Unions

[bent rod]

<div class="quotation">bent rod - 12/8/2010 11:52 PM <div class="quotation"> Copied this from BS's thread so as to not hi jack                                                                                                                                                                            Sniperchoke - 12/8/2010 10:05 AM No company is immortal. Sorry but the auto unions played a large part in the downfall of our auto industry. By VW not unionizing they will be in a healthier financial position especially in these tough times.</div>

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   Spurhunter-This may very well be the smartest thing you have ever posted, and for sure the smartest thing on this thread.   </p></div>

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<font size="2">How did the unions bring down the auto industry?</font></p>

 

[EricM]

Quoted from Forbes::



Labor cost per hour, wages and benefits for hourly workers.

Ford: $70.51 ($141,020 per year)

GM: $73.26 ($146,520 per year)

Chrysler: $75.86 ($151,720 per year)

Toyota, Honda, Nissan (in U.S.): $48.00 ($96,000 per year)

According to AAUP and IES, the average annual compensation for a college professor in 2006 was $92,973 (average salary nationally of $73,207 + 27% benefits).

Bottom Line: The average UAW worker with a high school degree earns 57.6% more compensation than the average university professor with a Ph.D., and 52.6% more than the average worker at Toyota, Honda or Nissan.

Then there's the "Job Bank"

When a D3 (Detroit 3 carmaker) lays an employee off, that employee continues to receive all benefits - medical, retirement, etc., etc., PLUS an hourly wage of $31/hour.

Here's a typical story....

Ken Pool is making good money. On weekdays, he shows up at 7 a.m. at Ford Motor Co.'s Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, signs in, and then starts working -- on a crossword puzzle. Pool hates the monotony, but the pay is good: more than $31 an hour, plus benefits.

"We just go in and play crossword puzzles, watch videos that someone brings in or read the newspaper," he says. "Otherwise, I just sit."

Pool is one of more than 12,000 American autoworkers who, instead of installing windshields or bending sheet metal, spend their days counting the hours in a jobs bank set up by Detroit automakers as demanded by the United Auto Workers Union - UAW - as part of an extraordinary job security agreement.

 

[SpurHunter]

Unions are GREAT for an individual, but they are a death trap for a company, and more importantly the US economy.

 

[Guest]

Could it be that the UAW refused to make consessions when the automakers were in trouble.?

 

[bent rod]

Did not some of upper management have to sign the agreements? The guys making the big bucks?, that are getting the money for making the great decisions.

 

[Sniperchoke]

Im sure the Unions would threaten strikes and walk outs if they didn't agree. So to keep operations running they probably conceded hoping that in hard times they could renegotiate. Personally I would let them walk out and replace them.

 

[Guest]

SpurHunter - 12/9/2010 7:06 AM

Unions are GREAT for an individual, ......

Unless or until the union admin squanders the individual's dues and pensions on liberal politicians' campaigns.
Which is exactly what has/is happened to many.

 

[bent rod]

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cheez - 12/9/2010 1:17 PM

SpurHunter - 12/9/2010 7:06 AM Unions are GREAT for an individual, ......

Unless or until the union admin squanders the individual's dues and pensions on liberal politicians' campaigns. Which is exactly what has/is happened to many.

Yea, great answer in the south. How many companys have been screwed by the secretary extorting and f@#$king the boss at the same time. You against secretary,s too?</p>

 

[bent rod]

Cheez pretty well sums up why they all come south now.

 

[Guest]

Look it up bent. Don't take my word for it. Only screwing going on is the union boss screwing the gullible workers.

 

[Guest]

bent rod - 12/9/2010 4:05 PM

  Cheez pretty well sums up why they all come south now.

pretty much true. A southern man don't need some fat cat in an office somewhere doing his bidding for him.

 

[bent rod]

cheez - 12/9/2010 4:25 PM

bent rod - 12/9/2010 4:05 PM Cheez pretty well sums up why they all come south now.

pretty much true. A southern man don't need some fat cat in an office somewhere doing his bidding for him.

Yep, good plan there. Oh, BTW, the wife and I have 29 yrs. combined experience working for Nissan. Nothing in writing. She retired 4 yrs. ago and they have cut retirement benefits twice since then. Forgot to tell you, in 07 and 08, hourly got no cola and most were fine with that, being everything economy wise was down, till aspouse told that managment had raises. The company was equalizing their pay. What they said.Oh yeah, Japan workers receiveda bonus avg. 17,000 dollars, U.S. Generally from what I hear most companies over here don't play these games, just Nissan. Anyway good luck for all the VW workers. Most of these tranplants are Union in Japan and Europe. There are also several lurker bosses from Nissan and we would welcome their comments, HA They would be on the sidewalk before you could blink.

 

[Guest]

At my company the shop workers are union. They have recieved col raises since 2007. I am management and my pay has been frozen for 4 years even though my work load has doubled. I am doing three jobs to make up for the folks that were laid off. I'm not complaining though. I am thankful to have a job.
I would wager that the VW workers are also thankful to have a job and will not jeopardize that by organizing.

 

[SNUFFY]

I bet they luv you !

 

[mmarcum6]

I don't agree often with Cheez, but I can tell you for a fact we don't need the union here in my opinion. I have been on both sides and the only thing the union did for me was to strike my butt out of a job. I walked the line as I came to Chattanooga from Kentucky coal mine country and grew up with the unions.

The union I was in didn't give a crap about the workers. I walked with a local and regional business rep who got their full salary and expenses just to show up and tell us we were doing the right thing. The best thing I did was to get out of the union and get another job, but the union made sure I had to get another after our plant closed.

After being around the working force both in and out of managment for 27 years the same laws and rules the union claims to fight for for the workers are now federal law. You don't need a union to enforce those laws as you have federal lawyers which must represent you to fight those injustices.

Sorry just my $00.02 thanks for your time

 

[Guest]

SNUFFY - 12/9/2010 10:57 PM

I bet they luv you !

As well as 11 other people who are dedicated to helping our company STAY in business. All of us are doing double or even tripple duty for the same pay. We all know that foolish pride will not feed our families nor will it keep our kids in college and keep a roof over our heads. We have a different kind of pride. The kind of pride that comes from sacrificing ourselves for the good of others. Guess what? Our sacrifice has not hurt any of us one bit.

 

[ranger23]

Unions are past their prime. They did good work years and years ago, but now they are just big business, that know nothing about business, and a political machine. Still trying to figure out why they fought so hard for health care reform, but then fought so hard to be exempted from it...oh yeah, Political Machine!
Do what you want, but I have a big enough mouth to speak for myself and I'd rather spend my hard earned money on hunting and fishing gear, not my union dues.

 

[bent rod]

bent rod - 12/9/2010 7:23 PM

cheez - 12/9/2010 4:25 PM

bent rod - 12/9/2010 4:05 PM Cheez pretty well sums up why they all come south now.

pretty much true. A southern man don't need some fat cat in an office somewhere doing his bidding for him.

Yep, good plan there. Oh, BTW, the wife and I have 29 yrs. combined experience working for Nissan. Nothing in writing. She retired 4 yrs. ago and they have cut retirement benefits twice since then. Forgot to tell you, in 07 and 08, hourly got no cola and most were fine with that, being everything economy wise was down, till aspouse told that managment had raises. The company was equalizing their pay. What they said.Oh yeah, Japan workers receiveda bonus avg. 17,000 dollars, U.S. Generally from what I hear most companies over here don't play these games, just Nissan. Anyway good luck for all the VW workers. Most of these tranplants are Union in Japan and Europe. There are also several lurker bosses from Nissan and we would welcome their comments, HA They would be on the sidewalk before you could blink.

<table class="bbstable" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%" align="center"><tbody><tr><td style="height: 150px" class="messagemiddle" valign="top"><span class="smalltext">

<font size="2">Expert

Posts: 5504

Location: Georgetown/Chattanooga, TN Again really, the cheeze has spoken, not one answer but a mulitude of diversions, that was surprising. I heard it was a dream to live in a subdivision in Chatt. Keep up the good work. We may be there soon. We might be neighbors and best buds.</font></span></td><td class="messagemiddle" valign="top">At my company the shop workers are union. They have recieved col raises since 2007. I am management and my pay has been frozen for 4 years even though my work load has doubled. I am doing three jobs to make up for the folks that were laid off. I'm not complaining though. I am thankful to have a job.
OI would wager that the VW workers are also thankful to have a job and will not jeopardize that by organizing.</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[fluke]

ranger23 - 12/10/2010 9:21 AM

Unions are past their prime. They did good work years and years ago, but now they are just big business, that know nothing about business, and a political machine. Still trying to figure out why they fought so hard for health care reform, but then fought so hard to be exempted from it...oh yeah, Political Machine!
Do what you want, but I have a big enough mouth to speak for myself and I'd rather spend my hard earned money on hunting and fishing gear, not my union dues.

This is the reason Illegal immigrants are doing the work that American people need . I have no problem with the union since I am a IBEW Electrician an everyone has a opinion .So take it for what it is but when you lose your job dont cry about it . Because Unions are past their prime .

 

[Strato-G]

Offshore manufactors love the unions, all I got to say bout that emoUSA emoGeezer