According to results coming in, the new UAW-Chrysler contract is going down in flames! The big issue seems NOT to be money or bonuses, but work-rules and management policies. Rotating shifts, [week on days, week on afternoons, week on nights, repeat until exhausted, your wife hates you, your kids dont know you, you always feel like crap], at some plants. The tier 2 hires cause nothing but dissension among the rank-and-file. This contract provides raises and benefits for them [good] but nothing for tier 1 workers. Only changes in work-rules, and a draconian attendance policy. Elimination of skilled-trades work to be called semi-skilled, handed to production personnel.
This is what is going on in my world. I know some of you out there are union haters, fine, I cant agree with everything the union does too! But the unions set the standard with which all other salaries are based upon! Dont believe me?! The "Trans-plants" figured out to the penny how much they have to pay to keep the union out! Cut their pay, and hey!, next day the union will be in there.
This is a flammable topic, lots of feelings here. I have been a member of 2 unions since I left the Army. In general, they are a good thing, but...yes there are ALOT of douchebags that work the system! Maybe to balance it out, I will tell you about the management style that PROMOTES salaried people to positions where the can do the LEAST damage!
Sorry, I didn't mean to go on this long, but one more thing!!!!! General Holiefield is the UAW Vice-President in charge of Chrysler. He is currently facing charges of domestic violence for wife-beating!! Yes, this is the douche I want representing me! The papers have supressed this. OK, now I'm done, for now.................

 

"But the unions set the standard with which all other salaries are based upon!"

Very true. In our town, the non-union mills always piggybacked off of what the union millworkers made. I watch with great interest the assault on the unions in the USA. We have the same haters up here in Canada. People who hate unions are deluding themselves. Corporation are not compassionate. They would pay you $2 a day if they thought they could get away with it.

Marty

 

Well, its official. The UAW International got the vote that THEY wanted! All the senior production employees [tier 1], and all the new hires [tier 2] got to vote. This contract gave nothing to T1 folks, and $5 to T2 folks. Tier 2 folks are limited to 25% of membership. Skilled Trades [ME] also has a vote, and we soundly voted it down! [We know how to do math!]. So the International UAW says why is this, and in 1 day!, they say skilled trades voted it down for economic reasons! We voted NO due to work conditions, sending skilled work to production, lines of demarcation, combining of trades. But the International decided that trades were just "malcontents" and nullified our vote!!!! Under the by-laws, they could do that if it was over money, BUT IT WASNT!!! And they say they did a study....And found this out OVERNIGHT???? ****-you General Holiefield!!! You have over 20!!!! relatives working for Chrysler!! Douchebag!!! This aint over!!