Nurses Union in Ohio (Cincinnati, Akron: house, high school, minimum wage)

[huckster]

I have ben heavy equipment operator for 35 years. Union 25 non-union 10 years. For all you labor ignorant people out there, unions mean better quality people. Union productivity in crafts and skiled trades(what is it really about?)
are at least 100 percent more productive than non-union, we have to be
the wage cannot be supported by non-productive wage earners it would mean cost overruns. Non-union people can take longer to do the same work
because they are cheaper.

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by huckster

I have ben heavy equipment operator for 35 years. Union 25 non-union 10 years. For all you labor ignorant people out there, unions mean better quality people. Union productivity in crafts and skiled trades(what is it really about?)
are at least 100 percent more productive than non-union, we have to be
the wage cannot be supported by non-productive wage earners it would mean cost overruns. Non-union people can take longer to do the same work
because they are cheaper.

Huckster, just like ANYTHING else in life, unions are both good and bad. Yes, they've done some very good things for American workers. I'll admit that, despite driving for a non-union truckload carrier, my wages and working conditions are a LOT better than they would be without the efforts of the Teamsters and other unions. But I'm not sure my current pay & working conditions would be that much improved by being a union member. I come to work to give 100%. I give 100%. And I'm paid based on my productivity and I make good money. I drive a nicer tractor than the bare-bones rigs that union drivers must suffer with. AND I don't pull double trailers. Every night I pass more than a few of your "more productive" union workers who are snoozing away in rest areas and truck stops. Some are still there on my return trip. Generalizations about union vs. non-union are just THAT; generalizations.

[Donna7]

Crew, I agree companies view labor as an impersonal thing; it is viewed through "what looks good for the bottom line" - there is no doubt about that. Coming from accounting, I can definitely agree with that. I've come to the conclusion that the days of the 30-40 years loyalty to one company and retirement with a gold watch are long gone.

[Crew Chief]

Donna 7: AMEN to the idea of company loyalty long gone. Gotta quick story: The terminal where I started with my company was closed with VERY little advance warning to the great folks who worked in the office there. Our Safety Manager was a wonderful woman who works elsewhere nowadays (Sigh...) She told us about the "Six-Point Company Retirement Plan". To see it for your self: Raise your left hand and extend the middle finger. Raise your right hand and raise all five fingers. Make "waving goodbye" motion with your right hand... (maybe is more appropriate, though...)

[islandFever]

Just want to say that if you're a nurse and Ohio isn't treating you right, look into California. When I first moved to Cali, I saw a Mercedes blow by me on the interstate with the license plate, "TAN RN". Anyways, nurse starting pay out here is in the $35/hour range and I think they have a union.

[bakkam]

Originally Posted by Donna7

Crew, I agree companies view labor as an impersonal thing; it is viewed through "what looks good for the bottom line" - there is no doubt about that.

Companies have to stay profitable and thats one of the goals, ain't nothing wrong with this. But when the pursuit of this goal is at the condition of overworked and underappreciated nurses its reasonable for them to choose to unionize and demand fair work conditions. On the other hand, this also may have a undesirable effect on the companies profitability. The point is that as this tussle goes on, quality of patient care may be degraded..

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by bakkam

Companies have to stay profitable and thats one of the goals, ain't nothing wrong with this. But when the pursuit of this goal is at the condition of overworked and underappreciated nurses its reasonable for them to choose to unionize and demand fair work conditions. On the other hand, this also may have a undesirable effect on the companies profitability. The point is that as this tussle goes on, quality of patient care may be degraded..

Especially true in nursing but also goes for ANY industry... Sure hope executives and politicians wake up soon and see what it has REALLY cost this country...

[bakkam]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

Sure hope executives and politicians wake up soon and see what it has REALLY cost this country...

Chief:

Some options on the table for companies are:

1. Shifting operations to countries where salaries and benefits are favourable.
2. Downsizing operations and shifting work through outsourcing.
3. Understaffing and increasing 'productivity ' of current staff.
4. ?


Some options on the table for employees are:

1. Living within their means.
2. ?

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by bakkam

Chief:

Some options on the table for companies are:

1. Shifting operations to countries where salaries and benefits are favourable.
2. Downsizing operations and shifting work through outsourcing.
3. Understaffing and increasing 'productivity ' of current staff.
4. ?


Some options on the table for employees are:

1. Living within their means.
2. ?

Bakkam, there are plusses and minuses to all of the above options. I certainly have NO problems with any company making good money. But nowadays, ethical considerations come in WELL behind for too many U.S. companies. I love to travel and am married to a foreigner, but outsourcing has few positives except for the company doing it and the people in the country being outsourced to.

I'm old enough to remember when "Directory Assistance" was provided by people who lived in the area you needed the number in. They KNEW the area enough to be able to help you find the right number among numerous listings and other things that someone half way around the world wouldn't know no matter how much "cultural training" they werer given. When I have computer problems, I want to speak to someone that speaks understandable technical English and can do more than parrott back phrases in a book or on a computer screen.

As for "outsourcing" and increasing productivity though staff reductions, I can only speak for my industry. I drive for a large truckload carrier and am currently on a dedicated retail account (The retailer outsources it's transpotation from it's distribution center to it's stores.) I rather enjoy the job and like the retailer I haul for, but there are a number of drawbacks. I believe that having outsiders haul your merchandise decreases the level of service. We drivers have virtually NO contact with or feedback from the retailer's management. We are treated as "outsiders" at the D.C. we operate from. We have a very small breakroom and one nasty bathroom at our disposal. The employees have a nice break room and nicer restroom facilities. We never see ANY newsletters or other correspondence from the company. I have no idea what their goals, business philosophies or any thing else is...

Truckers already do more with less; we're paid by the mile or "flat-rate". So when the wheels aren't turning, we're losing money. Even if it's through no fault of our own. Too many truckers donate free labor to their carriers then try to "make it up" by fudging their log books. The politicians, bought and paid for by trucking executives and large retailers are trying to force the admittance of Mexican trucks into the U.S. These drivers have NO Hours-of-Service enforcement, NO background check database, NO drug/alcohol tesing program and we can't even inspect but a small percentage of Mexican trucks enetering the current "economic zone" now. How the H$#@! are we going to inspect the thousands of trucks that will flood across an open U.S. border??? The Mexican Border will become an expressway for drugs, explosives, terrorists and more.

SO...the few large shippers will get rich, U.S. truckers will go broke because they can't compete with Mexican drivers that earn less than HALF of what they earn. And the rest of our country will be less secure and will be left holding the bag after a too-tired Mexican driver crashes into their car. Then runs back over the border before we can catch him. OH, and they'll bring their own fuel (no, not the low-sulpher diesel we must use here, but their own cheaper, high-sulpher fuel) and food. On 13 cents/mile, they won't be able to eat in our restaurants.

Live within my means? You better believe I'm all for that. But I'll be damned if I'll be forced to live like the citizen of some Third World nation...

[CincinnatiGirl]

Ok, I am sorry, but I have to put my two cents in on this. First I am a nurse, and the union is not utilized here in Cincinnati to its fullest. The company I work for does not use the union. I wish they would. I believe the better you take care of your nurses, the more capable they are of taking better care of your patients/residents. Being union does not make us lazy!! I resent whoever said that unions would lead to poor health care for patients. We got into this business to care for the patient and to help them. Not just to bring in a paycheck. Nursing imply's caring, empathy, sympathy and trust!! That is what the job is about. If you are over worked, pulling 4-5 12 hour shifts, you are wearing yourself out, not to mention you will be more likely to make a mistake, which will put someones life at risk. If you have a union that can look out for you interests and see that this does not happen, I say go for it!!

Now my second thing is that my DH is a Union Iron Worker and Da** Proud of it. He went through four years of apprentice training so that he could learn the proper way to do things, why they are done, and what can happen if the proper steps are not followed. It is scary that anyone with a welders license (non-union) could be hired to build skyscrapers! I would want to make sure that my most educated, hard working employees do this. I would want to know it was being done correctly. When Union employees perform thier job, they are not just working for the company that pays them, they are also representing thier union. And that is very important to them.

I love my Union Iron Worker and I will support him and his union until the day I die! I believe this union has the finest workers in the area!!