RIVETER

Okay, but you have to assume that I am not an illegal alien and my ENGLISH is good enough.Sorry, I had to say that. In our plant, seniority has many facets. If the company hits a downturn the people with the least amount of time since hiring are the first to go. It doesn't make me feel good but that is the way seniority works. If a job opens up that is distasteful...if no one wants it , the lowest man has to take it. If a senior guy/girl wants a specific shift and a lower senior person is there , they switch. The consolation is that if you truly like what you do, you will do what you do, to keep the job.

RIVETER

IRMAN

HEY SPARKY YOU KNOW KNOW JACK OR DO YOU???i AM i DO THIS THING RIGHT????

IRMAN

does shoot yourself in the foot ring a bell, i am glad i don't work there just a visitor....

RIVETER

You're not doing it right.

IRMAN

Somebody cost me a thousand dollars. Strikes are left over from the stone age collective bargaining has changed....Have u noticed how BAD the world system is in? Protect your job...But I could be wrong!!!

RIVETER

To me, it is so simple..".If you won't pay me what I think I am worth, I won't work". It does not matter if it is ONE person , or if it is a group of people. You have to establish what you think you are worth. The company, understandably, will want to get by, paying you less than you deserve...If you don't complain, they think that you are okay with things, and are being paid WHAT you are worth.
If they are making money with you being employed there, it is their decision to pay you accordingly...or not.
Sometimes you have to take a stand and say " I deserve more".

RIVETER

LJSMITH1

(Disclaimer: The following opinion is not meant to be disrespectful. It's a point of view...possibly shared by others..)

This is an eternal, capitalistic issue...Let's say I feel I am worth $1M a year. However, no company wants to hire me at that salary - no matter what my resume says. So, I guess I just go and picket outside every company that turned me down - right? I am "entitled" to what I think I am worth, and if a company won't pay me, I will make it very challenging for them to stay in business..... Sounds a little like "extortion" to me...

What determines someone's salary/benefits? I'll tell you...the product's market price - and the CUSTOMER. Indirectly, the price that a product sells for must cover the cost of sales and manufacture. The manufacture of a car has a sizable amount of manual labor built into the cost. The employee pensions and other benefits also add up into the cost of the product. If the cost of the product is out of line with the consumer expectations, then the consumer will not purchase the product. If the product doesn't sell, the employees lose jobs and the company fails.

You can talk all day about how the multi-million dollar salaries of the top execs are unjustified - and some might be. However, you cannot run a company the size of Ford without people that have experience managing. Is the shop steward qualified to be the CEO, CFO, or COO? Why not? Just like your point, the market value of these execs is what it is - you and I have no control over that - the market does.

You can say "I Deserve More" all day long, but if you can't justify it to the employer with your increased productivity & quality metrics, perfect attendance and improved skills, then you should be denied more. With the collective bargaining system, you are rewarding everyone for either doing a mediocre or poor job individually.

What's next? Are the unions going to protest against their fellow Americans for not purchasing the product that they built? Picketing in front of your neighbor's house because he bought a Subaru instead of a Ford?

The bottom line is that organized labor's current goal seems to be a labor cartel. An exclusive club that employers are forced to use under threat of protests, bad PR, or worse - business shutdowns.

Before you go accuse me of being anti-American or supporting un-documented, illegals, I am not talking about anyone breaking any labor laws. I am only talking about American workers legitimately competing against each other for a job. SOME will work for less, SOME will want more. In the end, you need to justify the higher salary with better skills & productivity. The customer is always looking for a better deal, and why should employer - employee relationship be any different? This is capitalism.

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Larry

Bob Badger

Larry (LJSMITH1) There is no room for facts here 'they deserve more' .



I think that was a very well written post and I agree with you 100%.

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Bob Badger
Electrical Construction and Maintenance
MA, RI, CT

rlc3854

Agreeded, excellent post Larry, well said.

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www.resqmefarmscattery.com

brian john

Unfunded retirements that the company, feds and the union allowed will eventually cripple American unions and manufacturing. In addition local state and county governments with early retirements were they are unfunded or not properly funded will kill local governments

In many locals they did, they flattened the tires of non-American cars and did other "fun" things to those that shopped with their wallets in search of a better product.


Me I have always tried to make more by marketing myself both when I was open shop and union but I took what the market offered, but with my BIG BRAIN I should be getting that million a year! In lieu of the simple check I now receive.

I have said it before unions do more to hurt themselves that any concerted effort by management.

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I void warranty's

jbfan

Looks like the workers rejected the changes.

http://www.ajc.com/business/ford-wor...ct-179692.html

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GO JACKETS!

brian john

So what will happen is Ford will open any new plants and possible relocate existing plants to Mexico, India or China or fold or go on the dole like GM and Chrysler.

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I void warranty's

Lone Crapshooter

I dont know of any company that outsourced it's CEO to India,China,Mexico because the American CEO was to expensive.

bobelectric

Good luck to you Ford Brothers.Times are tough in the auto works.Mr. Ford was fair from the start.

brian john

NO because their job is to look out for the investors. If a Japanese or what ever CEO could do the job they MIGHT hire him/her.

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I void warranty's

RIVETER

I met him once.

RIVETER

I agree. I have a gut feeling that Bill Ford,BILLY CLAY, as I like to call him, is a good guy. He is trying to salvage the family name without hurting others... That is why he hired Mallalley, who is not as soft hearted.

IRMAN

Get serious would you call these union brothers to work at your house and pay the wages????NO.... But what if you are forced to use that labor??? Scary...Is it fair market value??? Have you out priced yourselves?????? I think so...HOW CAN A PERSON MAKING TEN DOLLARS .in the USA....

RIVETER

I am honestly sorry that you only make ten dollars an hour. If you are a skilled electrician, that is not right. You know that you love what you do and want to do it in a safe manner. Sometimes companies will just squeeze you until you cry UNCLE. It is very hard to stand up ALONE....That is why others stand up with you, and that is why it is called a UNION.

IRMAN

Bologna!!!!!!!