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Comments
It's the same as the high pay that Over-the-Road truck drivers get. No problem with that at all. It's a hell of a job where you are away from home for long periods at a stretch and eating cheap food from joints next to the interstate. You're sleeping on a mattress that will fit in a truck cab and showering at truck stops when the schedule permits. The reason that they get high pay is that people wouldn't take those jobs otherwise. That's capitalism and a win-win.
Back to the split shifts though, I've encountered situations with unions (not on this particular split shift issue) where employees and management wanted to try something unusual ( a 10-hour 4-day schedule or a 5-4-9 schedule) where the unions didn't want to permit it for the office people because it wasn't practical for the production people...If the dog isn't getting any cream, you can't use any to entice the cat to do what you want.....
9-1 and 5-8, and someone wants to work that shift, we have a meeting of the minds and it works for both...a mutualistic relationship to the benefit of both parties, unless UAW restrictive work rules, with illiterate, drunk, worthless workers are in place then it is to the detriment of EVERYBODY...
Just like the UAW unskilled workers, the telephone operators went the way of the dinosaurs. Life goes on.
Our tax $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$s at work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another Amtrak and Post Office operation run by our overpaid idiots and praised by our Congress..Daffy Ducks at their best.....................
The shareholders & customers always come first.
I think that is a concept entirely lost on the UAW workers. It is "me first" and screw you other guys. Workers that are not willing to take a cut in pay to save their company DO NOT DESERVE A JOB. The proper attitude is let's do what it takes to make this company viable. Where else do the UAW unskilled workforce think they can get a job? Who would hire them after being totally indoctrinated into the Me First mentality?
The direction the globalists have put us in during the past 60 years or so is terminal.
http://www.answers.com/topic/sam-walton
Here's a big surprise:
UAW urges support for 'cash for clunkers' bill (AP)
Clunker talk is happening in the A National "Clunker Plan" - Good or Bad Idea? and A National "Clunker Plan" - Bad For Classic Enthusiasts? discussions.
Oh, and Sam has one iron clad rule, in addition to trying to buy American...anytime there were 3 people standing in line at a cash register, another cashier (or a manager) was immediately called to open another register, as Sam knew that the "biggest negative" in shopping was standing in line waiting to part with your money...or, maybe it was appalling to HIM that making you stand in line took too much time for your money to end up in his cash drawer...either way, that rule ended within about 20 minutes of his death, because now you can go to Walmart and stand in line for eternity...yeah, they have those self-serve registers, but they always spook me as something always goes wrong for me...you'd almost think you need a college education to use self-serve, and that leaves me out!!!...
The mind would be a terrible thing to waste if only I had one!!!
Oh, to whoever posted this (dallasdude?)...magistrate judges can be ordinary citizens, but, at least here in GA, I believe almost any other judge (Probate Court, State Court, Superior Court) must be an attorney, as they (theoretically) must understand the finer nuances of the law...
Now, you could argue (as I often have) that the "finer nuances of the law" would not have to be "understood" by a trained lawyer (judge) if the laws were written in plain English, rather than legalese gobbldygook, but I am not (yet) part of the legislature so I do not write the laws, I only adhere to them...don't blame me, I'm only the piano player...:):):)
Even if one is a WalMart hater, you have to admire what he has built, literally, from one lousy five-and-dime store in the middle of nowhere...you have to know that Arkansas in the 60s and 70s made Atlanta, GA look like New York City...to describe Arkansas back then, I would ALMOST agree with rocky when he described toothless hicks in overalls...
But that was 30 years ago, oddly, about the same time that the UAW started making the junkiest cars the world had ever seen and rocky was being brainwashed about the "quality and workmanship" inherent in the UAW worker...we now know better what the UAW was, and what they have done to the entire US auto industry, and it ain't pretty...
You say all those things like they are bad for the USA. I think they are all positive steps. We should get cars from the imports that have quality parts. If the suppliers built parts that were not good enough for an import, they should have not been good enough for the D3. A good reason for them to fail.
Solidarity,
Mike
Ford wants the same no-strike deal. Seems only fair...
Ford Seeks No-Strike Pledge UAW Gave to GM, Chrysler (Bloomberg)
Members of United Auto Workers Local 218, who were also upset by proposed increases in medical costs, voted 1,177 to 680 on Sunday to defeat the three-year contract.
Tom Wells, the local chairman, said they would try to negotiate a better contract for the 2,500 workers represented by the local. Union leaders had recommended approving it.
The company was disappointed the workers rejected the offer, said Bell Helicopter spokesman Thomas Dolney. Bell Helicopter is a Textron Inc. company.
"We bargained in good faith and presented a fair and equitable contract to the union that was extremely beneficial to its members," Dolney said in an e-mailed statement. "Bell and UAW 218 have a history dating back to the early 1950s of cooperation and mutual respect, and the company is determined to keep the negotiations process continuing until a satisfactory solution is reached."
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/shared-gen/ap/Finance_General/US_Bell_Helico- pter_Strike.html?cxntlid=inform_sr
Bell said current janitors at the plants would have been given higher-paying job classification and none of the workers would have been laid off or bumped from the promotions.
So what's the beef?
We have differences in civil and common law (our silly system), which have been interpeted differently historically. We could go on and cite case after case. Its as the great classic books, written for the very few literate in the upper class, by an exclusive club of old elitist white males. Other than Emily Dickinson and possibly Harper Lee, few women were educated and or allowed to contribute. But, we know who the best sellers are these days? Orwell frequently directed his ire at the intelligentsia. He is always on the side of people who work with their muscles and hands and do not get their share.
The UAW may someday cease to exsist. However, a rebirth is also possible. Its not up to you and or myself.
Would care to be the test pilot/passenger on a scab-o-copter?
I once asked a Toyota manager (when visiting their Nagoya plant) why they would at times insist on requirements (from parts suppliers) that on the face of it may not have anything to do with the customer experience (or so it would appear). His response was 1) This is a mind set issue, not whether the flaw is visible or not. If you start making exceptions, then it is the slippery slope to loss of overall quality; 2) Toyota spends a lot of time and money on teaching the parts suppliers how to deliver (what Toyota is asking for). So if they ask for something ridiculous, it would hurt them as well.
By the way, Japan is big on (1) above - Doing something which on the face of it appears to be ridiculous. There is a very successful company called Nidec (http://www.nidec.com/) making electric motors - The CEO of the company has a test of evaluating companies they are going to acquire - He visits their toilets. According to him, a company which has dirty toilets cannot be a good manufacturing company.
You may laugh, but the company's growth speaks for itself....
If I were one of the current janitors, I'd be royally pissed off. This would be my perfect opportunity to make more money and get out of cleaning toilets. Who in their right mind wouldn't want that?
Sounds like Bell needs extra good quality dependable workers (and I believe current janitors are that) on the manufacturing line and is willing to train them. This sounded like a win win to me, and the union stuck it to the man. Real smart!.
Solidarity,
Mike
As a high school and college graduate with 25 years of corporate life, I can say with some credibility that, without an education, you're just begging. With education, they pay you what you want or you take your skills else where.
Scientia est potentia - Knowledge is power
Lokki
I hope you took your union wages and sent your kids to college.
:sick: :mad:
2018 430i Gran Coupe
They wave their fists and scream Solidarity, and the only solidarity they will have left is the memories of where they used to work before each industry is destroyed, one by one...
And they want me to think they are intelligent???...looks like my descriptions of UAW workers barely scratched the surface...
I talked to my fellow employee in Alaska today. Their contract was up in April. The company keeps asking for extensions which the Teamsters give them. He goes into town for more negotiations this week. No talk of strike even though they may not get a great contract. To go on strike with 13 million hungry workers looking for anything is lunacy. Yes it further shows the IQ level of the average UAW worker and worse their lame leaders. Hopefully Bell has stronger management than GM. They will either hire non union workers or move to a more favorable location. Not all Unions are as determined to self destruct as the UAW. The Teamsters gained 80,000 new members in 2008. They understand the basics of economics that they do not teach UAW leaders at Black Lake Golf Resort.
Don't forget how they decimated International Harvester.
I'm surprised Al Qaeda hasn't given Gettelfinger a medal for Meritorious Service.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
The final proposal called for payment of a $4,500 signing bonus on ratification. There would be no general wage increase this year, 3 percent increases each of the next two years and up to 11 cost-of-living increases and other pay adjustments during that time.
In a cover letter attached to the offer presented to the union membership, the company said the contract would result in cumulative wage increases of 18.7 percent over the life of the contract.
The company's proposal states the average base pay of UAW 218 employees is about $57,830, not including overtime, a figure that would rise to about $68,650 under the contract terms.
An 11.7 percent increase in the pension multiplier from $60 a month per year of service to $67 would take effect for employees who retire after Sept. 1.
Under the expired contract, Bell offered employees a choice of three different health plans, including two HMOs. Two of the plans required no employee contribution to the premium. The one plan required a maximum $20 weekly premium contribution for an employee with more than one dependant.
The rejected contract offered one HMO, but the employee’s share of the premium for family coverage ould have increased from $20 per week to $75. The result would be a $2,860 increase in the employee's cost, which union members said would have pretty well wiped out their ratification bonus after taxes were deducted.
The other three "consumer driven health plans" offered by Bell required employee premium contributions ranging from about $10 a week for an employee and family up to $36 a week depending on the deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket employee costs.
The company did include a provision to pay employees up to $300 a year for participating in a wellness program. And two plans included provisions for company-funded health spending accounts.
http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/1432781.html
"I was very disappointed in my (bargaining) committee because they said to buy this contract,' said Zachary Stokes, a material handler.
It shows how out of touch with reality the UAW workers have become. They need to look around and see the hungry hoards of workers ready to pounce on any job that comes along. Those jobs will be premium fodder for the out or work. If I was one of the smart 680 workers that voted for that contract, I would have to cross the picket line. I have never myself crossed any picket line in my life. This bunch of idiots are not being reasonable. How much do the skilled people make if the average is $57k including the janitor category they would like to eliminate? A janitor making over $12 per hour in TX is highly over paid. If that is your goal in life to be a janitor, you should expect to live at below the poverty level.
I know it's not a job to aspire to, but sometimes I think our janitor is the hardest working guy in our building! And I have no idea what he makes...but probably not UAW wages!
I agree, Gary.
I wonder just how much training is needed to be a material handler? What scarce, hard-to-obtain skill set is needed that warrants that kind of hourly wage?
I can tell you, as that was one of my first jobs at Pacific Telephone. VERY LITTLE training required. Even the forklift training was about 10 minutes reading the safety manual back in 1962. It is amazing that all these over paid UAW workers have been under the radar for so long. Now with a totally pro labor Congress and President they are being exposed for what they are. OVERPAID UNSKILLED WORKERS. I find that amazing that they survived all through the Reagan-Bush era to be shot down by Barry Obama. :P
The UAW will be lucky to have 200k members by 2012.
PS
I made $64.50 per week as a material handler (warehouseman) in 1962. How much did a UAW member make back then. A lot more would be my guess.
Our gang of friends recently had a temporary extra...he was unemployed, and he told us he formerly worked for Ford as a "welder"...so, one of us, not me, took him into town to see if he could find him a job, as the construction company he worked for needed a welder, so the fit seemed perfect...
When sent to the back room, the guy had no idea what to do with the rods, tanks, flame, ANYTHING...it turns out that what he did for Ford was wait until the material was aligned, and then he pushed a button and a robot performed the weld...
He thought of himself as a welder...we came to understand that he pushed a button to start a pre-programmed process...almost the same as flipping a switch to turn on a light, and calling oneself an electrician...
Now, can anybody tell me how long it took them to train him to push this button???...is THIS what rocky calls the "skilled laborers of the UAW???"...because now we know what THEY call skilled, and now we know what a NORMAL person calls skilled, and pushing a button just does not cut it for "skilled labor"...this is nothing more than a sham...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
they want me to think they are intelligent???...
The cheap dumping of steel was done to America. To conclude that it was unions, is just not reality. There are unions in just about all the major airlines. The auto industry is a doomed situation. The Koreans already have a 10% stake and Chindia has plans. Toyota and or Honda would be doing good to have a niche share of the market, such as Apple's MAC does.
Lets see some intellectual honestly!!!
They tried a non-UAW plant in the pan handle of Texas. This is highly skilled labor we are speaking of. So thats an issue. It ain't as if you could use day labor to replace these union brothers and sisters. There is a thing called the learning curve. When the Suburban was first made in Mexico in 2000, it was the lemon of the year. It took 5 years to get them folks up to speed. Sony and Mitsubishi went to Mexico too. No sooner where their televisions appearing in repair shops. The learning curve is fact. Again, would you want to be the first to fly on the scab-copter? This dog won't hunt. Enough with they simple minded sixty second solutions to complex problems. A smart man would get all the facts prior to passing judgment.
Better check your sources there. I bought a brand new Suburban in June 1998. It was built in Mexico. Which I did not realize until the dealer here pointed it out to me. It was a great vehicle the 7+ years I owned it.
The smart guys are the 680 UAW guys that voted against striking Bell. Your beloved UAW leaders told the members to accept the contract. The so called skilled material handlers and janitors voted to not accept the contract. The UAW members are not acting rational in this economic climate. I don't believe for a second that any job in that plant would take more than 3 months training. Most would be productive by going home time the first day. Your arguments are not at all convincing.
If there is a learning curve in the UAW jobs, why was my 2005 GMC put together so sloppy? The dealer could never get the doors to shut properly? That was near the end of the model run. You will have a hard time convincing many here that the UAW jobs are highly skilled workers. Whether they are building cars or helicopters. Maybe tool and die makers if they are even in the UAW.
My last five vehicles in a row have all been clean, low mileage, well maintained, used Suburbans. I usually always get a quarter of a million miles out of them with no major motor or transmission repairs. My love affair with Suburbans has soured considerably after purchasing the wife a Mexican made 99 model in December of 2000. We found it clean as a whistle with some 33k miles on it but we were soon disappointed when one thing after another started falling apart or failing. The brakes have never really felt right even after an old friend and life long brake expert did the best he could with it short of replacing everything. Had to have the tranny rebuilt at 110k miles. Electronic fuel pump, radiator, starter, alternator, you name it, it's been one thing after another. I expect to have to do some repairs when I buy a used vehicle but this is the first Sub that I felt like I got burned on.
Now that gas is 3 bucks plus per gallon, I'm shrinkin' down to a mini van for work so I just sold my '93 (made in Canada) Sub with 240k miles on it. I bought it in 96 and it was ten times the truck that the '99 is. Never once did any major motor or tranny work on it and it still ran great when I let it go (and what a set of brakes, thanks to the same friend!!!)
I was quite surprised to find that there were so few negative reports on the Mexican made 99's because I know I'm not the only dissatisfied customer. Don't believe everything you read folks. I dare say that most of the people who wrote the reviews below this one have little or no real automotive repair knowledge, and they just bought their first Suburbans.
http://www.autoworld.com/news/Chevrolet/New_Suburban.htm
http://auto-recalls.justia.com/CHEVROLET-SUBURBAN-2000.html
http://www.autosafety.org/search/node/2000%20suburban
http://www.ohiolemonlaw.com/safety-recall-24.shtml
http://lemon.onecle.com/chevrolet/chevrolet-suburban.html
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2000/Chevrolet/Suburban