I have to temper my feeling towards the unions by asking myself, Would I turn down $35 an hour to sweep floors when the bosses are making up to $15 to $20 million or more a year while the company loses money?
Figures lie and liars figure. The UAW always says $28 an hour because that is what the current workers average in actual wages and the big 3 always says $70 an hour because that is what the labor contact costs them per hour worked. The government does a similar thing. As a military member I make X dollars a year. But, every year, the government sends me a letter telling me I really make Y dollars a year because of all the potential benefits I get that are not included in my actual pay...whether I really use all those benefits or not. Their Y figure is both right and wrong as is the X figure that is my real pay. I see X but the average cost to them is Y. The real value of my compensation is somewhere between those 2 numbers.
Whether it's $28/hr, $70/hr or something in between, the fact is the unions have extorted the Big 3 into paying a wage much, much higher than the prevailing wage. The unions bullied & mgmt bowed to the pressure. There is enough blame to go around but all the problems can be traced directly to the union contracts.
All that will be fixed real quickly when bankruptcy nullifies all union contracts. Unions killed the golden egg laying goose.
The prevailing wage? $5.50 per hour? Is that what they should be making? You must agree that corporations would much rather pay $1.00 per hour and no benefits then they'd have bigger profits. Companies like GM dont do the right thing unless they are forced to. Dont you think you are worth more than what you earn?
I meant the prevailing wage for the auto manufacturing industry...Big 3 wages vs. the Toyota's, Nissan's, Hyundai's etc that are mfg'd in the US. And..if health insurance benefits were seperated from your employment, we would all be much better off. If the major health insurers were forced to be competitive the prices would come down dramatically!! And, actually, I am quite satisfied with my compensation. I believe you determine your own destiny. If you do a better job than your co-workers, you will be compensated. If you feel your wage structure is unfair, move on!!
It is satisfying to know you are satisfied. I hope that your satisfacation on what you earn now does not stay at what you earn now. I, for one, am always striving to do better. This isnt a slur on you
There is a lot of muddying of the water on this issue. The right wing media like to take isolated cases and generalize form it. I am no expert on this but I would like to see an honest unbiased analysis and comparison of Toyota workers vs UAW workers including things like cost of living where the plants are located.
ok this is a little long but here is something: to find it scroll down here: http://www.dailykos.com/
If the news is accurate, it is accurate regardless of the source. When we post Newsmax links, it applies there as well. If you don't like the message, it is not the messangers fault. DailyKos is a hard left site, Newsmax is hard right, but they both have broken some good stories.
The auto industry needs to bail itself out. Poor management and powerful unions are leading to their ultimate demise. So I should help pay for this? I live in the rust belt. I have seen this firsthand with the steel mills. I don't recall any huge bailouts for the steel mills. I recall a LOT of people losing jobs, benefits and pensions. This lead to a lot more people scrambling about here for jobs. ANY jobs. Some have done better than others. I don't wish these circumstances on anyone. I've seen it happen to fathers of my friends who put in LIFETIMES in the mills. Problem is while they were busy buying the nice cars, the boats etc nobody was paying attention to what was really going on. It hit, it hurt, and those living beyond their means "suffered" most. The auto indurstry is no different IMHO. Want to fix it? Start cutting costs with your own wages IF you want a job. I know unions have taken hits but they still have it SO much better than so many yet fail to realize it. It's when they lose the job, the benefits and pensions that it sinks in. Then finding a job when you know but ONE thing makes it worse. Some may know that I was employed as a painter/drywaller for 5 years when new housing was hot. I made the best money I ever have honestly. Did I go on spending jags? Nope, my mortgage was always paid 1-3 months in advance, my utilities always ahead and zero credit card debt. I did this and still managed to pay my taxes and have a decent (by my standards) coin budget. Well, that dried up and I was LUCKY enough to stumble into a job at a coin shop. I took a pay cut (which really sucks when you see coins all day), but still manage to get along. My wife was laid off a few weeks ago but should be back, with luck, by the new year. I watch my money and plan accordingly. I do what I have to so I can make ends meet. I don't look for handouts and isn't that basically what a bail out is? If I can do it than others can as well. I wish them luck and the sense to remove their heads from their butts.
I have been responsible with money as you have Clembo. I worked for... a petroleum company and made very good money. I did not have a family at the time, so I put all my money into nonsense like gold, coins etc. I saved more than 50% of my monthly take. But most people spend more than they earn. It is not hard. I mean, companies do it and get away with it, the government does it. Nobody has any discipline. Guess what... the Great Depression of 2008-2017 is coming. People, companies, and governments that were undisciplined are going to fall. And just like last time, it will end with a war.
