I'm good with this - as long as I get to be in Pol Pot's insider group !!!

 

I truly don't care.. about any of this or anyone's opinion.. I got my daily driver and truck for my business built and this will be settled by the time I need a new one in a few years...

​​​​​​Some of these paragraphs make me think some of you care way to much.. or that you just enjoy arguing. Not that I read that crap.. just scrolling was basically an ad for Xanax..

 

Speaking of small businesses, how many will be impacted by the strike since many small businesses make parts for the cars and trucks and are non union labor. It's not fair to them, especially after trying to get back up after the shutdown through the plandemic.

 

I mean I'll be affected sure eventually.. bottom line the energy is better spent pivoting and focusing on other opportunities in the manufacturing industry.. this may hurt some of my clients short term but the entire steel and manufacturing industry isn't as reliant on Ford GM and Stellantis as you may expect. Noone is going to be shuttering plants over this soap opera. Nobody is really worried in my circles just being honest..

 

Part of the country I live in is heavily unionized and anyone just seeking basic employment in the trades is stuck joining because you cant beat them for pay and benefits as an employee. With that said small business owners like myself that were non union get plenty of opportunity to fill in as private contractors when the union guys prove unreliable.

I still get called every winter season to see if I want to send trucks to a number of cities that have unionized public works departments. Lazy union employees cant even show up for snow storms that pay double time their already excellent base pay. Hardly ever any strikes here but so much temp work as private contractors because of union issues.

 

I got 2 quotes for gas line install for my fireplace. The shop itself and the gas company. The gas company came in a TWICE. I asked how they came about the number. The fireplace shop said it was about 21 feet and so much per foot. Union shop was the same price per foot and agreed with the 21 foot measurement. Why the difference? Well, the union rules had the cutoff at 20 feet. So, if it was 1 foot extra, it would be 2 people hence twice the price. Well, I didn't feel comfortable doing gas and I needed someone professional but I wasn't willing to pay twice just because union rules said that it has to be done by 2 people. The fireplace shop brought in 2 guys to do the job at half the price. Guess who I went with.

 

They are already being severely affected. I saw a transmission shop owner nearly in tears because his business he worked so hard to build is failing. He can't get parts from suppliers due to the strike.

Unions are evil. They are a mockery to capitalism and they hurt more people than they help. I wish the Big 3 would tell them to pound sand and go hire some desperate people off the streets for training and work.

 

Mat I ask your profession and experience level in it that allowed you to come to such an opinion?

 

Grew up in a family full of unionized workers. Not one of them has a good thing to say about the union. My father also runs his own heavy equipment repair business and I've seen how hard this is making life for him. Finally, I live close to the Ford Super Duty plant and things around here have been not so good. I worked a union job for two weeks once. When I saw what I was giving and what I'd potentially get, I walked.

After all that, no experience level is required for someone to see how many Americans are screwed by unions. One college economics course will suffice.

 

I respect your opinion and agree with it to a lesser extent but personally think both sides are the problem..

​​​​​​Lots of successful situations going on in Alabama right now which is less unionized in the manufacturing sphere..

I will say however I don't respect or trust upper management at most of these places. So it's a double edged sword.

 

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Yeah but the thing is in the real world that's like the 15th thing on anyone's mind working there union or otherwise but it's the first thing a bunch of Joe Crap Kicking outsiders mumble on about because they aren't privy to or knowledgeable enough about payscale benefits healthcare pentions and a healthy medium in which to balance things out at.. it's also the first thing the unions cry on about a long with wheeling out the sick kid at the strikes for the news cameras..

Worker protections in these industries are complicated subjects.. 99.9% of you have never even sat next to one of these upper management types at a bar let alone had dinner with them and worked with them regularly to gauge their mentality or discuss in confidence what it's really like managing the 50 layers of important bullcrap that are between CEO pay and an entry level union laborer and I don't see many of you discussing it with knowledge or detail.. I see alot of union bashing and simple BS

I had to live in Dearborn at the Hyatt Regency and Henry for 3 days a week for two plus years while the Severstal mill was built next door to Ford and used to grab dinner every night I was there at Andiamo with these people to varying degrees.

​​​​Im not saying some of you don't have some valid points but I think some of you sound flat out ignorant and disconnected to both labor conditions and benefits in major manufacturing businesses and the dynamics within upper management.

Both sides are a problem and I neither overly empathize nor do I abhore either side.. the key is the balance.. Auto Companies are a large unique complicated body to keep running fairly profitably and efficiently.. That's pretty much my point. Even comparing them to mini mills or service centers which thrive in non union conditions doesn't really work.. Each auto company and its own personal brand of garbage needs to be sorted out.. me personally I'm ok with jacking up benefits and payscale down the middle on what UAW is demanding.. so far the offers made seem pretty reasonable to me.

 

Here is the problem. When you show up with your union, it is now an adversarial situation. Kinda like if we had a dispute and I brought my lawyer. No way we can do it easy. I'm going to push for everything I can get and some and so will you. That it is done this way for so long, it can't change. Think of car buying. I need 10k but I ask 12k because I know you are going to offer me 6k.

Wish there was a way to reset but I'd probably have an easier request like Scarlett Johansson meeting me at a hotel suite tonight.

 

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Maybe if we put an AI in command we will cut off a lot of waste without having to worry about the politics of the decision. Seriously, it's time cannot get here soon enough.