Shame on Hershey Resorts (rent, insurance, how much)

[richmorg]

I was on my way to the Springsteen concerts and saw their were banners all over Hershey saying Shame On Hershey Resorts. There was even a plane circling in the sky over Hershey. I stopped and talked to one of the groups of guys and they were carpenters. They said to check out www.hersheyresorts.info . Shame on Hershey Resorts indeed.

[Rosanne]

Is there a particular reason that you had to post this same exact post in so many different places?

[pig pen]

I was at the springsteen show and there was all these banners on the way in. Someone told me that the local carpenters are having issues with the hotel on the hill. Than we saw a plane flying overhead pulling a shame on banner against hershey resorts. Does anybody know anything more?

[richmorg]

Originally Posted by Rosanne

Is there a particular reason that you had to post this same exact post in so many different places?

I just believe in their message. Americans need to stop allowing this to happen. It's bad enough we make it profitable for our jobs to leave this country. Now were allowing it to happen to the jobs we have left here too. If the unions were to go away there would be nothing left of the middle class. Sadly, the middle class is in a race to the bottom. The only one's who prosper are the ones on top.

[Dawne]

Some unions inflated a huge blow-up rat by our elementary school because the school district hired non-union contractors to remove asbestos. When my tax dollars are involved I say go with the lowest bidder, which municipalities are required to do anyway. It would seem to me that maybe the unions aren't doing such a good job of financial stewardship if they're able to buy huge inflatable rats, rent airplanes (and pay for the fuel) and have employees sit around protesting.

I believe Hershey Resorts is privately owned and they should be allowed to hire whomever they want to. I'd be extremely upset if someone chose to picket my personal choice of contractor, whether here at my home or at a business I used to own. If unions want more work they should lower their contract fees and prices - which maybe they could if they'd be better financial stewards.

Okay, I'm climbing down off my soapbox now.

[richmorg]

On the surface your arguement seems valid, but look a little deeper. How much does it cost to park? How much does one spend to go to their concerts or events? How much does it cost to eat or stay at their hotels? Everyone pays the same amount for construction material...labor only accounts for 35% of the cost of construction. Bid numbers are almost always fairly close. The only difference is who pockets the money. A lot of the contractors being used do not offer their employees medical and have no form of retirement. Their subcontractors do not pay the proper income tax, if any at all. Who pays when these subcontractors (in reality, employees) need these things? We do through increased contributions and tax.

[richmorg]

That rat was probably bought by the union workers in your community through employee contributions. Those people standing around probably didn't have a job to go to that day since they lost that job. A lot of trade unions lose jobs like that because the non-union usually cheat A LOT on prevailing rate. Yet, the bids are almost always real close.

[wanneroo]

The unions, while their original intent was good 100 years ago, all they are are bloated, corrupted, bureaucracies that do no good. They all but destroyed the coal and steel industries and are now working on the car companies.

[johnrex62]

Originally Posted by richmorg

On the surface your arguement seems valid, but look a little deeper. How much does it cost to park? How much does one spend to go to their concerts or events? How much does it cost to eat or stay at their hotels?

What does this have to do with anything? It costs what the market will bear, no more and no less. If you feel they make too much profit because people are too willing to participate, then don't. Turn around and go home with your money.

Originally Posted by richmorg

Everyone pays the same amount for construction material...labor only accounts for 35% of the cost of construction. Bid numbers are almost always fairly close. The only difference is who pockets the money.

You have obviously never worked in the construction business. Everyone pays different amounts for materials due to volume discounts, loyalty discounts, negotiating skills and mood of the salesman at the time of the sale. Different sources of materials charge different amounts.

Bid number vary dramatically. There is nearly always a wide gap between the highest and lowest with a grouping somewhere near the middle. Sometimes even the middle group is pretty spread out in price.

Originally Posted by richmorg

A lot of the contractors being used do not offer their employees medical and have no form of retirement. Their subcontractors do not pay the proper income tax, if any at all. Who pays when these subcontractors (in reality, employees) need these things? We do through increased contributions and tax.

Forget contractors, not every retailer, hospital, governmental office, hotel, union office, etc offers medical insurance or retirement. Are you going to get pissy about them too? Nearly any industry with part time or temporary workers are left out of these types of benefits.

As far as the income tax evasion, on what basis do you know that? I don't see the connection between tax evasion and union membership. Oh, wait. I forgot. Weren't a large number of union officials convicted of racketeering and tax evasion back in the 70s? I guess that is a connection, my bad. But how does that apply to the non-union businesses in general?

Now, who pays when these things are needed? In a working class family such as mine, when working a job with no benefits as I did for many years, the common scenario is; the worker and his family pay or do without, as I did for many years. You never paid for any of my medical bills through any contribution or tax. You never paid for my parents or grandparents elder years through your contributio or tax. They and I pay our own way. If we don't earn the benefit though our employement choices, we pay out of our paycheck or we do without, just like millions of others.

In the real world noone is owed a living, or a job, or a contract. If you cannot bid your job at a competitive rate you don't get the job. If the Carpenter's local is upset because they lost a bid, then they need to wakeup and look at their competition and figure out why instead of making such nonsensical gripes as you have posted. Perhaps losing the union overhead might make them more competitive. Their website only claims that Hershey refused to pay them what they wanted. Everything else is just spurious questions to make you think these things are going on. They do not even try to claim that the winning contractors are guilty of any of it.