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The concept of a Union back in the day served a purpose. Even today I believe Police and Fire should be under bargaining guidelines.
However, the concept that people can gather and force a Union onto a business in many cases is absurd. It makes me sick to see people doing jobs as a career that I did as a kid for spare spending cash. This does nothing but falsely inflate prices or drives the business into folding.
Businesses aren't folding now? Wages went down....maybe people didn't make enough to buy a new car.....which means people who make cars lose their jobs which means they can't pay their mortgage ( people losing their homes is bad for everyon).... other industries related to cars are laying off and some are folding.
People make less and less and then....see, here's the really COMPLICATED part:rolle yes:,
then they spend less.......spending less does NOT create jobs.
I used to live in a town, as many others have, or presently do, where Wal-Mart came in, just outside the city limits. Here's what the scenario involves.
1. No city sales tax, so no benefit to the city.
2. Wal-Mart received tax benefits from the county and the state to locate within the county, but made (verbal) promises to locate in the city.
3. Wal-Mart employees overloaded the county (read poverty) hospital system as no healt benefits.
4. Wal-Mart gladly acquiesced in the "illegal immigrants" are overloading the county hospital system.
5. After a number of years, and the city annexing the land where Wal-Mart stood, WM pulled out, leaving an empty, crime attracting eyesore.
Wal-Mart is hardly the "good neighbor" they portray themselves as being.
If you want to see the real beneficiaries of Wal-Mart check out the next (or current) issue of "Forbes" magazine's list of the 500 richest Americans. Notice how many of them are named "Walton". And please don't tell me that they were "risk takers", they are descendants of "Sam".
golfgod
Around here there were a couple smaller department type retail stores, several pharmacies, and hardware stores. Walmart moved in and beat out nearly all of the original stores by offering imported cheaper goods in volume. Nearly all those other retailers are gone, meaning the proprietors' families and employees lost their income and consumers lost the varied quality of goods they used to enjoy. Instead of finding a $5.00 hammer at one store and a $25.00 hammer at the other, now there's only the Chinese $6.00 hammer.
I have to hope that Walmart doesn't die because it would leave a consumers wastland in its place that would take some time to recover.
Businesses aren't folding now? Wages went down....maybe people didn't make enough to buy a new car.....which means people who make cars lose their jobs which means they can't pay their mortgage ( people losing their homes is bad for everyon).... other industries related to cars are laying off and some are folding.
People make less and less and then....see, here's the really COMPLICATED part:rolle yes:,
then they spend less.......spending less does NOT create jobs.
Labor costs are generally the biggest cost in any business. In manufacturing, if you drive the labor costs too high, then the business has to price the product out of the reach of most people. Driving demand down, which means lowering production, laying off workers, and people lose their jobs, then can't pay their mortgage (people losing their homes is bad for everyone), other industries start to layoff, some businesses close.
Unions are a good thing when the playing field is balanced. But unions depend on the workplace being adversarial, workers versus management. And when unions get the advantage, and drive labor costs too high, then unions hurt businesses.
A better workplace would be a workplace that isn't adversarial, with the workers versus the management mindset, but instead a teamwork mindset. But that takes unions out of the equation. And unions don't want that, because unions actually are businesses themselves. They have employees that work solely for the union. They have management that gets very well-paid. They advertise and market themselves. And they have an interest in undermining any company that wants to be more team-oriented rather than adversarial in how it manages its resources.
Our garbage collectors are not union and they don't have garbage all over the streets. They must be doing something wrong.
You need a union to teach someone to pick up garbage and throw it in a truck? Dumbest thing I have ever heard anyone say!
What do they get paid? Do you know why they are not union?
Waste Management Inc. has a monopoly on garbarge collection throughout the U.S. They are contracted for Houston, as well. They are notorious in their labor practices. Here's one example:
It's rather bizarre to read posts from a bunch of hardworking Americans, all fighting like hell to defend abusive management against laborers. I think we can call this a type of "stockholm syndrome," where some Americans have been systematically and successfully programmed to defend those who have power over them. Even when the powerless are being hurt, and even when they themselves are hurt in the process. Pretty much explains the Republican "base," as a whole, and their bizarre defense of the neo-con power-mongers (Bush, Cheney, McCain, Palin, etc.), none of whom give a flying fu*k about the average American, but who talk are a really good game. It's fascinating to watch. But of course, deeply tragic for our nation.
Labor costs are generally the biggest cost in any business. In manufacturing, if you drive the labor costs too high, then the business has to price the product out of the reach of most people. Driving demand down, which means lowering production, laying off workers, and people lose their jobs, then can't pay their mortgage (people losing their homes is bad for everyone), other industries start to layoff, some businesses close.
Unions are a good thing when the playing field is balanced. But unions depend on the workplace being adversarial, workers versus management. And when unions get the advantage, and drive labor costs too high, then unions hurt businesses.
A better workplace would be a workplace that isn't adversarial, with the workers versus the management mindset, but instead a teamwork mindset. But that takes unions out of the equation. And unions don't want that, because unions actually are businesses themselves. They have employees that work solely for the union. They have management that gets very well-paid. They advertise and market themselves. And they have an interest in undermining any company that wants to be more team-oriented rather than adversarial in how it manages its resources.
"""Labor costs are generally the biggest cost in any business. In manufacturing, if you drive the labor costs too high, then the business has to price the product out of the reach of most people. ""
So you don't count executives as "labor"...if you do then I agree.
In my friends company there is no union...they have had no raises for3-5 years, they had to take wage cuts, lost shift differential, lost paid days off, and lost hours....call that TEAM effort ??? NO, the company has acted like the adversary...and individuals have NO say..NONE...with a union to bacl them up they wopuld have a say...there IS power in numbers.
NO union member is interested in destroying an employer...that's pretty self defeating.....they just want rights and justice for their members....those against unions helped put our country where it is now....
What do they get paid? Do you know why they are not union?
Waste Management Inc. has a monopoly on garbarge collection throughout the U.S. They are contracted for Houston, as well. They are notorious in their labor practices. Here's one example:
It's rather bizarre to read posts from a bunch of hardworking Americans, all fighting like hell to defend abusive management against laborers. I think we can call this a type of "stockholm syndrome," where some Americans have been systematically and successfully programmed to defend those who have power over them. Even when the powerless are being hurt, and even when they themselves are hurt in the process. Pretty much explains the Republican "base," as a whole, and their bizarre defense of the neo-con power-mongers (Bush, Cheney, McCain, Palin, etc.), none of whom give a flying fu*k about the average American, but who talk are a really good game. It's fascinating to watch. But of course, deeply tragic for our nation.
Good post...isn't it interesting how repubs WANT this country to fail with lower wages and lousy working conditions.....how can they be so un-patriotic???
So hateful towards American progress? Will they finally be happy when this country is referred to as Third World ????
Good post...isn't it interesting how repubs WANT this country to fail with lower wages and lousy working conditions.....how can they be so un-patriotic???
So hateful towards American progress? Will they finally be happy when this country is referred to as Third World ????
Good questions. Looking at some of the posts on this forum--especially the Obama-bashing posts--it's like they can't WAIT for our nation to fail. They're practically cheering it on. Same behavior on the part of the Republican cowards and shysters in Congress. They are merely reproducing the behavior of their so-called leaders. Mental illness, if you ask me.
I suggest that those of you who are so worried about the poor Wal-Mart cashier simply pay more. Next time you go to Wal-Mart, just hand the cashier a 10% tip. Better yet, open your own store. You can pay your workers a fair wage.
Since its inception, America has essentially been a free market. Our country was founded by those who felt religiously persecuted in England. They were looking for a fresh start, where they could run their businesses as the felt fit, as well as avoid religious persecution. Nothing has changed in 300 years. Working conditions today are better than they have ever been. What has changed is your sense of entitlement. Your ancestors would likely cringe at the liberal spew heard today.
Good questions. Looking at some of the posts on this forum--especially the Obama-bashing posts--it's like they can't WAIT for our nation to fail. They're practically cheering it on. Same behavior on the part of the Republican cowards and shysters in Congress. They are merely reproducing the behavior of their so-called leaders. Mental illness, if you ask me.
Funny, we feel the same way about the Democrats. They can't wait for the nation to fail, and are doing everything in their power to hasten its demise.
Actually the free market was allowed to run roughshod and unsupervised for too many years and now we are seeing the results. Individual and corporate greed trump patriotism and what is good for your country and community, every time.
And working conditions are awful and getting more horrible by the month, for anyone that cares to get their heads out of the sand.
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