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Post by computergeek on Apr 16, 2007 10:37:31 GMT -5
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rena
New Member
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Post by rena on Apr 16, 2007 12:52:08 GMT -5
From what I understand, the unions workers sign like a 5 year contract. When the contract ends, the unions start negotiating to get a cost of living increase. I think they only get to renew their contracts every 5 years and do not get any raises in that time frame. Well this time Pantex is willing to give a cost of living increase but make the union workers pay more on their health insurance. So basically it is like not getting a raise. Management personnell from Pantex and other affiliates all work overtime during these strikes to make up for the lost personnel. Also I think this strike is with the security personnel which I think is very important that they get it handled immediately. Yes this affects national security in the sense that if we show wekness in our security system then it is out there for the whole world to see.
If I am wrong about this oh well....It is JMO.... ;D
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Post by terrye on Apr 16, 2007 13:06:08 GMT -5
unions....there you go. jmo
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Post by computergeek on Apr 16, 2007 13:12:59 GMT -5
unions....there you go. jmo Do you mind explaining this a little further? |
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Post by terrye on Apr 16, 2007 13:20:29 GMT -5
You really want my opinion? Since you asked... The only people that make money associated with unions are the unions. I've had many years of experience with unions in two previous jobs. In my opinion, unions choke corporations and stifle employees while they continue stuffing money into their pockets. There was as time in our history when unions were welcomed and needed, ie.. sweat shops, child labor, no overtime pay. They are not needed now.
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Post by turnpike on Apr 16, 2007 15:16:27 GMT -5
I agree with you, terrye!
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Post by bag from canyon on Apr 16, 2007 16:16:20 GMT -5
I was told yesterday by a guard from Pantex that the new contract was way out of reason. They lowered there pay by 40%, raised there insurance by 600%, took some of there PTO days away and lowered there vacation days.
In some cases, unions are needed. If the new contract is truly this bad and you don't belong to a union, then your out of luck. Go to work and deal with it.
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Post by petiepanzer on Apr 16, 2007 16:28:04 GMT -5
I wouldn't go as far as terrye, but I definitely do not have a favorable impression of most labor unions. Now, let's not forget that unions do serve a legitimate purpose and they are an element of the free market system. In addition, I see nothing wrong with collective bargaining on the part of the employees. The problem with unions is that they are inherently corrupt by nature and leave the door wide open for grafting and embezzlement. Also, it is quite apparent that unions have gone too far on numerous occasions, often to the detriment of the business and even the community as a whole. For ex., it is no big secret that a great portion of the problems that the Big 3 auto makers are currently experiencing has to do with employment contracts negotiated by the UAW in the past. They were paying high school dropouts more than $30 an hour to begin working on their assembly lines. This added cost has given many foreign made autos a significant price advantage here in the United States versus their domestic counterparts. As a result, Detroit and the state of Michigan are facing financial ruin.
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Post by terrye on Apr 16, 2007 18:54:02 GMT -5
Unions are corrupt. I've had many years of dealing with United Steelworkers and United Garment Workers. They typically bargain for higher and higher pay even in years when their employer may not have had higher profits. There are many corporations that have plants in total unionized facilities and have opened plants in right to work states (Texas is a right to work state) where there is no union or at least if a union does get voted in, the employees don't have to join. Productivity is highest by far in the non-union plants. Non-union plants typically have higher production with lower operating costs than their union affiliated plants. In fact, using the example of the auto industry, bargaining for higher pay and more benefits when the industry is struggling to say the least and we wonder why new vehicles cost $30,000 plus. Strikes, plants closing down and moving to other states, higher costs for consumers, layoffs...the results of unions.
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Post by jeeper on Apr 24, 2007 16:06:51 GMT -5
The offer that was tabled for the guards was shameful. I cannot go into details, but nobody in their right mind would have agreed to those terms. It has definitely affected my job though. Since only one of the two gates are open in the mornings, you have about 1500 employees trying to get into the plant through three lanes. Several mornings it has taken me longer to get from HWY60 into the plant than it takes to get from the plant to my house in SW Amarillo.
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