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To: Mr. Jeeves
Unions and their goons drive up the cost of their labor to the point it becomes more productive to have it done out of the country. Then they wonder why their jobs go away. Funny how it works.
10 posted on 12/26/2002 11:25:58 AM PST by gcruse
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To: gcruse
As much as I would like to blast the simplicity of your remarks, I will instead direct my attention to said article.
I think the article is spot on and is really a remarkable piece of journalism in this day and age, when everyone has an agenda.
It speaks of the jobs going away, and speaks of the unintended consequences should we try to artificially retain these jobs.
America is staring a neutron bomb dead in the eyes.
You idle the greater middle class, by unemployment or even more importantly underemployment, and you begin to introduce doubt into the great American experiment/dream.
You introduce too great of a degree of doubt and negative things can result.
I would say one only has to spend a little time in an inner city slum, and not only will you see the doubt, but you can actually feel it.
To transport this feeling and anger to the middle class would be nothing short of national suicide.
12 posted on 12/26/2002 12:11:59 PM PST by dtel
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To: gcruse
Unions and their goons drive up the cost of their labor to the point it becomes more productive to have it done out of the country. Then they wonder why their jobs go away. Funny how it works.

This union bashing makes some feel good - but it is not true. Are you trying to tell everyone that every job we have lost is a union job? Of course not. Also, I am amazed at the huge salaries that are quoted for union jobs.

While the union did have something to do with work going overseas, that argument is way outdated and overexaggerated.

Try greed, corporate and political. Try government involvement in this debacle. Try the government uses our tax dollars to grease the way for these companies to move overseas.

The old "union is to blame for all our problems" is years out of date.

15 posted on 12/26/2002 2:35:06 PM PST by nanny
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To: gcruse
Unions and their goons drive up the cost of their labor to the point it becomes more productive to have it done out of the country. Then they wonder why their jobs go away. Funny how it works.

I can't speak for all union employees, just the helicopter division of The Boeing Company where I work. The union employees there are very dedicated men and women who know and care about the product they make. The new MFG technique is Lean Manufacturing where most of the work is outsourced. It is supposed to reduce cost and be more efficient.

Just one example: in our facility, if you needed to replace a piece of wire on the assembly line, the mechanic would go to the Wire Shop which was adjacent to the assembly line. Now that work is done in Baltimore, MD. The piece of wire that could be replaced in 20 minutes now takes 2 weeks - if you are lucky. Mechanics are often idle and not happy waiting for parts that used to be readily available. And you knew the sheetmetal, machinist, etc. that was providing the part for you. You worked as a team, a family.

Last summer supervisors were telling mechanics to use sick leave or vacation to take long weekends due to hold for parts. And if you think this results in cheaper prices for the consumer, guess again. The minimum wage employee currently making the wire bundles for Boeing does not care about the product the way the Boeing employee does. That minimum wage employee is thinking about how he can get a higher paying job, not about the function of the part he/she is making. Our children fly in these aircraft and we build pride into each one. Those of us who remain.

In many ways, you get what you pay for. The men on the shop floor work in 150 degree temperatures during the summer, winter is cold but not that bad. There are some lazy bums, sure, but 90% are great, knowledgable and technically competent employees. I can tell you that IMHO it is the bonus hungry executives that don't care about the end product and who don't earn their pay, not the man on the production floor.

I am not a union employee or an anti-management person. But everyone piles on the guy who does the grunt work and carries the salary/overhead on their back. If a union person is not doing their job, then management has a right to document it and get rid of the guy. That's management's job, not the union's fault.

31 posted on 12/26/2002 5:08:54 PM PST by chit*chat
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