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I'm guessing the powers that want to see unions being busted can be served better by portraying union members as uneducated overpaid drunks. i'd bet in most cases that's hardly the truth, but it works to poison peoples minds against unions. it makes you wonder which union will be next on the hit list.



once the downward spiral of wages starts it will eventually affect a lot of other people who depend on union members for their incomes. i think it's a slippery slope to fall for. if costs for basic necessities keep going up and wages get pushed down then you have a situation where a lot of the middle class will begin to disappear.



if you buy into the argument that cutting wages will cut costs the general public pays, then it makes sense that if a linemans wages are cut electrical costs will drop. the same with the building trades, housing will get cheaper. oil workers our diesel drops etc..... maybe take a look at white collar workers and their wages and failings before screwing over the little guys. sure, some things the uaw has are excessive and can be cut and those things are what should be on the table.



disclaimer; my buddys father (deceased) was in the supply side for gm and retired and got his pension. but he's the only uaw member i knew. however, i wasn't jealous of his good fortune and i won't be jealous of the present wages the uaw makes and say they make too much money. that's just wrong. my . 02

ken
 
It is obvious that Tratorat has not done any research but has used Fox as his knowledge base. The only people who make $73. 00 per hour is not working as an hourly employee for the auto industry. My guess is Tratorat has never been in an auto plant and does not realize that many jobs there are difficult at best and dangerous at worst.

Fred
 
No, I havent been in an auto plant. But, I've been in a truck plant which, I think, is probably pretty close. And, of course. I dont think that anyone really thinks that the UAW members are taking home $73/hour. But, the benefits push it up to where it is twice what their counterparts make.



A job is worth just so much. And with the strength the UAW has had over the years, their benefit package for what they do is just way out of line.



Yes, unions have thier place. But the UAW just got too strong and has killed the auto industry in America. And it is just plain greed. I dont know what the educational requirement to work for an auto mfg. But, I bet is isnt anywere close to what my daughter had to get to become a CPA. Or what my son in law got to become a highly skilled mechanic for Mercedes.



Even my father in law who was a union structural iron worker for 40 years is very anti UAW union. (BTW, structural ironworkers work the high iron walking on narrow little beams with no safety net) A little more dangerous than what your average UAW worker puts up with.
 
I would be curious As to what tractorat does for a living. Sounds like a bit of envy towards the union workers who make a living wage and have a few benefits.

As a union shop steward for a large skilled union. I have done my home work Unions are what made this country what they are today are the unions perfect no not all of them are. Does my union have problems Yes do all unions have problems Yes I could cite cases where large companies broke unions only to lose profits and have accident rates go up many of these companies have gone back to unions to save costs. and tractorat you are sadly mistaken that if the unions fall the good ole USA will be much better off. it would be the dream of every major corporation to have everybody working for 8 dollars an hour. when the unions fall there will be a loss of the middle class in America it will be just the have and have nots the rich and the poor A true world economy. Why do you think all the Illegal Immigrants come here because we have it much better than those 3rd world countries. When the unions fall we will become one of those 3rd world countries. maybe you should study the labor movement in US history.

I mean no disrespect towards you Tractorat. I just think that you are misinformed.

I wish you and your family a safe holiday season.

chris
 
ChrisOlson,

Please don't misunderstand me. I am NOT anti union. The unions have their place. Without the unions, the power would be on the other side and we would be discussing a different kind of problem. My point is the UAW got just too strong. That has equated to too high a cost for labor. In Detroit, they have management by the gonads. And, as far as that management goes, they just give themselves healthy pay raises to far exceed what their compensation should be.



I dont want all unions to fail. But I would like to see the UAW broken and then rebuilt. But with realistic demands. And maybe a little better idea of who is giving them their jobs.



BTW, I have a guy that has done construction projects for me around my house (deck, roof, etc). His is a union shop, and I would not use his company if it were not union. I know that his union guys are all skilled tradesman, and have a good work ethic that, I believe, is instilled by the union. I would not even consider a carpenter, etc that was not union.



I think that a lot of people that belong to a union have decided that, if someone complains about a particular union that is out of control, they are condeming all unions. And I can assure you that is not the case.



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well.



Mike
 
I agree with Tractorat. The UAW is much too strong today. I personally believe that we don't need unions any longer, however if we must have them, they need to be scaled way back. I believe the foreign auto worker in the US do just fine with out the union.
 
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