Ahh, who needs union representation! - Page 7 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

aklim · #91 07-10-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Local2ED

What people fail to understand is unions set the standards in their lives wether they want to admit it or not.

It has been said many times a rising tide raises all ships.

Used to is not worth discussing. What they do TODAY is more pertinent. YEs, I know they gave me the weekend.

I never worked in a union job and I made it clear to my boss that should they go union, my resignation would be in the next day. IF I am good, I can get more elsewhere or at least hurt the boss by quitting even if I don't make more elsewhere. If I am average, it is a push. ONLY IF my work sucked would it be worthwhile for me to be in a union.

Not those going down or at the bottom.

Local2ED · #92 07-10-2010, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Used to is not worth discussing. What they do TODAY is more pertinent. YEs, I know they gave me the weekend.

I never worked in a union job and I made it clear to my boss that should they go union, my resignation would be in the next day. IF I am good, I can get more elsewhere or at least hurt the boss by quitting even if I don't make more elsewhere. If I am average, it is a push. ONLY IF my work sucked would it be worthwhile for me to be in a union.

Not those going down or at the bottom.

Could you please point out where I used the words "used to" I couldn"t find them in the post you quoted me on, Thanks.

#93 07-10-2010, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Well, that fixes one set of issues. But it also brings a host of other issues. I moved from employee to employer. That took care of a huge load of problems. Thought I was in paradise till the bill came and I found that I now have a host of other problems.

As to being better than average, yes, there is a way. We had 3 computer operators. One sucked and the other 2 were great. They walked into their reviews and after that, they told the boss that either they get some killer raises or they will walk. They got $2 more. The guy that sucked had no pull and could not get more than $0.25

I understand, I remember having folks work for me (at a big company) that were all getting very similar raises regardless of the quality of their work. In a perfect world, a couple would have been well rewarded and a couple would have been shot; I couldn't do anything about it at the time. This wasn't even a union thing, it was just big company stupidity (which can be almost as bad).

I wouldn't want employees now, I don't want to deal with the nonsense and I don't want to be responsible for someone else's income being lost if I screw up or just decide that I want to do something different. I am very happy to have one employee (me); I don't even have to give myself performance reviews, but I do have to take myself out for business dinners occasionally.

aklim · #94 07-10-2010, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Local2ED

One of the biggest fallacy's is we don't have to do anything and you can't fire me because I'm union. Yeah right, your getting paid $50/$60 dollars an hour you better well believe you will get fired if you don't proform. Then go tell your business agent from the union you got fired for standing around doing nothing you be lucky if he ever reccomends you for a job.

WAS is the operative word. In nursing, the Wife was RN and was not covered by unions in a facility she worked at. LPNs and CNAs were. One LPN was fired for forging a signature for narcotics. Union fought for reinstatement with back pay. He even admitted he did it. In the hospital where she last worked, there were RNs that didn't feel comfortable with IV insertion and others had to do it. Manager found it was more trouble to fire her than to keep her and push it to others. Why? IF the work gets pushed onto somebody who doesn't like it, boss said "Go tell your union rep." Union vs Union never got far. These and others were at different facilities and different employers. I knew of one such case in the medical center I worked at. She was reassigned to a lower level job until she "felt more competent". Care to explain that?

aklim · #95 07-10-2010, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Local2ED

Could you supply a link to a break down in both worker pools wages. I could not seem to locate one, Thanks.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:z8mBHL5wRuMJ:www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31030038/+gm+built+car+costs+1500+more&cd=17&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Cached link from MSNBC.

It moves billions in retiree health care costs off GM’s books. In exchange for its ownership stake, $6.5 billion of interest-bearing preferred shares, and a $2.5 billion note, the trust will take on responsibility for all health care costs for retirees starting next year. Higher health care costs alone accounted for a $1,500-per-car cost gap between GM and Japanese vehicles.

#96 07-10-2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

It moves billions in retiree health care costs off GM’s books. In exchange for its ownership stake, $6.5 billion of interest-bearing preferred shares, and a $2.5 billion note, the trust will take on responsibility for all health care costs for retirees starting next year. Higher health care costs alone accounted for a $1,500-per-car cost gap between GM and Japanese vehicles.

I recently read a book buy a wall street guy who made a bunch of money betting against GM in the market, he described them as a health insurance provider who built some cars on the side. The interesting part was that GMAC was keeping them above water while they were losing money on cars. When GMAC got smacked during the subprime fiasco, it was all over for them.

Edit: I found the book "A Colossal Failure of Common Sense: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Lehman Brothers"

aklim · #97 07-10-2010, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

I understand, I remember having folks work for me (at a big company) that were all getting very similar raises regardless of the quality of their work. In a perfect world, a couple would have been well rewarded and a couple would have been shot; I couldn't do anything about it at the time. This wasn't even a union thing, it was just big company stupidity (which can be almost as bad).

I wouldn't want employees now, I don't want to deal with the nonsense and I don't want to be responsible for someone else's income being lost if I screw up or just decide that I want to do something different.

I am very happy to have one employee (me); I don't even have to give myself performance reviews, but I do have to take myself out for business dinners occasionally.

I would have thought that the good workers would have come up to you and say "Hey, you @%@#@. Why am I getting so little when I do so much? I deserve more and if you don't give it to me. I walk.". I know I would and have done it before. When I worked at Best Buy, they knew I was using my employee purchase for getting friends good deals and making them owe me. Unfortunately for them, I was making them $10K profit every month working at 20 hrs a week. I got to tell a Supervisor who threatened to fire me "Fire me then. IF you can". When I threatened to move to the West side store, they came to me to work it out.

Sorry, life has no guarantees. You work for me and I screw up or change directions, well, it has been nice knowing you. I don't feel guilty if you are out of a job any more than you feel guilty for leaving me because Joe pays $0.10 more an hour. You, the employee have no loyalty to me so I have none to you. OTOH, if you have stuck with me thru thick and thin, you bet I will manipulate everything in my power to make sure you get a golden parachute.

I do give myself performance reviews. Somehow I always end up rating myself well. (not in reality though). Business dinners are only for business purposes. The wife is the sounding board for my new ideas so it is a business thing.

aklim · #98 07-10-2010, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Local2ED

Could you please point out where I used the words "used to" I couldn"t find them in the post you quoted me on, Thanks.

I was trying to say that you should not be talking about the past in the present tense.

aklim · #99 07-10-2010, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

I recently read a book buy a wall street guy who made a bunch of money betting against GM in the market, he described them as a health insurance provider who built some cars on the side. The interesting part was that GMAC was keeping them above water while they were losing money on cars. When GMAC got smacked during the subprime fiasco, it was all over for them.

That is a no brainer. When you are constantly losing market share for decades to the point that the "young one", Toyota said last year that their goal was to surpass GM, you can see the writing on the wall.

When your $20K car costs more to build than if I built it, competition is hard. OTOH, if we are talking about a $500K car, it might be different.

I think the fuel crunch had a lot to do with it. After Katrina and the fuel prices spiking, people were dumping SUVs and trucks like they were diseased. SUVs are a great thing because they are 90% truck and so only a little engineering is needed. When those were dead, cars were all they had left and it simply wasn't enough.

#**100** 07-10-2010, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Business dinners are only for business purposes. The wife is the sounding board for my new ideas so it is a business thing.

Yup, my wife is the VP of my Corp so that works out OK.

#**101** 07-10-2010, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

That is a no brainer. When you are constantly losing market share for decades to the point that the "young one", Toyota said last year that their goal was to surpass GM, you can see the writing on the wall.

When your $20K car costs more to build than if I built it, competition is hard. OTOH, if we are talking about a $500K car, it might be different.

I think the fuel crunch had a lot to do with it. After Katrina and the fuel prices spiking, people were dumping SUVs and trucks like they were diseased. SUVs are a great thing because they are 90% truck and so only a little engineering is needed. When those were dead, cars were all they had left and it simply wasn't enough.

Yup, bad designs, bad management, and a total inability to control their labor costs. Now, you and I, as taxpayers are stuck with this turkey.