[coconutmama]

Originally Posted by egmcaninch

This will impact many more people than those who may want a new car - restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, etc.

Yes, indeed. Landlords, bank loans, stock market…did you notice that the plants are in many states with an average lower wage to begin with? Time will tell how it all works out

[Zincbemi]

When I started at Ford in Dearborn in 1976 there were 1.5 million UAW active members. Today that number stands at about 400,000. You would think by now the union would understand that you need to be a partner to the companies (getting a fair living) and not demand outrageous hourly rate increases (47%) or lower working hours (32 vs 40) for the same pay.

[Norge]

Uneducated!you mean skills

[Blackbird45]

The last five years of my career I negotiated contracts for my Local. There were two main take aways, first the union members always demanded more than I knew they were going to get. The second was employer's negotiators were just that, hired guns whose jobs depended on bringing whatever was negotiated in at the lowest possible rate even if it was unlivable. It also wasn't just salary, also pensions, health care contribution and working conditions. I still have a copy of the last contract I negotiated there are 27 signatures on their side and mine. There is a book titled "The North Will Rise Again" which is probably out of print, and it laid out what employers and banks did to make a profit without regard to the employees and many times at their expense. As far as AI and Mexico if employers believe they can save a dime per unit they will do so, no matter if they are paying their employees $50 or $5. I know many people are against unions for one reason or another, but I hope you understand that nonunion employee's wages and benefits increase, when union rates and conditions increase, as these nonunion employers have to compete in the labor market.

[wsachs]

Just a few things unions haven given all of us, even if you weren't in a union. Non union employees usually got the same thing without paying dues or fighting for those things. The weekend, end of child labor, 40 hour work week, 8 hour day, unemployment benefits, workers comp laws, employer based health insurance, family and medical leave act, fair wages and income equality, safer work places, and pensions are just some of the things unions have done for all of us. Which two or three would you like to give up?

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by wsachs

Just a few things unions haven given all of us, even if you weren't in a union. Non union employees usually got the same thing without paying dues or fighting for those things. The weekend, end of child labor, 40 hour work week, 8 hour day, unemployment benefits, workers comp laws, employer based health insurance, family and medical leave act, fair wages and income equality, safer work places, and pensions are just some of the things unions have done for all of us. Which two or three would you like to give up?

You can thank Henry Ford for the weekends off and a 40 hour week.

[Robbb]

Originally Posted by ROCKETMAN

The average employee in the union makes $33.00 per hour about $67000 annually. They want $40.00 per hour which comes out to #80000 annually .

Double that to get their total compensation with profit sharing and benefits.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by Gpsma

Amazes me that union uneducated skells think they need more than minumum wage to put a tire on a car.

Just like paying McDonalds burger flippers $15 an hour…oh wait, where did those kiosks come from?

“skell (plural skells) (slang, US, New York) a homeless person, especially one who sleeps in the New York subway.” Do you have any reason to believe the union members who work for car companies are homeless? Actually, they own homes and buy cars and pay a lot more in taxes than people who work for minimum wage. Do you have any reason to think that they are stupider than non-union workers who earn less and have worse benefits? Do you really think that union members should have to work for minimum wage? Thousands of Villagers live here because their union wages and pensions and other benefits made that possible. They aren’t wealthy, but they are here, and they are honest Americans who used to work hard.

I was a member of the union at the university where I taught for 34 years. My union dues were 1% of salary, my salary was a little higher than some other schools in the area, but we fought for fair salaries for adjunct professors who were being paid poorly, and we got them. It’s because of my union that my school and I set aside retirement funds for me, and that is why I can afford to live in The Villages today.

I don’t like to see unions over-reaching, and many have, and some have been dishonest, but study histories of the American labor movement and see how unions have worked to get union members fair pay instead of minimum pay.

IF the UAW gets the 40% raise over four years that it is asking for, which isn’t likely, at the END of those four years the average salary will go up to $32 an hour. That’s $66,000 a year, before taxes and FICA and pension and union dues. How much did you earn before you retired? The UAW is also asking for a yearly cost of living allowance. You’ve been complaining about inflation. Your Social Security got an 8.7% COL allowance this year. So the people actually working don’t deserve that?

[JP]

Unions destroyed the Big Three once and it looks like they want to do it again. I'm thinking there is some collusion with management, as usual, since EV's and new cars in general aren't selling and there is an oversupply of both which a strike will help eliminate. I think vehicles, especially EV's are crazily overpriced and the consumer won't be able to pay higher prices for the vehicles that would be necessary with wage increases. Good luck.

[MrFlorida]

Unions on strike, and your other jobs are being outsourced to India and the Philippines.... we are in trouble...

[Marine1974]

$80,000 a year due to inflation and the the government printing money digitally( our dollar is devalued ) is not that much when you look at what the costs are for housing, groceries, gasoline, electric, natural gas , etc etc . So in essence the middle class are slowly decreasing in numbers . I think unions are more important now than ever .

[Johnsocat]

Public opinion of unions might be better if they didn't use union dues to contribute to political parties and simply invested in those who pay them with a percentage of their wages...

[Cybersprings]

Originally Posted by Marine1974

$80,000 a year due to inflation and the the government printing money digitally( our dollar is devalued ) is not that much when you look at what the costs are for housing, groceries, gasoline, electric, natural gas , etc etc . So in essence the middle class are slowly decreasing in numbers . I think unions are more important now than ever .

I took micro and macro economics in college over 35 years ago, so I remember some and many things sound familiar, but I am far from an expert (or whatever the term is for the next few levels down). From a brief bit of research, I found this:
"The 5 causes of inflation are increase in wages, increase in the price of raw materials, increase in taxes, decline in productivity, increase in money supply."

From my perspective and experience, unions are a negative factor in 4 of the 5 causes.

[Vermilion Villager]

Originally Posted by Gpsma

UPS union settled…auto makers will hve to settle too.

Lol…stupid unions…they will get their raises while management will use AI and robotics to replace all those mindless non-educated union dolts.

Only people that will benefit are the overpaid union officials.

Hahahaha....sure like to find out what you did for a living!

[Cybersprings]

From my perspective as a union member and a supervisor, unions are a necessary "evil".
They have many excesses and negative effects on companies and the government, yet they are necessary because (much of) management does such stupid and heartless stuff all the time.