Originally Posted by preciousjeni (Post 1748477)

I should have said "how much the union workers cost" which is the issue I'm getting at. However, they do make an incredible salary for their skill level.

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00 (Post 1747669)

I take it you've never met a Union line worker. You've never seen the blood sweat and tears they put into their job. The hours they spend away from their family to put food on the table, going to bed before their own children go to bed because they have to be up at 2 or 3am to make it in for the early shift. They deserve that money. Auto workers are the hardest workers I know. And most aren't even Union. Most are temps who are trying to get into the Union so that they don't lose their job and can get benefits that are hard to come by these days.

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00 (Post 1748568)

x

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00 (Post 1748568)

x

Originally Posted by UGAalum94 (Post 1748753)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...592658,00.html

This covers the problems in the Germany auto industry.

Originally Posted by AGDee (Post 1748771)

That link isn't working for me ...I'm getting a 404 error, in German no less..lol. business is missing an "s"

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...592658,00.html

Originally Posted by Tinia2 (Post 1748569)

And while locating the above, I came across the following. Which caused me to re-think a few matters.:
Autoworkers Making $70 An Hour?[/URL]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni (Post 1748855)

On another note, why do unions push to establish themselves in companies where the workers don't want them?

Originally Posted by AGDee (Post 1747735)

I agree that the unions need to make more concessions. The $70/hr tossed around is full cost, including what they pay for health care benefits, retirement, dental, Social Security, etc. My employer gives us a statement once a year of our "actual cost" to them which is more than double our salaries when you add in all the other stuff. In truth, they make about $20 an hour straight time although they make much more when they work overtime, sometimes as much as triple time (Sundays). They also sometimes have to work 12 hour shifts 7 days a week which is pretty brutal. I've also seen them injured for life at age 40 so some of it is hazard pay. I was shocked at times when their profit sharing checks were more than my annual income. But then they go through times where they end up laid off for a couple weeks several times a year too. At the same time, GM going bankrupt is going to affect hundreds of thousands retirees who have already lost their health care beginning January 1st and now may also lose their pensions. Their GM stock option plans that they invested in their whole lives have dwindled down to nothing.

Originally Posted by preciousjeni (Post 1748855)

On another note, why do unions push to establish themselves in companies where the workers don't want them?

Originally Posted by madmax (Post 1749905)

Why do non union scabs participate in union bashing of companies where the workers do want unions?

Originally Posted by preciousjeni (Post 1749918)

Ah you wisely edited your post. :) I was going to say, I suppose it would be hard for me to be a scab as I've never personally been involved with a company that had unions... plus the fact that my mother has been part of the same union for oh I don't know...decades? So, my livelihood was essentially dependent on the work she (and they on her behalf) did.

Try better next time.

Originally Posted by preciousjeni (Post 1748738)

Low skilled + overtime + union backing = the salary they make. I get that.

ETA: No one "deserves" any salary. We all have a market value and some of us have artificial values assigned to us whether it's through union backing, government assigned salary grades, etc.