Pine Barrens Mafia Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 38,000 white collar workers at GM to lose their jobs becaus of this kind of Union greed: "Analysts have long expected that GM would be forced to seek major concessions from the United Auto Workers on issues as fundamental as head count, capacity and benefits. For example, GM’s unionized workers currently pay nothing for health insurance." Pay NOTHING for health insurance? RIDICULOUS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Who cares? I got my free health insurance so screw the evil corporations. Let the CEO pay some out of his pocket. That'll solve the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Who cares? I got my free health insurance so screw the evil corporations. Let the CEO pay some out of his pocket. That'll solve the problem. 282070[/snapback] It's kinda' like pro sports to me. Is labor being overly greedy, or is it not their fault since they just took what the dumbass owners offered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tux of Borg Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Perhaps GM should get advice from the NHL owners on how to crush a union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNRed Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Just stop building factories in the United States. Problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Just stop building factories in the United States. Problem solved. 282100[/snapback] As consumers, we've been working diligently towards that goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 It's kinda' like pro sports to me. Is labor being overly greedy, or is it not their fault since they just took what the dumbass owners offered? 282076[/snapback] I agree that management/owners are often stupid and shortsighted but the deck is rigged against them by the anti collusion laws. If the owners in sports balk at paying higher salaries, the union runs to court and wins. See baseball in the 1980s. The other problem with corporate management is that they know the federal government will eagerly bail them out of their mistakes and their union giveaways. The federal government through the PBGC has assumed the obligation for funding BILLIONS of dollars of private pensions. This is one of the biggest scams pulled over on the American taxpayer and it gets zero coverage. Here's a press release from just the other day.....PBGC is assuming just one of UAL's pensions with an unfunded amount of $2.9 billion. Your tax dollars at work. http://www.pbgc.gov/news/press_releases/2005/pr05_30.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Perhaps GM should get advice from the NHL owners on how to crush a union. 282080[/snapback] Great idea! With the money we'll all save on buying cheaper vehicles made by scab labor, we'll all be able to afford reduced-price season tickets to watch scab hockey players! There is a certain synergy to that, isn't there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Great idea! With the money we'll all save on buying cheaper vehicles made by scab labor, we'll all be able to afford reduced-price season tickets to watch scab hockey players! There is a certain synergy to that, isn't there? 282117[/snapback] Works for me. I always support guys who are willing to go to work over those who are too greedy and arrogant to do the same just because they unilaterally think they deserve more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted March 21, 2005 Author Share Posted March 21, 2005 Works for me. I always support guys who are willing to go to work over those who are too greedy and arrogant to do the same just because they unilaterally think they deserve more money. 282136[/snapback] Apparently the concept of capitalism is foreign to the left. Who knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobody Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Great idea! With the money we'll all save on buying cheaper vehicles made by scab labor, we'll all be able to afford reduced-price season tickets to watch scab hockey players! And you'll be able to buy even more items at walmart that are made in china. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 38,000 white collar workers at GM to lose their jobs becaus of this kind of Union greed: "Analysts have long expected that GM would be forced to seek major concessions from the United Auto Workers on issues as fundamental as head count, capacity and benefits. For example, GM’s unionized workers currently pay nothing for health insurance." Pay NOTHING for health insurance? RIDICULOUS! 282003[/snapback] Hmmm, Joe. I'm guessing that the CEO and other bigwigs at GM pay nothing for their health insurance. They also have golden parachutes that probably include HI for life as well. You probably think that's OK though, right? God forbid that anyone who does work for a living and doesn't sit around a board room trading golf stories and smoking $100 Montecristo's should benefit from the profits of the company they work for. A travesty! Now with the cost of health care skyrocketing because of the lack of government regulations, companies don't want to pay anymore. With the Pharmaceuticals in Bush's back pocket, this is unlikely to change. That the richest country in the world cannot control medical costs is inexcuseable. So go ahead and keep consuming the conservative drivel that the blame lies with average people, not the greedy health insurance, Pharmacuetical industries . The middle class is quickly becoming a thing of the past. If companies could pay sri lanka wages with no benefits in the US you'd bet they would in a new york second. This is why we need Unions. It probably wasn't that long ago that this type of health benefit was quite common. You act as though it is unheard of. It is, where there are no unions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 And you'll be able to buy even more items at walmart that are made in china. 282521[/snapback] Win-win-win!! Woo-hoo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyLee Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 If anti-union Joe Schmoe loses his current non-union job that paid $16.50 an hour and is out looking for a new job and knows a trade and is offered a great paying job @ $32.50 an hour with fantastic benefits in a union shop, how many of you honestly think he would say "no thanks"? It ain't gonna happen. Especially if he has mouths to feed. I wonder how many anti-unionites would change their tune if they ever found themselves in this situation. I'm willing to bet more than would admit. Contrary to popular belief around here, not all unions are bad. A lot of you seem to forget that contracts are negotiated by both parties. Yes, there have been some notoriously stupid concessions made on both sides of the coin, but remember, it takes two to tango. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 My favorite is the "American Federation of Television and Radio Artists." For obvious reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tux of Borg Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 To quote the famous philosopher Ninja Nate, "I think, therefore I am anti-union." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 If anti-union Joe Schmoe loses his current non-union job that paid $16.50 an hour and is out looking for a new job and knows a trade and is offered a great paying job @ $32.50 an hour with fantastic benefits in a union shop, how many of you honestly think he would say "no thanks"? It ain't gonna happen. Especially if he has mouths to feed. I wonder how many anti-unionites would change their tune if they ever found themselves in this situation. I'm willing to bet more than would admit. Contrary to popular belief around here, not all unions are bad. A lot of you seem to forget that contracts are negotiated by both parties. Yes, there have been some notoriously stupid concessions made on both sides of the coin, but remember, it takes two to tango. 282568[/snapback] Agreed. That in a sense is what happened to me. I recall being anti -union from my first job in a supermarket when I was in HIgh School at 17. It was a union grocery store and I didn't see it as doing anything but taking part of my (slim) paycheck. I never gave it much thought as I never had another union job. My tune changed when I voluntarily left my salaried middle management position at a well known communications company for the greener pastures of a union job . The benefits and pay are far superior and I feel I am more productive and effective. Morale is a big part of performance, and my prior employer constantly took benefits away over the years. A lot of them were not even huge things, but still you felt unvalued. It turns out that the former owners of that company were running it into the ground in a highly publicized case of corporate greed. They could easily have afforded to keep these benefits, but it was cutting too much into their fun money for extravagent purchases. But I now like unions, as I see how little employers want to give to their hard workers. I like them because I benefit. That's as American as it gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac17 Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 But I now like unions, as I see how little employers want to give to their hard workers I don't think anybody here has a problem with giving to hard workers. The problem is when you own a business and have to pay some lazy jackass $40 to spend 30 seconds vacuuming your trade show booth. He doesn't deserve $40, period. Or when you get a brick thrown through your window because your last construction project didn't use union labor. Or when you are doing a training class for teachers and half of them get up mid-sentence and leave exactly at 3pm because that's the time their contract says they are done. Hey, I'm all for getting all you can get - just keep your mouth shut if you get canned because of your greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Just stop building factories in the United States. Problem solved. 282100[/snapback] Then never let them import back into the country or let the company do business here. I'd bet you see a whole new wave of in country start-ups? Of course we would have to survive the depression first. It might be good for us in the end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Works for me. I always support guys who are willing to go to work over those who are too greedy and arrogant to do the same just because they unilaterally think they deserve more money. 282136[/snapback] May I add? ...or think they should be paying less taxes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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