7,000 unionized Verizon workers may go on strike Sunday morning (find a job, FIOS)
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Management was fine with giving them free health care until this year. The CEO made 18.5 million last year and he's trying to bust the union. Maybe he will get another raise by forcing the workers to pay. It's dumbing down middle class workers. I guess this is the new way in this country. Shared sacrifice= the rich make more and the middle class makes less.
And I bet the union organizers have made just as much if not more sucking dues from the members and spending it on who knows what.
I'm not necessarily saying that the union shouldn't be willing to make some compromises (btw, I've been an active union person my entire working career), but what the companies want is ridiculous.
The companies want to cut salaries. They want to freeze hiring. They want to increase job responsibilities. They want to eliminate pensions. They want workers to pay for health insurance, for reduced benefits. And this is just the profitable companies wanting to do this.
IMHO, I'd rather take smaller raises than have to pay health insurance, because it's a slippery slope once you start going down that route, just like it's been for public employees like myself. I wasn't dancing over it, but I was OK with paying 1.5% of my salary for health insurance. Now, in the span of a year, the amount has gone up to up to 35% of the premium. For some people (those with families), this could be $6,000 or $7,000 per year, or around quadruple the amount the 1.5% amount would have been for higher paid teachers. Meanwhile, raises are getting smaller and smaller. Many people are essentially taking pay cuts.
And I know this has been going on among private sector employees for a while. That argument doesn't hold much weight for me. We didn't get huge raises and bonuses when they did. And while the gap between private and public worker salaries has gotten narrower in NJ over the past 25 years, the levels still are not equal, especially when taking education and experience into account.
Unions have been dying in the US for the past 30 years or so (and their weakening has REALLY escalated over the past decade), but it really stuns me to see how much vitrol has been dished out against them. Unions are responsible for most of the improvements in working conditions and salaries over the past 100 years. Even if you've never belonged to a union before, you've most likely benefited from their work. Yes, you too, Mr./Mrs. Hotshot Partner in Idon-Givadaam-Bout-Anyoneelse Law Firm. Do you think you'd have an air conditioned office and a $5,000 Aeron chair to sit in while you're figuring out how to cut the already minimum wage pay of your custodial staff without unions? Not likely.
There are just too many stubborn people out there to admit how unions have helped our society. And they will make a comeback, one day. The underclass will be willing to take only so much abuse.
all of the Verizon demands are the same as past negotiations. the issue here is that both sides dug in and aren't negotiating.
Free healthcare, who gets 'free' healthcare these days ? You're lucky to have any type of healthcare from an employer, really ... I went in for a surgery 3 years ago and it would have cost me $25,000.00. Instead, it cost me $500.00 ... I felt blessed to pay that !
Free healthcare, who gets 'free' healthcare these days ? You're lucky to have any type of healthcare from an employer, really ... I went in for a surgery 3 years ago and it would have cost me $25,000.00. Instead, it cost me $500.00 ... I felt blessed to pay that !
there are still quite a number of companies that offer great benefits. not all are union either. but it's hard to imagine that continueing for long, with the way the costs keep rising.
I pay $16.00 a pay-period for my medical and prescription benefits, and I have a $20.00 co-pay at the dr. I have an HMO, but I was lucky- ALL my doctors were in the plan so I didn't have to choose new. I've had the same DR for over 15 years ...
I pay $7.00 per pay-period for my dental, w/2 free cleanings a year ... and, then 80% covered on all else.
I pay $16.00 a pay-period for my medical and prescription benefits, and I have a $20.00 co-pay at the dr. I have an HMO, but I was lucky- ALL my doctors were in the plan so I didn't have to choose new. I've had the same DR for over 15 years ...
I pay $7.00 per pay-period for my dental, w/2 free cleanings a year ... and, then 80% covered on all else.
$16 a pay period, depending on how good your benefits are, is essentially free in my eyes. i pay much more than that. lol. i just think it's more common than a lot of people realize...unless i just happen to know a lot of people who are the lucky ones. i'm always surprised to hear that someone has full benefits paid for, but i know quite a bit of people that do. never will happen to me in my current career path though. but mine aren't bad.
it seems like a pretty easy thing to concede though, and stick to the guns on a lot of the other items. just seems like no one wants to negotiate. i hope it doesn't last too long, for everyone's sake.
they pay fair wages otherwise the employees wouldnt work there.
NONSENSE. They work there because a whole lot of upper-level managers (and I'm not referring exclusively to Verizon), along with a whole lot of people in the government, have colluded to severely limit the job options for these people.
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Originally Posted by CaptainNJ
also, the executives are probably fairly compensated but either way, there are a lot less of them and cutting them isnt going to make enough of a dent.
You think that the fact that the gap between CEO/Executive pay and rank-and-file member pay has grown exponentially over the past 30 years is fair? I'd hate to see what you think unfair is.
$16 a pay period, depending on how good your benefits are, is essentially free in my eyes. i pay much more than that. lol. i just think it's more common than a lot of people realize...unless i just happen to know a lot of people who are the lucky ones. i'm always surprised to hear that someone has full benefits paid for, but i know quite a bit of people that do. never will happen to me in my current career path though. but mine aren't bad.
it seems like a pretty easy thing to concede though, and stick to the guns on a lot of the other items. just seems like no one wants to negotiate. i hope
it doesn't last too long, for everyone's sake.
ImCurlybell what do you pay for your premiums? Sounds like you have a good plan and that you are paying next to nothing be thankful.
Bradykp the company called the union back to the negotiation table the company is getting serious and not making outrageous demands.
ImCurlybell what do you pay for your premiums? Sounds like you have a good plan and that you are paying next to nothing be thankful.
Bradykp the company called the union back to the negotiation table the company is getting serious and not making outrageous demands.
that is great news! so hopefully now both sides can find some middle ground and come to a reasonable agreement.
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