F-301066460puller Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 My financial problems come from my own poor life choices not the $ I make. I could live on less than half of what I make but 3 kids and 1 ex wife and 1 current wife make that impossible. Women are my problem and it's self inflicted lol 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
766 Man Posted September 16 Author Share Posted September 16 26 minutes ago, iowaboy1965 said: Never said you couldn't make it. Just meant today's dollar doesn't buy near what it did even 5 or 6 years ago. Inflation is very real and i suspect more than being reported. And as already said cost of living does vary form region to region. I try to spend 60 dollars or less at the grocery store each week but that is impossible anymore if I want to keep meat on my bones. Five years ago 60 dollars bought plenty of food plus I could buy ahead in terms of can goods, soaps, and forzen foods that would not be consumed that week. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binderoid Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 47 minutes ago, F-301066460puller said: My financial problems come from my own poor life choices not the $ I make. I could live on less than half of what I make but 3 kids and 1 ex wife and 1 current wife make that impossible. Women are my problem and it's self inflicted lol A good woman doesn’t necessarily guarantee a man success, but a bad one will definitely hold you back. Women are either partners or opponents. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKwelder Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 1 hour ago, acem said: I don't understand why some of y'all say you can't make it on $35 an hour??? The average person in Arkansas makes $29,000 per year according to the US census. That's less than $15 an hour. They make it. Many people in the US make less than $10 per hour and make it. Different costs for different regions. The cost of food, electricity, and other essentials is higher here than Arkansas. But you have to spend more to build a store here (insulation, snow load means stouter, trucking supplies in, more needs to be inside). Also there are not the economics of scale here. you results will vary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt_Floor_Poor Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 3 hours ago, masteinmann said: The plant was hot and the air had oil mist and fuzz in it. A lot of guys had joint issues from the repetitive motions. I assume a lot of people on here have a connection to agriculture, either past or present. Being in a union and coming on here and saying you need money because you work where it’s hot and your job will wear out your body is comical. I don’t really care what happens, but you’re preaching to the wrong crowd. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IH Forever Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 I will admit I haven’t read everything here, just skimmed. But I haven’t seen anyone mention the fact that the union wants to work 32 hours and be paid for 40. I could be sympathetic to the argument at a wealth differential between blue collar and corporate big wigs. But I loose all respect when they want more money but work only 32 hours/week. I would say there are many self made wealthy people who worked their a**es off for it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillman Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 1 hour ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said: I assume a lot of people on here have a connection to agriculture, either past or present. Being in a union and coming on here and saying you need money because you work where it’s hot and your job will wear out your body is comical. I don’t really care what happens, but you’re preaching to the wrong crowd. I thought the same thing when I saw that. Almost everyone on here is a farmer, mechanic ,truck driver and or a combination of those occupations Take a look at one of those guys from any of those occupations at 75 years old and get back to me, esp a guy who milked cows in a tie stall barn I often say to the wife" it sucks that making a living kills you!" 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-301066460puller Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 Also who works 40hrs a week? 8 hour day is a short day, 10 is the norm just because union shops close at 3:30 which limits my income potential. I get paid by mileage, weight and number of stops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 7 hours ago, 766 Man said: Because things don't cost the same in NY as they do in Arkansas. Or in Illinois. Sometimes consumers are their own worst enemy as they are willing to overpay for things such as homes and vehicles if they have a few bucks in their pockets. I would be willing to bet that those living on 10 dollars per hour give up certain items that make life more comfortable to live. Also, 10 dollars probably goes further in the mid-South where a snow shovel and milk house heater gets them through the winter where in Western NY if you own any amount of driveway and want to make it to work on time you need to own a snowblower plus you need to own a furnace and feed it whatever energy it requires. Nobody down here owns a snow shovel or blower. Just wait a until it melts. Usually that afternoon. Small heaters work in smaller houses here. The AC needs to be pretty big though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binderoid Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 1 hour ago, Ihfan4life said: Make Ukraine a state, then that fund will dry up. … or just call it Maui 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iowaboy1965 Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 43 minutes ago, Binderoid said: … or just call it Maui Aint no celebrity wanna live in maui-craine tho. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy WP Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 https://www.facebook.com/reel/1696168457500103?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=0NULKw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehammer Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 I am in a union (not autoworkers) and if he££ is 1/2 as hot as it gets where I am you wouldn’t want to go there. Cooler working conditions would always be nice but I don’t think that is much more than a small fraction of this. To be completely honest, I don’t like paying union dues every month and only participate for the group protection features it offers in bargaining for better wages. Just my take on things and OPINION only…. These people are wanting the union to work for them as they pay dues for such things. I do not know the ins and out of the demands at all and have not looked into any details in all honesty, but these people are used to making $XX per year. That same $XX doesn’t go nearly as far as it did 3 years ago. The person that is largely being blamed for this cost of living increase is supposedly very pro union in affiliation but when it comes down to the real numbers, union and non-union worker’s dollars are on average worth less than they were. The only thing the union gets them is the ability to work as a whole to fight what has been dumped on them. I heard they wanted a 40+% pay increase but cannot verify that. If so, would that be any different than a farmer claiming he/she made $30K in a year when they wrote off $60K in expenditures to keep from paying the taxes. Or better yet, claimed themselves as an employee and took covid relief bailouts for claimed lost wages when they work alone? I have an ag background and worked in the ag industry for many years before ending up where I am now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masteinmann Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 7 hours ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said: I assume a lot of people on here have a connection to agriculture, either past or present. Being in a union and coming on here and saying you need money because you work where it’s hot and your job will wear out your body is comical. I don’t really care what happens, but you’re preaching to the wrong crowd. I worked 50 hours a week at Ford and farmed. I've raised cattle and farrowed to finished hogs. The job allowed me to farm and start a family. From what I've been told these workers have not had a raise for the last 2 contracts. It seems they are asking for what management gave themselves. The supervisors probably want them to get the raise as their pay will also go up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 I'm not going to change anyone's opinions on unions so I won't even go there. My question is what percentage of a new vehicle is wages and benefits including funding current and future retirees? I don't think the USA can stomach car prices pushing higher. With interest rates where there at vehicles have become a major burden on middle income families. My truck left me sitting again the other day. It is tired. Browsed a bit for a better one. I looked at one. A 2018 Chevy 3500 single rear wheel. Asking $37000. It had 217000 miles on it and a decent amount of scratches/wear. Unreal. Going to continue running my 2002 for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
766 Man Posted September 17 Author Share Posted September 17 12 minutes ago, hobbyfarm said: I'm not going to change anyone's opinions on unions so I won't even go there. My question is what percentage of a new vehicle is wages and benefits including funding current and future retirees? I don't think the USA can stomach car prices pushing higher. With interest rates where there at vehicles have become a major burden on middle income families. My truck left me sitting again the other day. It is tired. Browsed a bit for a better one. I looked at one. A 2018 Chevy 3500 single rear wheel. Asking $37000. It had 217000 miles on it and a decent amount of scratches/wear. Unreal. Going to continue running my 2002 for now. That 2018 is not even worth 10,000 in normal times. It is unreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iowaboy1965 Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 15 minutes ago, hobbyfarm said: question is what percentage of a new vehicle is wages and benefits including funding current and future retirees I thought someone had figures of 5 to 10 % of vehicle cost is currently labor. I don't know what it would be if they got all they are asking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihfan4life Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 1 hour ago, hobbyfarm said: I'm not going to change anyone's opinions on unions so I won't even go there. My question is what percentage of a new vehicle is wages and benefits including funding current and future retirees? I don't think the USA can stomach car prices pushing higher. With interest rates where there at vehicles have become a major burden on middle income families. My truck left me sitting again the other day. It is tired. Browsed a bit for a better one. I looked at one. A 2018 Chevy 3500 single rear wheel. Asking $37000. It had 217000 miles on it and a decent amount of scratches/wear. Unreal. Going to continue running my 2002 for now. 2009, 4 wheel drive Silverado 2500 work truck, extended cab,crank up windows with 80,000 ish miles(?) bought in ‘13- $20,000 +-. Same truck today in my area $35-40,000. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt_Floor_Poor Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 1 hour ago, masteinmann said: I worked 50 hours a week at Ford and farmed. I've raised cattle and farrowed to finished hogs. The job allowed me to farm and start a family. From what I've been told these workers have not had a raise for the last 2 contracts. It seems they are asking for what management gave themselves. The supervisors probably want them to get the raise as their pay will also go up. The UAW can cry me a river. I get mailers from them all the time telling me who to vote for. I’m not talking about the members, but the UAW is helping cause the problems they complain about. It must be nice to spend big bucks on putting your cronies in power and then when it blows up in your face demand I pay more for vehicles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehammer Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 1 minute ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said: The UAW can cry me a river. I get mailers from them all the time telling me who to vote for. I’m not talking about the members, but the UAW is helping cause the problems they complain about. It must be nice to spend big bucks on putting your cronies in power and then when it blows up in your face demand I pay more for vehicles. Not trying to be a smart A but it has worked on a national scale only we are paying more for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt_Floor_Poor Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 9 minutes ago, Sledgehammer said: Not trying to be a smart A but it has worked on a national scale only we are paying more for everything. I just have little sympathy for them. I know some disagree and that’s ok. I don’t expect many minds will be changed, and that’s fine as long as the discussion is civil. Which it has been. There is a huge UAW presence around me because of the Kansas City assembly plant. My mailbox is stuffed with things from them urging me to support all the people who will only make it worse. I also have a very sour taste in my mouth because the UAW chose to strike at John Deere during harvest which they knew would maximize leverage. I could not get parts and had to park a combine to cannibalize parts to be able to keep the other machines running. They care about “the little guy” but used farmers as leverage for their demands. Who is paying all the increased labor costs at farm machinery assembly plants? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-301066460puller Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 Unions are only part of the problem. I don't blame a guy for being in a union if they want to put up with all the bs that's their problem. I've worked places where there was a union (no union in the parts department) and it's all fine and dandy until it's not. They went on strike. They weren't even allowed to talk to us outside of work. Fortunately for most of these guys they were smart enough to have nest eggs to fall back on, at least the older ones did. Not all of these guys were bad guys but the ones that were really were nasty about it all. Then when it was over were all buddy buddy.. Reminds me of a cult or higher ups in churches. It's just not for me and I believe everything would work smoother in this country without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledgehammer Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 24 minutes ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said: I just have little sympathy for them. I know some disagree and that’s ok. I don’t expect many minds will be changed, and that’s fine as long as the discussion is civil. Which it has been. There is a huge UAW presence around me because of the Kansas City assembly plant. My mailbox is stuffed with things from them urging me to support all the people who will only make it worse. I also have a very sour taste in my mouth because the UAW chose to strike at John Deere during harvest which they knew would maximize leverage. I could not get parts and had to park a combine to cannibalize parts to be able to keep the other machines running. They care about “the little guy” but used farmers as leverage for their demands. Who is paying all the increased labor costs at farm machinery assembly plants? I can see both union and non union perspectives. I feel like they shouldn’t need to ask for more based on everyone treating each other fairly. That just isn’t realistic any more and here we are sadly. I’m in a union and there are lots of things I do not Like about them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smfarms Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 8 hours ago, iowaboy1965 said: I thought someone had figures of 5 to 10 % of vehicle cost is currently labor. I don't know what it would be if they got all they are asking for. Wonder what labor costs are on tractors or combines. Most are built by UAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binderoid Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 8 hours ago, F-301066460puller said: was a union (no union in the parts department) Can you elaborate on this a little? Is this within the factory or at the retail level… and why isn’t it union when the rest of the place is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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