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GM Strike


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47 minutes ago, zleinenbach said:

what if this is a sales tactic that everyone is following along with. Too expensive ICE, parts availability on older models is becoming harder and harder. How about we set you up with a nice battery powered Flintstone Mobile?

The auto companies in question and shutter the plants, remain profitable, and nothave a blackeye on the reputation because they ““ did all I could do  “

I guess, being jaded, and looking for the smoke and mirrors before taking something for face value is a fault.

wow Zach, your talk to text sucks. Sorry guys,I hope any of that made sense.

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Question: why would the teamsters be against a national 91,000 weight limit? Potentially fewer overweight fines, and greater $$ per load, as long as you don’t get greedy… the best interstate news  I’ve heard in a while … I thought  that the idea was to make money…. Isn’t that what unions are for?

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38 minutes ago, Binderoid said:

Question: why would the teamsters be against a national 91,000 weight limit? Potentially fewer overweight fines, and greater $$ per load, as long as you don’t get greedy… the best interstate news  I’ve heard in a while … I thought  that the idea was to make money…. Isn’t that what unions are for?

Unions make money by membership dues. The less weight that can be hauled the more drivers that are needed. That means more members paying more dues. The more weight that can be hauled the fewer drivers that are needed meaning less membership dues. 

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12 hours ago, hillman said:

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True, but NOBODY else followed suit until unions forced them too. Right?

You were lucky if you lived near the Ford plant, but anywhere else you were at the whim of whoever was hiring. "Oh Ford does this that and the other thing? Well Ford ain't here. I am. You take what I offer or you can go hungry. Excuse me, I have to go back to twirling my moustache and counting these stacks of cash."

What I want to know is, why aren't unions striking for lower prices to the consumer? If these companies are making so much money, they're charging too much and should lower their prices. Then they wouldn't have to share their profits with the workers, inflation would be reversed, and everybody would be happy.

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What I have seen with Unions and the hidden cost with them, is when looking at bigger jobs; especially construction.  Whether its the workers being stubborn or if the contracts are written too rigid, I don't know but its likely both (ever had a union grievance written against you, I have).  Welder will only do this scope and can't drive between locations more than 1x per day, operator (49er) will only do this scope, need to have X number of laborer present, need to have teamster for XYZ, but he can't get out of the truck, need to have foreman and potentially straw over each labor group. 

Now I'm not suggesting that everyone can do everything on a job, but the way the labor agreements are written, you generally have to have 10 to 15% more people on a union job than non-union.  So $/hr pay difference is irrelevant since its the additional number of people on site that drive the cost difference.  Not to mention it is really frustrating to try to get work done when you can't find the 1 person that is allowed to do the task that you need to get done (and they may or may not actually be trained to do that job) so you have 10 to 12 people sitting waiting for 1 person.

 

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16 minutes ago, MTB98 said:

Unions make money by membership dues. The less weight that can be hauled the more drivers that are needed. That means more members paying more dues. The more weight that can be hauled the fewer drivers that are needed meaning less membership dues. 

Do the teamsters provide the fuel?

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1 minute ago, Binderoid said:

Do the teamsters provide the fuel?

No. They don’t care if the company makes money. The union itself wants to make money. They don’t produce anything. They make money by collecting dues from the members. That’s how they pay themselves for their “services,” which are representing the employee to the employer and acting on their behalf.

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91k would create a bunch of union road construction jobs too. Living and working in Illinois I don't know if I like the 91k weight limit. They don't fix the crappy roads we already have. Don't think it really matters anyways the Belerussians running containers out of Chicago run 100k+ anyways.

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We have a 100k here and it is destroying the secondary roads. The state can't keep up with the rate of deterioration on their roads either. Going from 80k to 100k didn't do the roads much good and I don't think it's going to save the paper mills.

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Yes there are evils with unions but, without them there would be no pensions no vacations no insurance and working 6 days a week 10 hour days no lunch breaks and if you don't like it you can leave! I worked for a non union shop and if you wanted a raise you had to fight for it. One time I went in and asked for .25 cents an hour and the boss said we'll see, come payday I got a Nickle !  I went in and talked him and he call me every name under the sun! I figured it's time for me to move on. Went to work for a company that had paid vacation, paid insurance, pension plan, lunch and coffee breaks and 1 1/2 time for over time work! If I hadn't made that move I'd be working at Walmart!

 

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7 hours ago, Matt Kirsch said:

True, but NOBODY else followed suit until unions forced them too. Right?

You were lucky if you lived near the Ford plant, but anywhere else you were at the whim of whoever was hiring. "Oh Ford does this that and the other thing? Well Ford ain't here. I am. You take what I offer or you can go hungry. Excuse me, I have to go back to twirling my moustache and counting these stacks of cash."

What I want to know is, why aren't unions striking for lower prices to the consumer? If these companies are making so much money, they're charging too much and should lower their prices. Then they wouldn't have to share their profits with the workers, inflation would be reversed, and everybody would be happy.

I posted those memes to add some levity to the thread. I have my experience with Unions and 100 threads won't change it or my opinion on the topic. My experience is not pre WW2  🙂

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I have a tenant who always tells me he’s worth 350 a day finishing concrete, yet I can’t get 350 a month out of him. Owns nothing, supported by girlfriend, works only cash jobs so he can hide from 40,000 in back child support …. Just because someone tells you what they are worth doesn’t mean they are.

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8 hours ago, Matt Kirsch said:

True, but NOBODY else followed suit until unions forced them too. Right?

You were lucky if you lived near the Ford plant, but anywhere else you were at the whim of whoever was hiring. "Oh Ford does this that and the other thing? Well Ford ain't here. I am. You take what I offer or you can go hungry. Excuse me, I have to go back to twirling my moustache and counting these stacks of cash."

What I want to know is, why aren't unions striking for lower prices to the consumer? If these companies are making so much money, they're charging too much and should lower their prices. Then they wouldn't have to share their profits with the workers, inflation would be reversed, and everybody would be happy.

  I've read more than once Ford was an extremely tough employer to work for.  Had goons roaming his factories smacking those that did not move fast enough for his liking.  Somewhat of a revolving door in terms of hiring and firing.  He offered things like the 8 hr work day because he had to in order to lure in good help and realized people are just going to wear down in short order if treated like slaves.  Ford had the benefit of watching Carnegie and Rockefeller and learned about the mistakes they made.  Rochester's own George Eastman (Kodak) feared the unions to the point to where he paid more than fair wages because he wanted the unions kept out of his factories.  

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He was paying them 5$ a day, why would he need to worry about the union? All they would have done would be cut the workers take-home and given the money to the Roosevelt campaign to get the new deal started.

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52 minutes ago, Binderoid said:

He was paying them 5$ a day, why would he need to worry about the union? All they would have done would be cut the workers take-home and given the money to the Roosevelt campaign to get the new deal started.

My great grandpa was making $1 a day working for the local BTO ranch while he was trying to prove up on his homestead.  This would have been 1910 to 1917.  No 8 hr days either.  $5 for 8 had it been unthinkable back then

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25 minutes ago, Big Bud guy said:

My great grandpa was making $1 a day working for the local BTO ranch while he was trying to prove up on his homestead.  This would have been 1910 to 1917.  No 8 hr days either.  $5 for 8 had it been unthinkable back then

Ranch country, you would still have to have a very generous rancher to make more than 3 grand a month even now. 

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1 hour ago, Lazy WP said:

Ranch country, you would still have to have a very generous rancher to make more than 3 grand a month even now. 

Yes and no.  The steering wheel holders don't make that.  But the trust worthy guys who can get the drills and trucks ready for seeding or combines ready for harvest without any supervision, can anticipate what jobs have to be done next, and basically can run the farm themselves are pulling in 50K or more with free room and board.  

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20 minutes ago, Big Bud guy said:

Yes and no.  The steering wheel holders don't make that.  But the trust worthy guys who can get the drills and trucks ready for seeding or combines ready for harvest without any supervision, can anticipate what jobs have to be done next, and basically can run the farm themselves are pulling in 50K or more with free room and board.  

You notice I said ranch country not farm country. Any sort of farm ground adds money. 
50 grand and a house is good money, but remember that you don’t get to pick the house, location nor color. Don’t expect to own any property unless it’s in town 40 miles away. 

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