That first paragraph is excellent. Perhaps 11 dollars is fair perhaps 20 is fair. But YOU have decided that that pay is fair for the job. It is a decision that should be left up to you, not a union. You may have some skills that allow you to be a valuable employee. MANY of the assembly line people have their jobs so automated that anyone could replace them any minute. While they have opportunites to become skilled or become less replaceable, many pass on these opportunities because the union makes their jobs secure and they enjoy the easier job. I am willing to bet if you were given the opportunity to make yourself more valuable to the company you would take it. It would be helpful both to you personally and the company. Unions have become rediculous and greedy. Any hard working person can get a good job without them. You seem to be proof of that.
i guess i'm just bitter, i'm an otr driver, 3 years ago i delivered a load of chairs to bp oil in houston. i was more than shocked to see the ritzy way those employees live. their parking lot didn't even have many american cars, i'm not joking the pkg lot was full of mercedes's, ferrari's, a rolls, and everything as high-end as it gets. they have a nice pond stocked with turtles and fish of every kind, jogging paths with rest areas, exercise stations/trainers and i could go on. after that i went back up north just to see teenage kids driving their new gas guzzling pickups thru the salt. i remember thinking to myself "so this is how stupid i used to look when i was their age?" that changed my thinking forever, i swore i'd be driving vw diesels from now on. i still haven't yet but aside from my vintage ford toys (that don't get driven much anyway) i'll never buy another gas guzzler again. i see george dub on tv w/the 'addicted to oil' thing it's such a mega-scam. i hear george dub talk about fuel-cells and saying the magic words (against most people i do like george dub-just except that he's for big oil, after all he is a texan with old friends there-think?) i hear $100/barrel this, oil companies-huge-record-breaking-quarter-profit that, and see that we're just sending our $$ to the mid east it makes me sick. how can people just ignore it? i know it's old news, but nothing ever get's done. i want a new pickup as much as anyone but i can't have it when it costs as much as my house. i'll bet the kids in the mid-east are better off than our kids here
I'm not sure if you are aware of this or not, but the USA's #1 supplier of oil is not the middle east, its canada, with most of it coming from the alberta tar sands, north of Fort McMurray. Although the province was able to vaporize its debt mainly off of oil royalties, the people there do not really enjoy the benefit of all that oil, property prices are out of control, and the price of gas or diesel is still higher than the average in the USA. But the price has stayed more stable with the rise of the canadian dollar.
It is still my opinion that oil companies cannot control the price of oil anymore than the president can control the value of the american dollar, but the record profits does beg the question if prices should be regulated. Although that would only be a temporary fix, since oil production has already peaked, and price controls would only lead to shortages as most would simply buy more of it.
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1986 F250HD Ex cab Fresh built up 6.9L diesel Lariat AC leather seats power everything w/full cluster, sterling rear 3.08LS gears, E4OD trans, ram intake ATS 088 turbo
1986 F150 Ex cab Lariat rollercam 5.0L on LPG AOD trans 3.55 gears 390 000Ks
i guess i'm just bitter, i'm an otr driver, 3 years ago i delivered a load of chairs to bp oil in houston. i was more than shocked to see the ritzy way those employees live. their parking lot didn't even have many american cars, i'm not joking the pkg lot was full of mercedes's, ferrari's, a rolls, and everything as high-end as it gets. they have a nice pond stocked with turtles and fish of every kind, jogging paths with rest areas, exercise stations/trainers and i could go on. after that i went back up north just to see teenage kids driving their new gas guzzling pickups thru the salt. i remember thinking to myself "so this is how stupid i used to look when i was their age?" that changed my thinking forever, i swore i'd be driving vw diesels from now on. i still haven't yet but aside from my vintage ford toys (that don't get driven much anyway) i'll never buy another gas guzzler again. i see george dub on tv w/the 'addicted to oil' thing it's such a mega-scam. i hear george dub talk about fuel-cells and saying the magic words (against most people i do like george dub-just except that he's for big oil, after all he is a texan with old friends there-think?) i hear $100/barrel this, oil companies-huge-record-breaking-quarter-profit that, and see that we're just sending our $$ to the mid east it makes me sick. how can people just ignore it? i know it's old news, but nothing ever get's done. i want a new pickup as much as anyone but i can't have it when it costs as much as my house. i'll bet the kids in the mid-east are better off than our kids here
Yeah the addicted to oil thing really bothered me. If that is true then he is the dealers best friend.
We are not addicted, we simply have no choice. We can drive the most fuel efficient vehicle for our needs but we are still using large amounts of oil.
Also many people compare our oil use to european oil use. Our country is built on the basis of cheap oil. Most people have a house in the suburbs or country and commute to the cities or towns for work, shopping, and fun. Most cities and towns have no practical public transportation. Also the very size of our country makes it difficult to compare to europe. Most european countries are simliar in size to our STATES. The population density in europe is much higher than here. It makes no sense to compare here.
I love my truck and I love the small town I live in. I am very fit and would gladly ride a bike to work if I could. Unfortunatly thats not possible. Working in an industrial park its very difficult to get there safely on a bicycle. there is no public trans around here either. As much as I enjoy and need the hauling ability of my truck I am considering getting a small vehicle and giving up that versatility. I am also considering moving to a large city where public transportation or bicycling is a viable option. But then I get into the problem of housing be unaffordable
Sorry for the rant, but it boiled my blood when Bush said that. He and our goverments have not provided an alternative. His blaming us was simply passing the buck.
We are very capable of coming up with an alternative to foriegn oil, but no one wants to make that commitment. I like to say it will take a project on the scale of the manhatten project to get us off oil. It certainly will take more than talk.
I think if American people would be a little more willing to work for a fair price and not Union B.S. way over paid wages with rediculous health care benifits, then we would all be better off. I work for $11 bucks an hour I make electric motors, and although I wish I got paid 15 bucks an hour, I feel I get paid fairly for the job I do(wish I had better insurance though), and I feel I can out work anybody from any country, and have a higher quality product to boot.
Americans work as hard or harder than anybody on the planet, and I should not have to feel a threat from the 3 or 4 Mexican workers it would take to replace me. No American should.
Yeah trucks should be able to get 20MPG all day long with the trottle down. I think the reason the economy sucks right now is everybody has to budget their money for gas, if gas was $2.00 a gallon I would be pretty happy that would be good, but I'd rather see it at $1.50, I think thats a fair price, hell the oil companies make money no matter what, they got us by the balls, and thats why they get away with it.
Maybe if we just all worked our butts off for a week or two stocked up on groceries, and then had a national shut down week, where everybody but emergency workers just stayed home for a week, with the intent to force oil companies to lower prices. Just to show them what happens when we don't buy their stuff, maybe they would appreciate us a little more, and lower prices. It would be nice if all the companies that could switch to four ten hour days or even three twelve hour days, actually would.
I worked at Wal-Mart 2 years ago they only paid me $7.25 and hour and I was in the Tire Lube Express which was the highest paid labor job available. They are pathetic one of the richest companies in America and they only pay minimum wage, they could at least pay 8 or 9 buck an hour.
so you think we should all work for $8 an hour then??? with gas prices being aound $3 and gallon and more and how much things cost now. ford i know for sure has shutdown weeks through out the year, and i am not going to work for nothing out in the heat and have to crawl around in and out of machines repairing them and troubleshooting them, the union is not BS, you are just one of those people who think corperations need to make all the money they can sorry pal i have a right to enjoy some of the finer things in life and you are not going to get them by making peanuts for a living!!! atleast the union gets you good bennifits, good wage, and makes the company treat you like you are human.
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EAT RICE, DONT DRIVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
so you think we should all work for $8 an hour then??? with gas prices being aound $3 and gallon and more and how much things cost now. ford i know for sure has shutdown weeks through out the year, and i am not going to work for nothing out in the heat and have to crawl around in and out of machines repairing them and troubleshooting them, the union is not BS, you are just one of those people who think corperations need to make all the money they can sorry pal i have a right to enjoy some of the finer things in life and you are not going to get them by making peanuts for a living!!! atleast the union gets you good bennifits, good wage, and makes the company treat you like you are human.
Wrong. I am a non-union employee. I have good benefits, a good salary and am treated very fairly. If you don't like your job or feel your pay is unfair find another job. Someone certainly will pay you for the skills you bring. Most people in the US are not union employees. Again if you don't like your job or benefits then find another job. Someone will be willing to pay for a valuable worker.
I had to work for everything I was given. I was not born into a wealthy family or given any gifts. If I have a job that can support me then anyone can.
Unions were a good thing in the past. They have since become greedy and allowed employees to become lazy.
Can you honestly say that for an unskilled worker 60k plus a pension and great health care is fair? I do not believe so.
This reminds me somewhat of the prevailing wage law in my state. On certain jobs the state tells the business what they will pay for wages for certain jobs.
A carpender may make 15 dollars per hour but under prevailing wage he may get paid 30 per hour on a state job like a court house or school.
I have been apart of these and I love the wage. Guess what? The quality of work does not go up one bit! That includes me too! The tax payer is the one that pays the tab ultimately. If anything, many workers try to milk the job out longer. I see a resemblence between union and non union workers is the reason I bring this up.
It is still my opinion that oil companies cannot control the price of oil anymore than the president can control the value of the american dollar, but the record profits does beg the question if prices should be regulated. Although that would only be a temporary fix, since oil production has already peaked, and price controls would only lead to shortages as most would simply buy more of it.
Prices were controlled in the 70s and we couldn't buy gas. Lines were blocks and blocks long. We could buy gas only on alternate days, etc. With the worldwide oil demands from China, India, etc. if we regulate prices, it will simply be sold to other countries. The US proved years ago that price controls don't work. Look at Russia and a lot of other foreign countries that presently have price controls on things and you see hungry people and empty shelves.
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2004 XLT Regular Cab, Short Bed, 4X4 with 5.4 and 3.73.
No I'm not for corperations and the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer, but I can see one of the reasons for all factories and stuff leaving this country and going to another is because we demand to much money, and they will work for less money than Henry Ford used to pay his workers($5 a day).
I'm not saying I don't want more money, or I couldn't use it, but I'm not going to go on strike just because I want some extra dough, or because I don't like the way my boss does something, or cry and whine because I don't get my way. We have shot ourselves in the foot when it comes to unions. If I were a major corperation like Ford or GM I would want quality American workers, but when I see people going on strike all the time, yeah I can see why they outsource.
I'm not defending them I'm just saying I can see their side of it, and I would rather have all those factories here, and the workers be paid a fair wage instead of the factory going to somewhere else. I'm sure unions aren't the only reason to outsource, but they sure don't help anything either. In my area there are only like 2 factories, and the rest of the work places are all retail or restraunts $9 bucks an hour is pretty decent for around here, and there are people that live off of that.
Prices were controlled in the 70s and we couldn't buy gas. Lines were blocks and blocks long. We could buy gas only on alternate days, etc. With the worldwide oil demands from China, India, etc. if we regulate prices, it will simply be sold to other countries. The US proved years ago that price controls don't work. Look at Russia and a lot of other foreign countries that presently have price controls on things and you see hungry people and empty shelves.
They tried that in canada too, it was called the national energy program (or programme as they say in the capital). Since alberta was the only real oil producer in the 70s, they lost out big time, and it nearly bankrupted the province just so people in central canada could enjoy some cheaper gas (there are still more votes in central canada). Today the old wounds are healing, but you still hear some one in ontario shoot his mouth off every now and then about how alberta is getting a "free ride". In reality they fought long and hard to get back on their feet, and the feds already make a killing off of oil royalties.
More recently, a price cap was attempted in atlantic canada, and guess what - the gas was sold to other provinces instead. After a brief fuel shortage, the law was repealed. Simple short sighted solutions rarely work out very well for anyone.
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1986 F250HD Ex cab Fresh built up 6.9L diesel Lariat AC leather seats power everything w/full cluster, sterling rear 3.08LS gears, E4OD trans, ram intake ATS 088 turbo
1986 F150 Ex cab Lariat rollercam 5.0L on LPG AOD trans 3.55 gears 390 000Ks
the car make need to go back to the bascis with cars and make them last ten years like they should
Quote:
Originally Posted by mchbts
Alright i am going out on a limb here to see if anyone out there agrees with me. I am 21yrs old and an extremely loyal Ford man. I have been raised by a family that for generations has always owned Ford pickups. In high school i rebuilt a 74 F100(good truck-for shows and enjoyment) and i also currently drive a 86 F150(work truck). Both 2wd and manual transmissions-just plain jane, well built, extremely tough, and hard working trucks. As i look at the future as a young potential truck buyer and I just don't know what i will do. I am a farmer and all i really want is a simple basic work truck-give me a manual transmission, a small V8 or an old straight six like they used to make and a regular cab with a long bed and i will be happy. Is there any one out there that would like to see something like this built today? As i look at what Ford is building right now it sure is along way from what i want. The superdutys are okay but all i really need is a half ton. It seems like today everyone wants a big truck-so the companies put massive grills and body panels on them but i dare say that they are as tough as my old 74 or 86. Henery Ford was for the common hard working man-he built cars and trucks that were affordable and ready to work- i think his vision may be lost in some ways. All i know is i will drive my 86 as long as i possibly can- in my opinion that was built when trucks were trucks.
No I'm not for corperations and the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer, but I can see one of the reasons for all factories and stuff leaving this country and going to another is because we demand to much money, and they will work for less money than Henry Ford used to pay his workers($5 a day).
I'm not saying I don't want more money, or I couldn't use it, but I'm not going to go on strike just because I want some extra dough, or because I don't like the way my boss does something, or cry and whine because I don't get my way. We have shot ourselves in the foot when it comes to unions. If I were a major corperation like Ford or GM I would want quality American workers, but when I see people going on strike all the time, yeah I can see why they outsource.
I'm not defending them I'm just saying I can see their side of it, and I would rather have all those factories here, and the workers be paid a fair wage instead of the factory going to somewhere else. I'm sure unions aren't the only reason to outsource, but they sure don't help anything either. In my area there are only like 2 factories, and the rest of the work places are all retail or restraunts $9 bucks an hour is pretty decent for around here, and there are people that live off of that.
I just took a management class in school and the stats were from 2005 but still, it said healthcare costs per person in the us 6500, canada, 800, overseas, 50, how can we compete with that?
and yea extra money is always nice but im not gonna lie, i just applied for a engineering internship and i felt almost guilty for how much i asked an hr(they gave a range for what they paid interns an hr then asked u what u wanted)
just wondering if ford sold off jaguar and land rover why are they still listed on Ford's home page
__________________ 1996 F-250 460 Super Cab 8' Bed 4x4
3.55 limited slip frnt/rear, 33x12.50 BFG A/T, 4" Skyjacker, 3" body lift, cat-back dual exhaust, K&N Air Filter, deep tranny pan, Warn hub kit, Alpine 9857 Head Unit, Alpine S-Type frnt spkrs, Sony 6"x9"s (in mobile boxes),flip-down gooseneck ball
the car make need to go back to the bascis with cars and make them last ten years like they should
Cars and trucks last longer now than they ever have. I don't want to go back to the basics. I got tired of replacing plugs, points, tires, batteries, etc. My Escape has had $150 worth of parts break on it in 101,000+ miles(since new), I bought my old Town Car 3 years ago with 86,000 miles on it and I have spent just over $200 on it in the 3 years (including labor) and 30,000 miles. My truck is 3.5 years old and I have spent 0 on it in repairs. I sure am glad they don't make them like they used to.
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2004 XLT Regular Cab, Short Bed, 4X4 with 5.4 and 3.73.
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Lariat AC leather seats power everything w/full cluster, sterling rear 3.08LS gears, E4OD trans, ram intake ATS 088 turbo
