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Comments
Oh, I didn't realize you wanted cellular data, too.
My wife is looking at the Note II but will go unlocked with SimpleTalk - $45/mo unlimited.
Meanwhile, nobody answered my question about the UAW seeming to be quiet these days. Is anything going on or are they resigned to their new lot in life?
Must be taking a holiday breather and reallocating resources after all the election work.
Nah, not yet...
Interesting idea. Took a look. I think you meant Straight Talk at $45 per month. It does include unlimited minutes but they may shut you off for using too much data. Only works 3G all on AT&T network. The advantage to buying an unlocked device is the ease of taking advantage of just such deals.
http://gigaom.com/mobile/straight-talk-it-could-let-you-dump-att-or-t-mobile/
The UAW won the bankruptcy. They win in future gains from the administration in terms of union power and protection of their underfunded pension plans...
Why rock the boat when they're winning.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Laugh all you want, but with a land line, a 911 hang up call comes in and they know the name, address and phone no. as sood as it comes in. With a cell phone, until the GPS triangulates your position, all they know is what tower the call came from.
So, call 911 from your cell in an emergency, and have the call drop (the burglar grabs your phone and breaks it???). All they know is what tower it originated from.
What's funny is that there are still pay phones around the UP and they still work. Must be a union thing too.
That is exactly correct. In CA if you call from a cell phone it goes to Highway Patrol in Sacramento. You had better know your exact location to get help after it passes through several agencies. With a land line it goes direct to our local Fire station with all pertinent data. They dispatch paramedics immediately. We had such a situation with a lady collapsing at church. After 3 unsuccessful cell attempts at 911 someone drove to the fire station and got the paramedics. A girl with CPR training saved the ladies life. We had a land line installed the next week. If you are older it is the only way to go. If you qualify it costs next to nothing to have.
That's part of the obamaphone charges on every landline and cellphone bill from those paying the freight.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Yes, my mistake.
Let's get off the off-topic stuff shall we? Or perhaps this topic (the UAW in case you've forgotten) could use another breather, and we can dial it back up if and when something noteworthy occurs?
Probably keeps some kind of union people employed.
10/4/2012
DETROIT -- Ford and the UAW have reached a tentative deal.
A press conference is expected Tuesday afternoon to announce those details, but NBC25's sister station, WDIV-TV, reports the deal is expected to add 5,750 new jobs across the country at the end of next year. The report also says the agreement includes $16 billion of investment into new models and vehicle upgrades.
Early reports indicated that the four-year contract could be even better than General Motors’ deal with the United Auto Workers. The plan could also include profit sharing and wage increases.
Don't expect the Bakers to fare so well.
Hostess’s Last Shipment
One last load of baked cakes hit Anchorage
ANCHORAGE - There’s good news for fans of the Twinkie, Ho Ho and Ding Dong. Hostess may be selling off its assets nationwide, but a final shipment of the coveted cakes has just arrived in Alaska.
The Sunrise Bakery in Spenard isn’t baking anymore, but you wouldn’t have known it from the line of cars parked outside the retail store Monday. Inside, a line of customers scooped up boxes of Twinkies and other baked goods, packing them into their carts.
http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Hostesss-Last-Shipment-180928971.htm- l
Cheeze - I can't think of anything I would stand in lines like that for, much less a box of Twinkies.
As of January 2012
A nasty combination of rising health care costs and poor stock market performance has caused a drop in available funding for the UAWs Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, according to documents filed in October with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The trust pays for health care benefit costs for 840,000 retired autoworkers and their dependents that currently amount to $4.5 billion each year.
The fund has net assets of $58.8 billion and total benefit obligations of $79 billion, resulting in a $20.2 billion shortfall, said the UAW documents.
Then we have people lined up to buy the last of the Twinkies. What a sick country we are becoming.
I think the idea is that it's hard to hook a land line up to a homeless person's shopping cart. :P
This might be a PR action ahead of some organizing down in Alabama:
Detroit union backs Hyundai, Maruti workers (The Economic Times)
That is wishful thinking. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out in India. The UAW is used to extorting BIG Bucks from members and company.
Is the UAW looking to organize Illegal Immigrants? What don't they understand about our Federal laws against hiring an illegal immigrant?
Bob King of UAW Joins National Labor Leaders in Speaking Out Against Alabama’s Anti-Immigrant Law
National labor leaders have come out in strong opposition to Alabama’s “show me your papers” anti-immigration law, noting the disturbing parallels with Alabama’s civil rights history and calling on the state to repeal its divisive law.
http://americasvoiceonline.org/press_releases/bob_king_of_uaw_joins_national_lab- or_leaders_in_speaking_out_against_alabam/
Those plants are in India.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Cue the Pete Seeger tape.
I don't think they are that dumb in the South. Probably smarter than their UAW counterparts to the North. The thing in the RTW states is you get upset with the Union, you just quit paying dues and they are still obligated to represent you. WIN WIN for the Workers.
That sort of makes sense.
Auto workers in Chindia organize
Said auto workers negotiate higher wages
Higher wages in Chindia reduce the incentive to locate plants there
Higher wages in Chindia may make it more attractive to bring work back to the US
More auto work in the US means the potential for more UAW members
I'd bet a survey would find 0% are aware of the effort--unless the UAW has had members or paid solicitors passing out flyers in the community, assuming the plant won't allow them on their property. Alabama workers aren't going to see the info on the news or internet.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
A good friend of his works for UPS down there and he gets real upset if you speak ill of unions.
Sounds a lot like Michigan. :shades:
I bet the father and son have some fun conversations over the dinner table. :shades:
The truth is somewhere between the extremes eh?
They make em' an offer they can't refuse :shades: .
The truth is between public and private Unions. I may not like the UAW for what they have done over the years to GM and the others. I still defend their right to exist. I don't believe that Public employees should have the right to exist. There is no protection of the tax payers in the contracts they get. The people approving the contracts have little to lose and a lot to gain. There needs to be a Constitutional amendment to outlaw Public Employee Unions.
It is like letting your children decide how much allowance they get. Just one of many corrupt aspects of our Federal, State and City governments. I was glad to see Wisconsin stand up to those Public Employee thugs. They are bankrupting CA cities, counties and soon the State. Their pension is $300 Billion under funded. Will Obama bail out CALPers?
An employee has the right to not join the union or resign from it if employed in a union shop. They are still entitled to the negotiated benefits of the contract but may not get union only benefits.
Right. A RTW state does not outlaw or prohibit unions. They just prevent the unions from making a worker join.
Which matches the Federal 1947 Taft Hartley Act. We have a friend that has worked for the SSI department going on 30 years. Never joined the Union. If every state would pass RTW it would keep the Unions a little more honest.
“We need Union members hitting the streets signing Riordan’s petition with fake names/addresses and gathering retraction signatures from LA residents on our own petition. We need people power starting this Saturday.”
On Nov. 20, after reports on the attempt to illegally manipulate the signature-gathering process, SEIU leaders quickly disavowed Kim’s email and declared it a “non-issue.”
But given that Kim was rebuked by the SEIU only after his email became known to the media, it was hardly a persuasive disavowal. And to proponents of the measure, it was hardly a “non-issue.” On Monday, Riordan dropped his push for pension change, saying he no longer believed he could meet the Dec. 28 deadline he had set to gather 265,000 valid signatures –- even though public sentiment in favor of pension reductions is strong.
http://www.calwatchdog.com/2012/11/29/the-union-assault-covert-and-overt-on-dire- ct-democracy/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook
And thanks to Police unions many CA cities are bankrupt and without protection.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/11/30/city-attorney-tells-san-bernardino-res- idents-to-lock-their-doors-load-their-guns-because-of-police-downsizing/
Now, it appears they are much more sleazy than anything. I believe they try to organize illegals, which is just as bad as hiring one.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the SEIU knowingly had illegal immigrants in its ranks and, instead of working to comply with the law, actively worked to keep illegal immigrants in the country.
According to SEIU Local 26′s 2009 financial reports on file with the Department of Labor, dues charged to workers are between $26 and $47.50 per month, or an average of $36.75 per month.
It is safe to assume that the 240 undocumented workers were paying mandatory union dues to the SEIU and, at $36.75, the SEIU was making nearly $9,000 per month–well over $100,000 per year–from these workers until they were caught.
It is still remarkable how the SEIU (and other unions) are allowed to exploit illegal immigrants and not be prosecuted as they are no better than the immigrant traffickers. They are America’s coyotes.
http://www.laborunionreport.com/portal/2011/03/americas-coyotes-seiu-loses-membe- rs-in-immigration-audit/
Found the source on this - that includes benefits and overtime and only 2 actually made that much. IMHO it's a lot of money but it's the exception, not the rule.
City managers making half a million or more.
What do CEO's make running similar size corporations?
Coaches making $2 million
That I will agree with but it's usually only the top sport coaches making that kind of money. Saw a story recently on 60 Minutes about the top college football programs bringing in about 75% of the revenue needed to fund all collegiate sport programs. Michigan football pulls in $90 million a year from the football program and more than supports itself and other sports that have a $133 million budget.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50135410n
Yes the over paid lifeguards are the exception. Problem is CA has way too many exceptions to the rule in every area of public service. CA has hundreds of departments, agencies etc with many of the top people making more than the President of the USA. All those people are banking on a FAT pension and gold plated HC when they retire. CALPers is currently underfunded by $300 BILLION. Money the actuaries expect the tax payers to come up with. No mention that they miscalculated their ROI. The entire State Government is top heavy with WASTE. Time to cut the FAT, and we end up with a Super Majority of tax and spend Democrats. The state is going down. Several major cities are already in bankruptcy with others close behind. Including Los Angeles.
I blame it on a system that allows the Public Employee unions too much power at election time.
http://www.sacbee.com/statepay/
I don't even think it's that high. I think only about 6, maybe 10 of the very biggest football programs bring in more to their school than the program costs. Michigan, Univ of Texas, Alabama, etc. The rest are basically money losers for the schools, some more so than others.
UCLA football coach Jim Moira is paid over $2 million a year to coach a football team that brings in $17 million a year just in television rights. Big time college football is giant circle with good coaches attracting top talent who attract students who want to be part of the experience who become alums who buy tickets and merchandise who someday may write big checks to pay for a building or a stadium.
In reality, athletics is a one component of the college experience. Without them, few schools would attract top students that aren't athletes. Even MIT, Case Western and Carnegie Mellon all have athletic teams. I'm sure those are all money losers for those schools.
BTW - I have little interest in college football. I'd rather watch college lacrosse.
That's typically in the big D1 sports - mostly football. You'll see pockets of that for baseball in the south and west, hockey in the northeast and upper mid west and lacrosse on the east coast.
The only D1 programs I know that aren't like that are the Ivy League schools. There are no athletic scholarships and all student-athletes must maintain a high GPA to stay on the team. I spoke with one head coach who told me his goal is an average gpa of 3.6 on his team.
But back to unions - should college football players organize for better pay?