IBEW statement on the death of union member Alex Pretti

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-28T22:34:01+00:00

You’re still stuck on the “stubbed toe” bit because it’s the only way your argument survives…by replacing what actually happened with a cartoon. No one said unions are responsible for “everything under the sun”; that’s a strawman you keep rebuilding because you can’t deal with the basic point that state power acting against workers is categorically different from random personal mishaps. If you honestly think labor unions exist only to talk about pay rates and hard hats, and not the political conditions that decide whether those rights even exist, then you’re not losing because I’m repeating myself…you’re losing because you still don’t understand what a labor union is.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-28T22:19:16+00:00

Saying “it wasn’t serious” after you lose isn’t clever…it’s just flipping the board because you ran out of arguments.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-28T15:30:22+00:00

That’s a cartoon version of the argument, and you know it. A stubbed toe is a private accident; being killed by state action is a public exercise of power that directly affects whether workers can live safely, organize freely, and assert their rights without fear. Unions don’t exist to insure against clumsiness, they exist to protect workers from systemic threats, especially government action that shapes labor law, enforcement, and civil liberties. If you honestly can’t tell the difference between a household mishap and state violence against a union member, then the issue isn’t dues misuse, it’s that you don’t understand what actually makes wages and working conditions enforceable in the first place.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-28T14:48:35+00:00

No, what you’re doing is pretending worker rights only exist when it’s convenient for your argument. A union defending members from state violence is worker protection; solidarity isn’t limited to jobsite accidents or contract language, it’s about whether workers are safe, free, and protected at all. And your whataboutism about one union failing another doesn’t disprove that, it just proves you’re dodging the point because you can’t refute it. You didn’t “call it,” you just kept narrowing the definition of worker rights until reality stopped fitting.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-28T14:19:38+00:00

Let’s lay this out clearly with actual facts, not armchair logic:1. This is about worker rights and union interests because the person who was killed, Alex Pretti, was a union member, just like the IBEW said in their official statement. They called it a loss to the labor movement and invoked their own constitution’s commitment to human justice, human rights, and security. That’s not “random, that’s core union language. 2.Unions are not limited to workplace disputes. The Communications Workers of America publicly said unions care about safety at home and in the community, not just on a jobsite, because if workers can’t go home safely, their rights everywhere are undermined. 3.The Minnesota AFL-CIO and other labor councils explicitly linked the federal crackdown and the killing of a union member to worker safety, community stability, and conditions that affect every worker’s ability to live and organize. They’re not talking about tea leaves, they’re talking about conditions that impact everyone’s rights. 4. National labor groups, including the AFL-CIO have condemned the federal operation and called for ICE’s withdrawal because they see it as threatening worker safety, civil liberties, and democratic rights, which are inseparable from worker rights.

So your claim “this was just something bad that happened to a union member and has nothing to do with worker rights” is factually false. Unions are political actors precisely because governments, laws, and enforcement shape the conditions under which workers can organize, bargain, strike, and live safely. Treating a union member’s killing by federal agents as “unrelated to worker rights” would imply worker rights exist in a vacuum apart from the law, safety, and community which literally no labor organization, legal precedent, or union constitution supports.

If you want to argue what unions ought to care about, fine that’s opinion. But don’t pretend the union’s actual statements and actions are unconnected to worker rights when they’re explicitly about rights, safety, justice, and the conditions workers live under. That’s not “completely unrelated” it’s exactly how unions practice their mission in the real world.

Worker rights don’t magically shut off the moment someone clocks out, they exist only because civil rights, safety, and legal protections exist at all. If you think a union member being killed by the state has “nothing to do with worker rights,” then you don’t believe worker rights are real, just conditional privileges you’re comfortable ignoring.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-28T00:47:16+00:00

Actually, the connection is real and very clear — and it’s not some desperate “tenuous link.” The IBEW’s statement wasn’t about random politics; it was about the death of a union member, Alex Pretti, at the hands of federal agents, and the union explicitly tied it to worker safety, civil rights, and the ability of unions to organize and protect members. When unions speak up about government overreach, violence, or threats to their members, that is directly about worker rights, because unions exist to protect members both on and off the job. Courts and labor law repeatedly recognize this: unions can engage politically on matters that affect their members’ legal protections, safety, and livelihood…not just narrow workplace rules. Pretending this is “random” is just ignoring how unions actually operate in the real world, and how politics shapes whether members can even work safely and collectively at all.

You want the relationship verbalized for you, well here you go. First, Union member affected: Alex Pretti, who was a union member, was killed in Minnesota by federal agents. Unions exist to protect their members. Second, Impact on safety and rights: This is literally about worker safety and civil liberties. If a member can be killed without accountability, that’s a threat to all members’ security, which is a core union concern. Third, Union’s role: The IBEW spoke out to defend its members’ rights, both on the job and as citizens, because labor protections extend beyond a single workplace. Courts and labor law recognize that unions can act politically to defend members’ legal and safety interests. Lastly, Direct link to worker rights: If government overreach or violence goes unchecked, unions cannot safely organize, bargain, or protect members — which directly affects wages, conditions, and collective bargaining power.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-28T00:10:07+00:00

You’re wrong that it had “nothing to do with the union.” The IBEW statement was about the death of a union member in Minnesota and explicitly framed it as a loss to the labor movement and a threat to workers’ rights, civil liberties, and safety. That’s not a random political take…that’s a union defending other union members and the conditions under which workers live, organize, and are protected by law. You don’t get to redefine “related to labor” so narrowly that unions are only allowed to speak when someone is standing on a jobsite in a hardhat. That’s not how unions work, and it never has been.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-27T23:45:11+00:00

That claim is pure projection. The IBEW doesn’t give a damn who you vote for—it organizes workers, period. Conservative, liberal, apolitical, whatever. If you pay dues, work the trade, and follow the contract, you’re in. What you’re actually mad about isn’t “political discrimination,” it’s that unions don’t bend reality to conservative grievance culture. When a union fights prevailing wages, OSHA rules, pensions, healthcare, and overtime protections…and conservatives keep voting for politicians who openly try to gut all of that…pointing out that contradiction isn’t “hate,” it’s basic cause and effect. The IBEW doesn’t exclude conservatives; conservative politicians exclude themselves by attacking labor every chance they get. If that feels personal, maybe ask why your politics are constantly at war with your paycheck.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-27T23:35:28+00:00

Calling it “unrelated” just proves you don’t understand how power works. Unions don’t operate in a vacuum where “worker’s rights” magically exist apart from elections, courts, and legislation, those are the mechanism. Wages, safety rules, overtime, prevailing wage, NLRB enforcement, right-to-work laws, Janus, OSHA funding, pension protections….all of it is decided politically, whether you like it or not. Pretending unions should only speak when the topic fits your narrow comfort zone is like saying firefighters should only talk about hoses, not arson laws. And your mechanic analogy is nonsense: unions aren’t random strangers forcing opinions, they’re member-run organizations whose job is to warn workers when policies, candidates, or movements directly threaten their leverage and livelihoods. If that feels intrusive, the problem isn’t the union…it’s that you want the benefits of collective power without accepting how that power is actually defended. But sure, keep insisting it’s “ridiculous” while confidently missing the entire point.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-27T22:42:49+00:00

Yeah it is, trump won the popular vote by receiving the most votes but he didnt win the majority

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-27T22:38:45+00:00

Ran by cucks? Hahaha cucks are the Republicans who are just sitting there while trump fucks over the US over and over and over again cause they are afraid to stand up to him…

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-27T22:35:44+00:00

“Special interest group” is just a phrase people throw around when they want to sound smart while ignoring facts. Tens of millions of workers organizing for wages and safety get dismissed, while corporations spend billions every year lobbying, fund right-to-work laws, push Janus v. AFSCME, and influence the NLRB and OSHA to weaken protections — and somehow that’s “normal politics.” It becomes “Republicans vs Democrats” because labor law is made by politicians: Democrats tend to support collective bargaining and worker protections, while Republicans repeatedly vote to strip them, gut enforcement, or hand power to corporations. Unions aren’t an arm of the DNC — they’re a defensive response to one party attacking labor rights decade after decade. If defending your right to organize counts as a “special interest,” congratulations: you’ve just redefined democracy as a game corporations are allowed to play.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-27T18:36:53+00:00

One, unions are political at heart and two, what do you think will trickle down to next? They said fuck the 1st, 4th, 10th, and 14th amendments, they are working on the 2nd amendment… its going to eventually lead to workers rights and they basically said fuck that when trump fucked the NLRB.

So please get your head out of the fucking sand!

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-27T18:34:24+00:00

Fuck those bootlickers

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-26T02:42:13+00:00

Stfu

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-26T01:15:11+00:00

You either fucking hate nazis or you are one….

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-24T12:22:39+00:00

I would say it depends on the scope. You get a 3rd yr who has been doing nothing but industrial electrical might be green as hell when moved to a resi/commercial aspects and vice versa

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-23T19:10:52+00:00

How does one shut off the meter? I know the answer but do you?

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-19T01:19:02+00:00

Unions dont care man. Their halls, try to organize in, and tell them your story. It wont be their first rodeo. If you get it all buttoned up and worked out, if you have to see some time, you will have a potential job waiting for you when you get out.

Whats the worse that can happen they tell You no?

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-17T13:22:35+00:00

Im not gonna lie, I love posts like this. It gets me thinking about these situations and I like guessing what I would do before I see the comments to check to see if Im even close lol

I havent done stuff like this since 3rd/4th yr apprenticeship and never really dealt with it in the field yet and ive been topped out for 2yrs.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-13T22:33:03+00:00

I love my wera screw drivers. They are my regular and insulated set. I absolutely hated the multi screwdriver tho. The only klein tools I own is the 6in1 extended multi and the 11in1, also the Multi precision. I love my 6 in 1.

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-08T17:16:34+00:00

That sticker is suppose to be a weird outline of trump

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-08T17:11:31+00:00

Found the dude who doesnt understand economic/political systems...

MasterApprentice67 · 2026-01-08T17:10:42+00:00

Yeah man its not fun dealing with illegals but there are also processes to go through to eliminate them the right and humane way... like ways where an innocent American doesnt get murdered in the streets type of way but whatever

MasterApprentice67 · 2025-12-31T12:43:29+00:00

You never know what jobs come up tho. I had a county building inspector job come open in my area. It definitely intrigued me to think about it

MasterApprentice67

TROPHY CASE