Bad Goats

[zoogs]

Can you offer some support for "this is an idiotic situation" that's not "ha ha, goats"?

[Nebfanatic]

Goats are going to eat the vegetation down to a mowable level. According to the article the weeds are 4 to 5 feet tall. Not easy to deal with when the grass is that tall. The goats take it down to a level it's much easier to come in and not ruin your equipment trying to landscape

[BigRedBuster]

Can you offer some support for "this is an idiotic situation" that's not "ha ha, goats"?

I'm not laughing about it. It's stupid because it is stupid.

 

Goats eat weeds. That's what the hell they do. Why the hell would they not fence off a place they want cleaned up and let them eat it down?

 

Honestly, I've said before that unions have a purpose and they shouldn't go completely away.

 

But, this is a prime example of why so many people get frustrated with them.

 

It's f'ing goats eating weeds.

 

This union leadership is looking for a fight and this is the best they could come up with.

[funhusker]

 

Can you offer some support for "this is an idiotic situation" that's not "ha ha, goats"?

I'm not laughing about it. It's stupid because it is stupid.

 

Goats eat weeds. That's what the hell they do. Why the hell would they not fence off a place they want cleaned up and let them eat it down?

 

Honestly, I've said before that unions have a purpose and they shouldn't go completely away.

 

But, this is a prime example of why so many people get frustrated with them.

 

It's f'ing goats eating weeds.

 

This union leadership is looking for a fight and this is the best they could come up with.

 

If that's how you choose to look at it, you're right: it is stupid. But if the union is only making sure proper protocols are followed, and using the proper channels to file that grievance, it's not stupid: it's business.

[zoogs]

Goats eat weeds. That's what the hell they do. Why the hell would they not fence off a place they want cleaned up and let them eat it down?

Hm. I think we've a very different understanding here. "What the hell" these goats do is something like chill out on the farms of Mr. and Mrs. Fickle unless someone contracts out some work to their company Munchers on Hooves, LLC.

 

So yeah, I can see why the union would be concerned here if there's work to be done, people not working, and the University is going around them to hire a subcontractor. As far as I can tell, funhusker is right that the complaint is chiefly about protocol in subcontracting work.

 

I can also see why it's Ms. Fickle's position that this work she has been hired to provide is necessary. The University's position that this doesn't affect workers. It's not obvious to me that either of these two self-interested claims are any more correct than the equally self-interested claim of the Union. Notably, the WMU spokesperson's statement is the narrower claim that no school workers have been "laid off" as a result of their choice to go the subcontractor route.

 

This union leadership is looking for a fight and this is the best they could come up with.

At *most* this is one side saying "this work should be going to us" and another side saying, "No, it should be going to us." Since there's a grievance structure, presumably there *are* some obligations this (public) University has to this union of "State, County and Municipal Employees". How is it obvious what the right answer is?

[greenmonkey51]

If it's purely about notifying the union then it's the union doing their job. Employers like to get away with anything they can, the union is simply holding their feet to fire in regards to following the contracts they likely have.

[TGHusker]

I'm wt BRB on this. The goats are making it safer for the workers not displacing the workers. Maybe we should build a wall to keep the goats out and taking away union jobs. But they aren't taking away union jobs. The union leaders need to complain about something wt more substance. They could complain if we used robots to clear the ground - technology is replacing union jobs around the world.

[RedDenver]

I'm wt BRB on this. The goats are making it safer for the workers not displacing the workers. Maybe we should build a wall to keep the goats out and taking away union jobs. But they aren't taking away union jobs. The union leaders need to complain about something wt more substance. They could complain if we used robots to clear the ground - technology is replacing union jobs around the world.

From the perspective of the union, being replaced by goats is no different than being replaced by robots.

 

As far as this incident, we don't know the history of what's been happening between management and the union for me to draw a strong conclusion.

[Nebfanatic]

 

 

I'm wt BRB on this. The goats are making it safer for the workers not displacing the workers. Maybe we should build a wall to keep the goats out and taking away union jobs. But they aren't taking away union jobs. The union leaders need to complain about something wt more substance. They could complain if we used robots to clear the ground - technology is replacing union jobs around the world.

From the perspective of the union, being replaced by goats is no different than being replaced by robots.

 

As far as this incident, we don't know the history of what's been happening between management and the union for me to draw a strong conclusion.

They aren't being replaced though. The goats are making it easier and safer on the workers. The workers will still need to do their jobs, they just won't have to take down 5 foot vegetation. I agree with your second paragraph

[zoogs]

The University (which prefers cheap, non-union labor when it can get it) and the Goat Company (which is getting paid) are saying that.

 

They might be right?... but it's not completely clear to me. The lack of "we should be getting this work" from the other side is probably the strongest indication that this particular decision isn't a big deal. Still, if it's protocol issue I think this is a case of holding them accountable: i.e, future contract work -- whether humans, robots, animals -- follow the right procedures.

 

Ofc, it's also not clear that those procedures weren't followed. Maybe they were and the University's response to the grievance will be to basically demonstrate that the Union has no claim here. All around, I don't think the answers are clear. It does seem that the stakes aren't that high, though.

[Nebfanatic]

They are saying that because it is probably true. If you have used goats to clear vegetation before, you know they aren't exactly precise and more work is needed once they are are finished if you want the space to look nice. I do understand the protocol thing but it's pretty obvious to me at least they will still need the student workers

[TGHusker]

 

I'm wt BRB on this. The goats are making it safer for the workers not displacing the workers. Maybe we should build a wall to keep the goats out and taking away union jobs. But they aren't taking away union jobs. The union leaders need to complain about something wt more substance. They could complain if we used robots to clear the ground - technology is replacing union jobs around the world.

From the perspective of the union, being replaced by goats is no different than being replaced by robots.

 

As far as this incident, we don't know the history of what's been happening between management and the union for me to draw a strong conclusion.

 

I don't think the article says people are being replaced. Goats just get the weeds down to the level so people can work on it.

[BigRedBuster]

It's goats eating weeds. That's what goats do.

[funhusker]

It's goats eating weeds. That's what goats do.

It's ground workers taking care of grounds. That's what grounds workers do.

 

 

 

The union isn't filing a grievance because goats are eating weeds. They are more than likely filing a grievance to the University because something that would fall under their scope of work is being hired out. (The debate on what is safer for workers and easier on equipment is another topic all together)

[BigRedBuster]

So, if the University purchased a bunch of gas powered weed trimmers, they would complain because people using scissors to cut weeks back would require more grounds keepers.

 

Or....if they would have purchased the goats themselves instead of paying this farmer to bring in their goats, there wouldn't be grounds for complaining........unless the goats would then be considered slave labor.

 

It's an F'ing University where I'm sure kids are racking up large loan amounts to go to school. I'm sure they prefer the University to get rid of the weeds as cheaply as possible.

 

It's a stupid complaint and an example of why Unions get complained about.

 

 

 

 

Maybe the union needs to convince the goats to join.