I interact with people for my job everyday many personalities and types and peoplelove their UPS man whether I'm in a union or not.
Unions definitely still have a great role in society as corporate greed is rotting away at America.
My UPS guy is fine. My son calls all of you "Mr. Brown" (which caused me some embarrassment when a black guy delivered a package to our house). It doesn't bother me that you've unionized. You have every right to do so, and UPS is a well-managed company.
You're misstating the point about your involvement with your union, however. Most of your customers aren't likely aware you're in a union. If you started picketing in front of office buildings where UPS delivered packages because you were on strike, I bet your customers' view of you would change.
As for the role unions play in mitigating corporate greed, that through shows a profound lack of understanding of basic economics. Who do you think owns UPS? Probably anyone who has a 401k. UPS stays competitive by keeping costs down while providing a high level of service and reliable delivery. Labor costs are a huge part of that.
What do you think UPS does with their profits? They reinvest in the company and they share dividends with their shareholders. If labor costs become too high, they have to raise their prices, which may cause them to become uncompetitive. If anything, corporations are less "greedy" that they used to be because barriers to entry into many industries are lower than ever due to technology.
I think there should always be a healthy conflict between management and labor. One side wants to keep costs as low as possible. The other side wants salaries and benefits as high as possible. Where they end up is usually a market rate.
Getting back to the issue I have with the union picketing funeral homes while there is a funeral occurring is simply one of decorum. There has to be limits to what a union does to protest. Picket the funeral home, but find out the schedule so that the picketers clear out any time there is a service. Respect for the deceased and the bereaved should be sacrosanct. It's certainly more important than any small increase in their package they would hope to garner.
The parallel I make is when people do terrible things in the name of a religion. Unless other members of that faith stand up in opposition, they're all smeared with the same brush.
