In different jobs I have had—I have had to join 5 different unions in my younger days. HATE THEM
I remember a UNION strike in the Grocery Cashiers group.
Union was demanding a 50 cents an hour raise-—late 60’s.
IN THE ACTUAL MEETING—WE VOTED DOWN THE STRIKE—3-1
UNION reps put us on strike anyway-—THEY LIED.
I also remember that we ended up with 5 CENTS an hour raise and a 3 year contract.
WE LOST SO MUCH $$$$$$$ while on strike, that it was mathematically IMPOSSIBLE to recover that loss with 5 cents an hour for 3 more years into the future.
The massive losses Ford is dealing with on the new trucks-—a friend of mine has had a deposit on one for over a year. -—cannot last much longer.
I have been self-employed since about 1980.
In 1988, I was competing in events all over the western part of the country & was OUT of my home base county for 61 days.
At the end of the year, I calculated: MY gross income divided by my hourly rate & further calculated the hours I had spent AVERAGE for every week I was at home and working for clients.
I AVERAGED 78 HOURS A WEEK doing bookkeeping...
at $18/hour & paying Social Security payments of 15.3% of my gross when I filed my 1040. NO PAID HOLIDAYS/SICK DAYS/VACATIONS/HEALTH INSURANCE/PENSION
These jerks already make VERY FOOD WAGES and benefits-—
AND THEY ARE DEMANDING TOO MUCH.
None of them will EVER sign the FRONT OF A PAYCHECK-—only the back side.
When automation came in, union workers could get 90% of their prior paycheck if they sat in the UNION HALL & ‘were available’ for any work emergency to step in.
That alone is a travesty.
NO SYMPATHIES here
Why don’t the workers ask why the heads of the Unions make so much?
I was only asked to join a union once in my life and it was a summertime job. I said no. I still worked at the place, was paid 25 cents less an hour then the union stooges and they all knew I was not union so you can guess how they treated me.