UAW On Strike

[oze]

Weatern Electric employee? <raises hand>.

Small world. I worked for Bell Labs back in the day. After the breakup, they renamed us as AT&T Technologies. I started just before the breakup was finalized. My paycheck still said Western Electric for quite some time. I was a union ho back then, lol. I quit to get a real job just before they spun us off as Lucent. They transferred my AT&T company stock into shares of Lucent, which I sold off like a dumbass. Then Nokia ended up with them.

Where were you stationed? When I wasn't at O'Hare, I was in Naperville. In the glory days of cellular deployments, Lucent was making money faster than it could spend it. Raises and bonuses were unworldly. 2 stock splits later, we all had options to buy 400 shares at $11/share, at a time when it was trading at $84. I held onto my options until the bubble burst and they became bird cage liner.

After surviving 27 years, one merger and 4 rounds of layoffs, the Finns finally showed me the door.

 

[jamil]

With Indiana being a Right to Work State, why would someone pay Union dues when they get the same representation as a dues paying Union member?

I mentioned I was a union ho myself once. I didn’t have to join the union. Lets just say the union didn’t just send me a strongly worded letter saying why I should join. It was presented more like a Hobson’s choice.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Back in the good old days, as a salaried GM worker, we kind of cheered on whatever the UAW folks got. Whatever they’d get, we’d get something similar.

Those were the good old days.

 

[jamil]

Where were you stationed? When I wasn't at O'Hare, I was in Naperville. In the glory days of cellular deployments, Lucent was making money faster than it could spend it. Raises and bonuses were unworldly. 2 stock splits later, we all had options to buy 400 shares at $11/share, at a time when it was trading at $84. I held onto my options until the bubble burst and they became bird cage liner.

After surviving 27 years, one merger and 4 rounds of layoffs, the Finns finally showed me the door.

I worked at a factory in Winston Salem NC. We made line test equipment. I worked there for only a few years.

 

[foszoe]

I love how we just go ****ing deepend here sometimes. No one is saying all union members are lazy worthless pieces of ****. There ARE worthless pieces of **** that are union, and non union. What most of us ARE saying is that a 40% increase in salary plus a 20% reduction in work hours is just not cool. Also not cool is shutting down repair shops and body shops from being able to repair existing vehicles because you want these unrealistic things.

But don't let me ruin your pity party.

It's just a negotiating tactic.

I bet most people panning on the 80/20% thing don't go car shopping or buy firearms at the asking price nor do they expect to pay the first lowball offer they make.

Same thing to me.

 

[Rookie]

It's just a negotiating tactic.

I bet most people panning on the 80/20% thing don't go car shopping or buy firearms at the asking price nor do they expect to pay the first lowball offer they make.

Same thing to me.

You must be new here. This thread is about how the union is greedy and has no right to negotiate.

Take your common sense and leave.

 

[Rookie]

The strike has struck again. Ordered parts from local Chevy Dealer last week. Parts suppose the be here yesterday. Called today to inquire and yup, the strike is to blame. "Don't know when we'll see them because when the strike eventually ends, their going to be backed up with orders" I was told.

Guess my customer that needs his vehicle to get to and from work is just gonna have to join the strike too and not work

The first offer was garbage, minimal raises, continued abuse of temporary employees, no cost of living allowance (something that we gave up with the assurance that we would get it back when the company returned to profitability), reduced profit sharing, etc. Now, we are getting close to a contract that both parties will agree to. The only bargaining power the union has is the ability to strike. With that in mind, how would you propose settling a new contract?

Shawn could have walked every union member which would have still affected parts. Instead, he is walking a little bit at a time. This affects their profits, but the higher profit vehicles are still being built.

 

[DirtRoadEvan]

From what I have seen both sides are playing hardball. Will be interesting to see what shakes out. The job market is crazy everywhere right now.

The winner seems to be the other non union automakers who are pushing out cars at the usual rate.

 

[Creedmoor]

From what I have seen both sides are playing hardball. Will be interesting to see what shakes out. The job market is crazy everywhere right now.

The winner seems to be the other non union automakers who are pushing out cars at the usual rate.

If you had a choice, would you pick the perks and pay that non union auto workers get or what the Union Auto Workers get in pay and perks?

 

[KLB]

I think there are two kinds of companies that still pay pensions. 1) companies that **** money and can easily afford them. 2) companies that have a unionized workforce and only pay it because they have to.

Mine is neither. If you know what the construction industry was like after the crash in 2007, you would have an idea of what USG went through. At that time it was a public company. It is now privately held by a German company called Knauf.

 

[actaeon277]

with the assurance that we would get it back when the company returned to profitability),

I've seen (went through) claims like that.
I've NEVER seen anything return when profitability returns.

 

[Rookie]

I've seen (went through) claims like that.
I've NEVER seen anything return when profitability returns.

It looks like you won't be able to say that after the dust settles. All three have agree to reinstating cola.

 

[Hookeye]

I love how we just go ****ing deepend here sometimes. No one is saying all union members are lazy worthless pieces of ****. There ARE worthless pieces of **** that are union, and non union. What most of us ARE saying is that a 40% increase in salary plus a 20% reduction in work hours is just not cool. Also not cool is shutting down repair shops and body shops from being able to repair existing vehicles because you want these unrealistic things.

But don't let me ruin your pity party.

Maybe a body shop would do better if they only did kia and hyundai?

 

[yeti rider]

It looks like you won't be able to say that after the dust settles. All three have agree to reinstating cola.

Good for them, but I think it's crap. The big three are lucky that they offer big trucks and big SUV's the Americans clamor for. If it weren't for those two products alone, they would have nothing to offer that you can't get elsewhere (probably with less quality problems).

 

[yeti rider]

Maybe a body shop would do better if they only did kia and hyundai?

I have some customers that are getting angry that we can't get gm and mopar parts. Explain to me how that makes someone want to buy those brands again.

 

[Hookeye]

My ol lady had a Toyota when I met her.

Problematic, she said shed never get another.

Shes had good luck w GMC and Jeep.

 

[actaeon277]

It looks like you won't be able to say that after the dust settles. All three have agree to reinstating cola.

Only because of a fight.

The next contract never involved the company saying, "well you guys helped us out and gave up x y z, so we'll start by putting that on the table."

 

[Rookie]

Only because of a fight.

The next contract never involved the company saying, "well you guys helped us out and gave up x y z, so we'll start by putting that on the table."

No argument from me. So, who is at fault? The union for standing up or the company for not keeping their word?

CEO Mary Barra started negotiations by stating that cola would never come back. Yet, here we are...

 

[KLB]

Only because of a fight.

The next contract never involved the company saying, "well you guys helped us out and gave up x y z, so we'll start by putting that on the table."

It seems like union shops tend to have a much more antagonistic relationship between management and workers.

 

[actaeon277]

It seems like union shops tend to have a much more antagonistic relationship between management and workers.

I agree.
But when you look at some of the conditions that caused the unions to form in many of these places...

Then again, I've had managers happy when the union pushed a safety issue, because they (the managers) were being ignored by their bosses.
Had instances with brand new low level managers trying to show everyone who is in charge.
And when the grievance meeting happens, and the mid level manager finds out what happened, it gets thrown out.. by management, that was only aware of the problem because of the union.


Don't get me wrong, I hated a lot of the union stuff. Especially the us/them stuff.
But there's no way I'd have worked where I did without it.


I still remember being told by a manager, that I didn't need fall protection, if I DIDN'T FALL.
And to GET UP THERE RIGHT NOW!@!! OR ELSE!!!!".