on as they always have at Joe's, except now there's a bright class distinction between Joe and everyone else who works there. Traill, who bought the shop in 1999, says he doesn't think anyone in his family has any experience with a union--either as a member or as management. He says he "barely" graduated high school.

For now, Traill plans to "wait and see," he says. "I don't know what else to do. This is a new experience for me."

Email Ed Ericson Jr.

55-11

Damn... I'm not sure how I really feel about this... If the guy (Joe) is paying a fair wage and consistant with other shops (locally and/or nationally), and conditions are good,why the hell would this "kid" do this to someone whom he considers his mentor. Additionally, the company is privately owned I take it, and he may run it any way he chooses. Whether the employees like him or not they can choose to find other employment if they disagree with their pay and benefits. It's purely Joe Traill's financial risk. If this Keogh character were sincere about his motives, I believe he would make an offer of some investment (financial or otherwise) instead of "bullying" the owner to accommodate his wants. It is this type of situation where I believe the idea of Unions puts forth no better demonstration than an Extortion ring. Look, We are no longer in the Industrial Age where children in this country are forced to work at the age of 5 for 14 hrs - 7 days a week in order to buy a loaf of stale bread (and razzleberry dressing).

It is my opinion (as a business owner myself who worked for a great guy many years ago, received my degree in finance - ON MY OWN DIME - ) feeling things could be better where I worked I proposed a business model for the owner to execute. I knew his shop could be better for it's employees (I too had about 6 years of labor in that shop) and made an investment proposal with a payment plan and to share responsibilities so that I may be his partner and take it over completely when he chooses to retire. I do own that business now and 3 others. That is how you treat a mentor. Allow him a "fat" and well deserved retirement. And honestly, It is NOBODY's business except the Gov't's (and even that I have some quams about - that's another topic) how much any business owner makes and in their opinion, can "afford" to pay their employees. Now that I think about it...I do know how I feel about this article... I think it's horrible!!! My diatribe has now concluded for this session... I yield my remaining time to the distinguished gentleman from just below this post.

seamuskeogh

I believe an examination of history will show that the institutions that freed working people from child labor, 14 hour days, and 7 day work weeks were unions. Perhaps you would call that type of action extortion, but I would have to respectfully disagree.

I would also like to say that my feelings for my boss are sincere. I like him very much and do look at him as a mentor in many ways. We are going to see a show together on friday.

-Josh Keogh

55-11

Yes ...I acknowledge the fact that Unions have their place. I do not believe your situation is one that warrants Union involvement. What exactly is it that you want from Traill... He has been showing his commitment to you and the other employees for years by keeping you employed in a business you enjoy. If his shop closed tomorrow what would you do? The Union won't help you or him and you'll probably collect unemployment (which Joe has paid on every penny you earned while working for him) to the State. You say you want to keep working there but you are not doing anything to ensure business continuity and success. What you are showing is that your parents or some fund paid your school tuition, and now you want a Union to fight a battle for you in order for you to "get More" of whatever it is you want. Please... be clear and honest, and state what you want. I too mean no disrespect at this point, but come on... what tangible risk have you put into this business and how will this make it better for the shop?? Are your conditions unsafe??? If OSHA walked in tomorrow will they shut the place down?

maddmaxx 

Will the business be able to compete in the future with the online bike shops? One only has to look at the demise of the local hobby shop to get a taste of the future. The surviving shops may be very small with only the owners family for a workforce.


Or they could be Wall...........

WalterMitty

This is a sad story. I guess we'll all see how it plays out. I will not dispute that unions made a great contribution, 100 years ago and in a different world of labor laws, but it's been a long time since it was legal to employ children in industrial settings or force people to work in dangerous conditions without recourse.

Joe may not know what to do now, but I'm sure he will get some sound advice soon enough.

This is the paradox of the communist "true believer". They feel they have the right to decide how much profit the owner of a business should be allowed to make and that it is not only "fair" but "generous" to the person that took all the risks and all of the responsibility to build a business.

I have never seen a contract, and I have seen/negotiated several, where the bargaining unit shared the financial risks of any business. In the end, the workers find themselves with two bosses: one they must pay every payday, and one that can decide to close up shop and go do something else.

It's a sad story indeed.

Proximo

You get the right to know when you invest as a partner in the business. Otherwise, you're a parasite trying to muscle a small business owner out of the profits of his business. It's not like the guy's got the deep pockets of Wal-Mart. And even you admit he pays the going wage for the work in the area.

Wheelie Pete

Looks like another LBS will be going out of business soon.

well biked

I'd have given the employees the chance to stay on non-unionized, quit, or be fired. It might have been tough to do, but I'd have cleaned house and hired ten new workers if necessary. If that didn't work out, I'd go out of business. At least I would have given it my best shot at running my shop on my terms. To me, the situation Mr. Traill has allowed himself to be put in is unacceptable. If that's "owning" your own business, you can have it. But I know from experience, it's not-

slowandsteady

This dude should have gotten a real degree, such as in business and started his own LBS and could then pay himself whatever HIS shop could afford. Idiot.

vpiuva

The jokes probably on the workers. If they see what the owner, the supplier of capital, can really afford to pay by looking at his books they'll probably see that they deserve a pay cut.

55-11

I am so glad that there are so many of us speaking out against this. I just wish Mr. Traill would seek councel and not take this...is this not the very reason we go into business for ourselves???

beetes

In fact, many workers are forced to work dangerous conditions without recourse, especially immigrant workers from day labor firms.

There is currently a campaign in Baltimore to stop the public stadium authority from using a subcontractor (to clean the baseball stadium) who bays below minimum wage and steals money from its employees (in the form of mandatory "Transportation" deductions from their pay). So as much as you may like to believe otherwise, the days of employers violating workers' human rights are not over, and this is not to mention workers outside of the US.

On the subject of the Bike Shop Union, it doesn't seem like there have been egregious violations, but the union also doesn't seem like its making strong threats against the emplyer. The mere fact that a union exists doesn't mean the place is going out of business. I think the owner should work with union and even use them for positive publicity. He is the only union bike shop in Baltimore (probably in maryland) and that makes at least me (a baltimorian) more likely to go to his shop.

maddmaxx 

Unions rarely take the time to form without pending action. Why else would the workers be willing to pay dues.


The "other shoe" is already airborne.

TimJ

All this communist hyperbole is really out of place and just plain ignorant. The only time unions were ever affiliated with communism was when the bolsheviks took over russia, communism was brand spanking new, and no one knew how "communism" was going to turn out.

Give it a rest. There's always a time and place for organized labor. It's no coincidence that since the decline of unions wages have been flat and most manufacturing is done overseas.

Anyway, I think what the OP is doing is stupid. Joe's got 10 employees and one bike shop. He's not exploiting your labor by paying minimum wage while he rakes in millions a year. He's not a corporation with a board of directors, all getting millions in options and stock and free loans, he's one guy. A proprieter has a right to profit. You can argue once the profit becomes obscene compared to what he pays the labor that it's immoral, and I'd agree, but it doesn't sound like Joe is making 500 times what you're making, which is pretty much the standard for fortune 500 businesses now, I'd be surprised if he was making more than 4 or 5 times what you're making, and that's not exploitation.

Maybe he "could" pay you more, but the thing is, he's one guy with one shop and ten employees. He doesn't lay off 1,000 workers to increase profits in one quarter, he doesn't fire 5,000 salaried employees and then rehires them at hourly with no benefits, and he's probably not maintaining a million dollar penthouse apartment in Manhattan at the company's expense so he has somewhere to sleep when he goes there once a year.

You do not respect your boss. You seem to view him as akin to the Walmart clan or something and not someone you've been working closely with for 7 years. I could be wrong but it doesn't sound like Joe treats his employees like chattle, you consider him a mentor so you must have some sort of a personal relationship with him. Why you would choose to treat him like a corporation is beyond me. But what ticks me off is, as far as the perception of organized labor goes, you're worse than the people equating it to communism. You're just not ignorantly spouting on some forum, you're out there actively misusing a very necessary yet maligned tool.

urbanknight

I belong to a union, one of the stronger ones around, and I can tell you it's no bed of roses. I'm young and have yet to experience the war of it all, but there are coworkers of mine that won't speak to each other because of choices and votes. We still don't get treated completely fairly, but we also get enough to stay at the jobs we have.

This story sounds to me like some uneducated and/or naive employees that think collective bargaining can win them top rate salaries. Not to to knock bike shop employee wages, but it's not a highly skilled job. I did it, and I can tell you that anyone making more than $10/hour in a bike shop has it pretty good. I suppose the head mechanic should make more if s/he shows work that is much faster than the shop's labor charges.

mtnbiker4791

Auto mechanics is also not a highly skilled job if you look at it that way. I can do all the work i need to on a car Auto mechanics have manuals that tell them how to do everything bike mechanics do to a point but not everything. If bike mechanics were certified like auto mechanics would you then say its a highly skilled trade.

My problem with unions is that you can hire someone and they do great untill thier job is protected by the union then they slack off knowing it is hard to get fired. The little increase in pay you are going to get from what the union can do will be offset by the union fees you will have to pay.

Mr. Underbridge

They're also the institutions through which organized crime festered in this country, and still do in some circumstances (Teamsters). In those days, labor law was so skewed in favor of employers that in many states employees had the status of serfs. In contrast, today a business owner can be completely taken hostage by a union, and basically lacks the right to simply not deal with them.

In modern times, the main role of a union is to drive its employer out of business. This is why businesses distrust unions. Note previous comment about "wanting to see what Joe can pay"...read "we want to make Joe barely profitable".

beetes

I would say that "modern times" have been marked by an assault on unions by capital and the government. As a result real wages have declined almost continually since the early 1970s, while profits have skyrocketed. With the loss of jobs, wages, and benefits, cities in the US have experienced increasing poverty and all of the problems associated with it.

Now, as I and another poster above stated, it doesn't seem like the owner of this bike shop is making offensive levels of profit or grossly mistreating his employees. However, according to the OP, all the union has asked for is more information about the way the business is run. Its a business that the owner has put capital and risk into but which the employees have put the labor into. It doesn't seem unfair they they would be informed about the state of the business. If they see, as other posters have predicted, that the profits are minimal in comparison to their pay, and they still choose to take action against the shop, then they are doing something stupid and should be condemned. But to simply request information, to ask to be treated with enough respect to be kept informed about the running of the business, does not seem wrong to me at all.

n4zou

+1
I could not have said it better. If this union does what all unions do this shop will close and go bankrupt to prevent paying unemployment to these union members. After 6 months or so the shop will reopen under management by another family member for paperwork reasons. The only thing keeping your typical LBS open is the mechanic and if the shop must pay it's mechanic more then other shops in the area the customers will stop paying extra and will use the other non-union shops.

well biked

Yep. This thing is so greed-driven it's pitiful. And yet it's being done in the name of standing up and fighting greed.............I remember a comment in another thread started by the OP where he said he had problems with the fact that the owner of the shop had inherited money and could therefore afford to send his children to expensive schools, and that the workers in the bike shop couldn't afford to send their children to the same schools. After re-reading the post in the other thread (post #32), he apparently has resentment due to the owner inheriting money and the workers in the shop having not inherited money. There's some seriously screwed up thinking going on here-

Mellow Johnny

[QUOTE=beetes]I would say that "modern times" have been marked by an assault on unions by capital and the government. As a result real wages have declined almost continually since the early 1970s, while profits have skyrocketed. With the loss of jobs, wages, and benefits, cities in the US have experienced increasing poverty and all of the problems associated with it.

Sounds like you have the propaganda memorized out of your union handbook. What is your source? I would agree that real wages have remained stagnant for the last decade or so, but I would like to see your reference to a "continuous decline" over the last 30 years. That may be true (I doubt it), but there are a multitude of factors that contribute to wage stagflation and its not just the demise of organized labor. Additionally, what is your source for an increase in urban poverty levels? A quick google surch will yield a multitude of urban growth areas, some with explosive growth.

This is yet another example of a priviledged kid getting poor council from some agenda driven looney. What right does he have to access the books of a private enitity? None. He is free to leave at any time and seek higher pay on the open market. Oops he already is at the highest level so now he wants to decide what % of the profit he gets from the owner? How about he dictates an allowance for the owner and his family on what this spoiled brat kid thinks is appropriate for a bicycle shop owner.

I dont know who is dumber this kid or the owner for putting up with this garbage.

capwater

Unions are socialist, crime filled organizations (my mafia cousin once headed LIUNA) that stifle the positive effects of capitalism. Econ 101, wages go up and so do prices.

TRaffic Jammer

Bring in a union to a shop that treats it's ppl fairly? I thought you said he was a mentor.....why screw him over if he hasn't screwed you? Josh needs a spanner adjustment, as he obviously has no clue when a union should be brought in somewhere.

WalterMitty

There is some ignorance on this thread regarding some terms:

Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic theory which stresses that control of the means of producing economic goods in a society should reside in the hands of those who invest the capital for production. Private ownership and free enterprise is supposed to lead to more efficiency, lower prices, better products. Adam Smith popularized this theory in his 1776 book The Wealth of Nations.

Communism
An economic theory which stresses that the control of the means of producing economic goods in a society should reside in the hands of those who invest their labor for production. In its ideal form, social classes cease to exist, there is no coercive governmental structures, and everyone lives in abundance without supervision from a ruling class. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels popularized this theory in their 1848 Communist Manifesto.

Most thinking people agree that Communism was proven in the 20th Century as an unworkable economic model. Unionism's fine point on the difference between them and communists is that there is someone that can claim to actually own the business besides a government entity; but only under threat of the destruction of that business unless demands are met.

Legal ownership versus the power to destroy is a distinction without difference.

I think these 10 mechanics just took a huge dump in their mess kit.