How many people are Union?

[Morledzep]

maybe ya all missed where i said i took a PAY CUT to work where i do and join a union so i could have a steady paycheck and medical benefits.

when i was working outside retail i was getting $26 per hour for as many hours as i could flag.. means i could make as much money as i wanted to in any given day if the work was available. it's not hours worked, it's hours of work completed.

i took a job at Verizon, maintaining and repairing their vehicles for $23 per hour straight time. 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, with no or nearly no available OT.

the CEO of Verizon gets $13million bonus' quarterly. and that is in addition to his regular wages which we aren't allowed to know how much that is.

we are working with 20 year old hand tools and shop equipment, can't get a $3K tire machine approved so we can change 19.5" tires without killing ourselves. we no longer keep parts in stock for the vehicles, only filters and brake pads (not even rotors, hardware or hydraulic brake parts). if the vehicle needs anything more they have to sit out of service until we order the part and then find the time to do the repairs. And then, 3 months ago, they decided our vehicle count should go from 70 vehicles per technician to 100 vehicles per technician and they cut one of our guys from our shop.

don't give me that crap that it's the "high paid" union workers that are the problem with our economy.

 

[ewurm]

maybe ya all missed where i said i took a PAY CUT to work where i do and join a union so i could have a steady paycheck and medical benefits.

when i was working outside retail i was getting $26 per hour for as many hours as i could flag.. means i could make as much money as i wanted to in any given day if the work was available. it's not hours worked, it's hours of work completed.

i took a job at Verizon, maintaining and repairing their vehicles for $23 per hour straight time. 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, with no or nearly no available OT.

the CEO of Verizon gets $13million bonus' quarterly. and that is in addition to his regular wages which we aren't allowed to know how much that is.

we are working with 20 year old hand tools and shop equipment, can't get a $3K tire machine approved so we can change 19.5" tires without killing ourselves. we no longer keep parts in stock for the vehicles, only filters and brake pads (not even rotors, hardware or hydraulic brake parts). if the vehicle needs anything more they have to sit out of service until we order the part and then find the time to do the repairs. And then, 3 months ago, they decided our vehicle count should go from 70 vehicles per technician to 100 vehicles per technician and they cut one of our guys from our shop.

don't give me that crap that it's the "high paid" union workers that are the problem with our economy.

Divide the CEO's salary between every employee and see how much you would make.

 

[Morledzep]

Divide the CEO's salary between every employee and see how much you would make.

i would be happy if he would give up ONE of his quarterly bonus' so we could buy the equipment that we need to do our job safely. not just for our garage, but for ALL of the fleet department.

i make, what i consider a good wage for what i do. and even though the company has gradually whittled away our medical benefits to the point where our only real choice for medical insurance is Kaiser, i still have VERY good coverage and consider myself lucky to have what i have.

 

[cjfrontlovr]

Divide the CEO's salary between every employee and see how much you would make.

great answer..its ok for management to ruin a company and labor to have unsafe and out of date tools to do their job..and you blame unions for americas problems..

 

[pdbrady]

maybe ya all missed where i said i took a PAY CUT to work where i do and join a union so i could have a steady paycheck and medical benefits.

when i was working outside retail i was getting $26 per hour for as many hours as i could flag.. means i could make as much money as i wanted to in any given day if the work was available. it's not hours worked, it's hours of work completed.

i took a job at Verizon, maintaining and repairing their vehicles for $23 per hour straight time. 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, with no or nearly no available OT.

the CEO of Verizon gets $13million bonus' quarterly. and that is in addition to his regular wages which we aren't allowed to know how much that is.

we are working with 20 year old hand tools and shop equipment, can't get a $3K tire machine approved so we can change 19.5" tires without killing ourselves. we no longer keep parts in stock for the vehicles, only filters and brake pads (not even rotors, hardware or hydraulic brake parts). if the vehicle needs anything more they have to sit out of service until we order the part and then find the time to do the repairs. And then, 3 months ago, they decided our vehicle count should go from 70 vehicles per technician to 100 vehicles per technician and they cut one of our guys from our shop.

don't give me that crap that it's the "high paid" union workers that are the problem with our economy.

No one ever said there weren't greedy in non union situations. They're everywhere. Unions are just an organized unit of it. I work non union, and when we need something, we tell the owner/boss, and he gets it. It's not always a difference of union/non union, but rather good boss/management/ownership or crappy.

There is no way someone can argue that unions don't drive up prices and costs, no way. YOU may not see it all in your pocket, but someone does. It does have an affect on the economy, look around. The largest, wealthiest union in the country is about to implode at least two major, MAJOR employers. That DOES affect the economy. We're talking a lot of jobs, and not just the "secured" union jobs of those companies, but even non union jobs of every supplier, retailer and any other worker in between. You may not see the results yet, but wait until all these workers are without work and looking for help.

 

[cchhcc]

unions aren't the ones who put this country into the quagmire we're in now..there's a place for everyone..i'd rather pay for someone who's trained in his feild of work and not the one's contractors hire off the corner who go by the name jose'.i am a manager in a medium sized electrical contractor..when i hire and get people whom dont perform, they are gone..we are as competitive as any non-union company and in my opinion give a more professional project when complete.the days of union men and women sitting on their hands for hi pay are long gone..at least where i'm in charge..there are non-union companys we compete with that do a good job as well.they beat us on million dollar jobs by 10-20 thousand..where's that profit go? to the working man or the owner? my wage is twice that of most non-union and of 20k less on a million dollar job..go figure where the profits going..the owners of my company drive porsche caymen and bmw's..i drive a chevy..shame on me wanting my "piece" for myself and family.

That last sentence is at the crux of the issue. If you want a bigger piece for yourself and your family no one is keeping you from doing what it takes to get ahead -- including becoming the owner of your own company one day. But to justify what amounts to an extortionist platform is terrible.

Everyone has the same opportunities in America. It's strange how immigrants can see that but natural born citizens don't always seem to.

Don't buy into the myth that wealthy people don't work, were given everything, and are unscrupulous. There are a handful of degenerates in every walk of life, CEO and union types!

 

[cchhcc]

don't give me that crap that it's the "high paid" union workers that are the problem with our economy.

It's certainly ONE of the problems. But there are problems on both ends of the economic ladder.

This class warfare stuff is such an oversimplification of the issue.

 

[packer43064]

You were in the wrong union. I was in the grocery union once before the wages/scales went south. It was ok pay but not enough to make even a decent living from.

Yeah Kroger was ridiculous. Then they said we weren't going to get raises for 2 years so we'll give you a nice raise when your due next time. Great................................18 cents later, I quit.

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

union!! always union!!
any Pro firefighter who isnt in one has issues!!
we almost didnt get a raise. but our union fought and got us one. we were supposed to get three times as much but got screwed. if not for the union we would have had no raise.

 

[chefjamesscott]

I'm not really in favor of holding my employer or the general public hostage to secure higher pay than I deserve. It's bad for the economy.



Hold on a second there, Einstein.


"Unions are so 1900's. I'm a genius. I invest."

Well as an employer I must stand in on this one. Given my industry of foodservice, unions are not the best thing, they may very well serve a good purpose in the trades.

As an aside note I offer medical and dental as paid for by the company benefits as it is, I dont charge my staff for anyfood they eat and I offer above industry wages.

Yet, in an unskilled market such as restaurant and foodservice, unions serve to protect the laziest idiots I have ever met. They pull such rank and file B. S. and get away with it such a shame. Imagine a dishwasher getting $20/ hour simply because they are unionized NOT IN MY RESTAURANT!!!!!!!!!!!!

To restate in trades work for sure unions make sure that the wealth of the builder is shared with those who make it for the builder!!! But in smaller industries with much less in the way of profit margins unions are the death of small business. If a union were to try to get itself installed in my restaurant, I would close that restaurant and just open another one in another location issue solved union attempt busted.

Sorry to say it but unions are not for all industries.