lookinforwalleye Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Don't get me started either. Even though I have plenty of time to do so, because I'm off work due to an injury that occurred off the job…and I'm still getting nearly full pay. I happen to work for a company that is unionized, but I'm sure that has nothing to do with the short-term disability coverage I am currently making use of. Probably the folks at Walmart and the like have the same plan, as most employers would eagerly offer to cover such an expense out of the kindness of the hearts, and not because it's their obligation under some sort of collective bargaining agreement. I have full disability coverage too without a union! Since you like unions so much tell us all about how the unions helped bring America's largest corporation too it knees and then beg for Billions to save their jobs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danc Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I have full disability coverage too without a union! Since you like unions so much tell us all about how the unions helped bring America's largest corporation too it knees and then beg for Billions to save their jobs! And then you can tell us all how they got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 My wife works PT at No Frill and she is union and still makes minimum wage and the union is there every week collecting there dues and trust me these employees get nothing from the union for their dues, don`t get me started on unions! i worked under the same union through food basics. they are NOT a good example of a union by any means, but the fact that your wife makes min. wage etc. is not the fault of the union, it's the employer. in order to get around paying a decent full time wage, the majority of their staff IS part time, because they can LEGALLY pay them less. they also don't have to provide them with benefits. my particular store would work us at almost full time hours (at just above min. wage), then suddenly drop our hours to maintain part time status. outside of department heads, there are hardly any full time jobs left in that industry. people wonder why the service industry has gone to hell. maybe it's because the people in it aren't paid enough to care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I am a union crane operator. I make a fair wage, pay into a good pension and have a great benefits package. What is wrong with that? Many of the non union wages have the union to thank because those companies have to remain competitive with the union rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danc Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I am a union crane operator. I make a fair wage, pay into a good pension and have a great benefits package. What is wrong with that? Many of the non union wages have the union to thank because those companies have to remain competitive with the union rate. Right on Grimace. A little research will tell you that unions are responsible for the middle class, which allow you to do things such as..... Hmmmmmmm.... go fishing for example. Unions are disappearing. So is the middle class. Coincidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Right on Grimace. A little research will tell you that unions are responsible for the middle class, which allow you to do things such as..... Hmmmmmmm.... go fishing for example. Unions are disappearing. So is the middle class. Coincidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I would suggest Unions are a major contributing factor in the death of the middle class, seen Detroit lately. Hows that nice Union town doing, got a spare couple hundred bucks you can buy a whole neighbourhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danc Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I would suggest Unions are a major contributing factor in the death of the middle class, seen Detroit lately. Hows that nice Union town doing, got a spare couple hundred bucks you can buy a whole neighbourhood. I can go on and on, but I won't. You win with your disability benefit. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Am I glad I slept through this one,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outllaw Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Sadly to say. We went from Wal-mart to unions. Frustration seems to be folks truly want a decent product, and decent wage and benefit packages. Why not truly adress the real issues. Global trade and our wants,aka goverment borrowing ,has placed north america to bow down to cheaper imports.Truthfully the organised labour haters,would jump at the chance for a decent wage and benefit package..it used to be 1 wage would suffice for families. ist. it OUR wants before our needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I can go on and on, but I won't. You win with your disability benefit. lol Thank-you Dan you may return to your regularly scheduled programing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishnwire Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I have full disability coverage too without a union! Do you think that's the case with most workers, or is it that you are fortunate enough to have something that most do not? I don't know what you do for a living, but I'm a tradesman and can tell you that working for a unionized company almost certainly involves receiving better compensation, higher safety standards, and greater job security, than working for a non-unionized one. As another poster asked, "What's wrong with that?" - Also...I wonder if because so many non-unionized employees had things like disability coverage, it become reasonable for unionized employees to start asking for it...or if it happened the other way around? - If you don't want to belong to a union...I could care less. Other than to wish you good fortune, I'm genuinely unconcerned with what agreements you have with your employer, or how you reached them. Why is it so hard for others to feel the same way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 The town I live in (Sault Ste. Marie) would not be here and would have no middle class if it weren't for the Steelworkers unions. We also would not have the Group Health Centre, a provincial model for health care delivery. People who waste precious energies hating on unionized labour should not judge OTHER people for wanting to address the shortcomings of their employer. "Corporations don't get rich by being fair" http://www.ghc.on.ca/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishnwire Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I would suggest Unions are a major contributing factor in the death of the middle class, seen Detroit lately. Hows that nice Union town doing, got a spare couple hundred bucks you can buy a whole neighbourhood. Do you mean those whole neighbourhoods that were only built in the first place because of the existance of tens of thousands of people earning a good working-class wage who were all laid off because they wouldn't do their jobs as cheaply as starving people in other countries? Blaming workers for the problems facing their economy is like blaming soldiers for the bullets that are fired at them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Unions are good in the private sector but NOT in the public sector like those who are taking us to the cleaners in NYS....they make more money and get the BEST benefits AND tax FREE pensions without having to compete with another company....our taxes are the highest in the nation and MANY MANY MANY corporations have moved out of NYS taking their jobs with them to avoid all the taxes imposed on them.....now tell me how good public unions are....I am all EARS for this one. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 i suppose the auto/banking industry had nothing to do with their own demise... i guess that's why they received bonuses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) Unions are good in the private sector but NOT in the public sector like those who are taking us to the cleaners in NYS....they make more money and get the BEST benefits AND tax FREE pensions without having to compete with another company....our taxes are the highest in the nation and MANY MANY MANY corporations have moved out of NYS taking their jobs with them to avoid all the taxes imposed on them.....now tell me how good public unions are....I am all EARS for this one. Bob as a former canadian public servant i will say this is not true on our side unless you are talking the top 10% of the public service. personally, i left the public sector because the wages are not up to par with the private sector, and because i was on contract, my benefits were non-existent. i WISH CUPE had the testicular fortitude to stick up for guys like me in the "entitled" public service. Edited January 29, 2011 by Dr. Salvelinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 as a former canadian public servant i will say this is not true on our side unless you are talking the top 10% of the public service. personally, i left the public sector because the wages are not up to par with the private sector, and because i was on contract, my benefits were non-existent. i WISH CUPE had the testicular fortitude to stick up for guys like me in the "entitled" public service. Our public sector is completely out of control....the police have found a loop hole in their contract that the last 2 or 3 years before they retire they work all the overtime they can and it can boost their pension more then the regular pay.....so all the guys not up for retirement would turn down the overtime and give it to the older guys getting ready for retirement.....our new governor is suppose to look into this as this was just one of his platform items when he was running...but we all know how this just gets forgotten over time. When ANY NYS public sector employee retires their pension is FREE of ANY NYS taxes....oh, they only pay into their pension system for the first 10 years and after that the taxpayer pays ALL cost....I could go on and on and on and on and on.......just plain corrupt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 do you think the DEC is hiring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) do you think the DEC is hiring? Here is just a small sample of what is going on.......(for some reason the search feature on the Buffalo News is not working)... http://www.wben.com/-261-000-a-year-in-retirement--NYS-Pension-Data-On/7489367 I believe they are hiring. Edited January 29, 2011 by Billy Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) The non union workers can thank the unions for everything they get because they have to at least try to compete with the union rate and benefits (to which they still are not). The media and corporate interests have everybody believing that the unions are bringing the industries down but as was previously mentioned that it has more to do with the fact that factories can pump out a lot of garbage products in China for very cheap. How are those workers doing you ask? Well what do you hear about human rights, freedom of speech, democracy and quality of life in China? Negative things I am sure. Mexican factories are closing down and moving to china because $1.75 per hour is just too much to pay for these corporations. Are the horrible unions in Mexico that are demanding $1.75 per hour ruining it? Or are the greedy corporations squeezing until there is nothing left? If the guys at a GM plant in Michigan were making $2 per hour and they moved the plant to China would you then say. Oh look the bloody union tried to suck too much out of the company. Edited January 29, 2011 by Grimace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 The non union workers can thank the unions for everything they get because they have to at least try to compete with the union rate and benefits (to which they still are not). This is something that people find hard to understand, for some reason. The other mind-set that seems to be difficult to break is that businesses operate with their workers' interests as a significant consideration. Businesses are first and foremost about making money and providing their owners and management with a good return. Workers are often treated as a necessary evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Do you mean those whole neighbourhoods that were only built in the first place because of the existance of tens of thousands of people earning a good working-class wage who were all laid off because they wouldn't do their jobs as cheaply as starving people in other countries? Blaming workers for the problems facing their economy is like blaming soldiers for the bullets that are fired at them. You win god bless the unions!!! Lets go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunkerbasshunter Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Walmart is a customer of mine. I also work for a company that is owned by a walton. What they created was what society wanted. If people didnt want lower prices on items they never would have survived. All they do is provide items that people want to buy at lower prices. And it was society that drove them to buy chinese product. They did not wake up one day and say hey lets go to china to get our product. Manufacturers brought them product that was cheaper then what we could make here. If you think Walmart was to blame for manufacturing and small business going down in north america your wrong the people that shop walmart are to blame. All Walmart did was provide a service that people wanted. I know many of there employees at head office and at store level and although they have there issues like most major corporations they all say they get treated fairly as long as you do your work. Some managers make some really good money and they have some decent benefits and holidays. Better then alot of companies. Anyway CPH I am glad that they can help make you some extra cash. Overtime is almost a part of the way things go now a days in the working world. I bet majority of us on this board put in our overtime weekly Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 All I can say is DanC and I agree to disagree,we have had this battle. Life goes on. And yes let go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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