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Kitchen Sink => No Moto Content => Topic started by: Grampa on June 10, 2009, 07:18:35 PM

Title: the power of unions
Post by: Grampa on June 10, 2009, 07:18:35 PM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31210455/?gt1=43001 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31210455/?gt1=43001)

[drink]
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: krolik on June 10, 2009, 07:38:50 PM
Yeah, but it's Molson's.  :P







[evil]



Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: sbrguy on June 10, 2009, 07:58:51 PM
wtf? six dozen a month?.. that is insane, no wonder they are cutting off that benefit...

ok fixed its still a bunch, heck i'll take health benefits before free beer.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Randimus Maximus on June 10, 2009, 08:00:36 PM
Quote from: sbrguy on June 10, 2009, 07:58:51 PM
wtf? six dozen cases a month?.. that is insane, no wonder they are cutting off that benefit...

I read it to mean six 12-packs a months, which is still quite a bit.  [beer]
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Holden on June 10, 2009, 08:14:26 PM
how is it "unfair" when someone stops giving you free luxuries without asking? just buy your own beer (and better!). or better yet, stop drinking so much that you take it for granted! :P
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: ducpainter on June 10, 2009, 08:30:20 PM
Quote from: Holden on June 10, 2009, 08:14:26 PM
how is it "unfair" when someone stops giving you free luxuries without asking? just buy your own beer (and better!). or better yet, stop drinking so much that you take it for granted! :P
You can stop drinking if you want.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Holden on June 10, 2009, 08:42:03 PM
Quote from: ducpainter on June 10, 2009, 08:30:20 PM
You can stop drinking if you want.

I'm flattered, but I lack the willpower. ;D

Molson, on the other hand... [laugh]
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: herm on June 10, 2009, 08:43:57 PM
hey now,....
when i was a young'in molson was the good stuff.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: redxblack on June 10, 2009, 08:50:58 PM
it isn't that it's free, it's a part of their negotiated compensation package. I bet this would all go away quietly if the company had attempted to negotiate rather than just drop the hammer. People tend to like being treated like people instead of lines on a ledger.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: ducpainter on June 10, 2009, 08:52:24 PM
Quote from: redxblack on June 10, 2009, 08:50:58 PM
it isn't that it's free, it's a part of their negotiated compensation package. I bet this would all go away quietly if the company had attempted to negotiate rather than just drop the hammer. People tend to like being treated like people instead of lines on a ledger.
ding ding ding
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: sbrguy on June 10, 2009, 11:09:15 PM
everyone in one way or another is a ledger to someone, nobody is that special.  we  like to think we are but really we aren't.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Howie on June 11, 2009, 05:11:10 AM
Quote from: sbrguy on June 10, 2009, 11:09:15 PM
everyone in one way or another is a ledger to someone, nobody is that special.  we  like to think we are but really we aren't.

True, but folks in high places should have "people skills".
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Buckethead on June 11, 2009, 05:23:01 AM
Damn!

And I thought the Navy had a pretty sweet retirement package.

Now where did I leave those Special Request chits...?
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: KnightofNi on June 11, 2009, 08:51:22 AM
that's a lot of beer per month. i don't think that even i could drink that much without running into problems.

but at least a labor union is doing something worthwhile  [thumbsup]

Quote from: sbrguy on June 10, 2009, 11:09:15 PM
everyone in one way or another is a ledger to someone, nobody is that special.  we  like to think we are but really we aren't.

you are not a special and unique snowflake...
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: corey on June 11, 2009, 09:04:07 AM
Quote from: redxblack on June 10, 2009, 08:50:58 PM
it isn't that it's free, it's a part of their negotiated compensation package. I bet this would all go away quietly if the company had attempted to negotiate rather than just drop the hammer. People tend to like being treated like people instead of lines on a ledger.

Good point.
But when it comes down to it, would these people rather have their beer benefit cut, or their job cut?
But then again, i guess union employees cant get fired.
So much for motivation for individual effort.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Buckethead on June 11, 2009, 09:55:43 AM
Quote from: corey on June 11, 2009, 09:04:07 AM
Good point.
But when it comes down to it, would these people rather have their beer benefit cut, or their job cut?
But then again, i guess union employees cant get fired.
So much for motivation for individual effort.


As I read the article, this is not a benefit for current employees. It is a RETIREE benefit. Those affected don't have a job with the company to lose. Not anymore, anyway.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Drjones on June 11, 2009, 09:59:13 AM
They're retirees, so they don't really give a rats ass if their job gets cut nor if they get fired.   ;)
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Triple J on June 11, 2009, 10:59:09 AM
If I was retired and someone took away my beer I'd be pissed too (er...actually I wouldn't be...stupid dual word meanings).  [cheeky]
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Scottish on June 11, 2009, 11:05:10 AM
Bummer, here's another union that would rather kill the cow than take less milk.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090609/ap_on_bi_ge/us_boston_globe_future (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090609/ap_on_bi_ge/us_boston_globe_future)




unions  [laugh]
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: redxblack on June 11, 2009, 11:23:41 AM
Quote from: corey on June 11, 2009, 09:04:07 AM
Good point.
But when it comes down to it, would these people rather have their beer benefit cut, or their job cut?
But then again, i guess union employees cant get fired.
So much for motivation for individual effort.


IF that were the situation, it would be perfect for negotiations.

We saw a lot of this in the mid-90s. Companies that were very profitable shedding jobs and benefits to be more profitable. Those concessions are never taken into account in these discussions. Some CDN breweries had even more generous employee and retiree benefits on free beer.

If SOME businesses treated their supplier contracts the way they treated their labor contracts, they'd be cut off and go out of business. I'm currently engaged in a situation where my direct supervisor is violating my contract and daring me to go find another job if I'm unhappy, so I'm a bit sensitive to petty tyrants breaking negotiated agreements.

The bottom line is these things are NEVER as simple as they appear in sound-byte news and unions have fulfilled a very important part in creating this country. I don't think it's coincidental that as organized labor fell apart and jobs were outsourced, the economy had a brief profit bubble and then economic collapse. Capital and labor are codependent of each other. 
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Gator on June 11, 2009, 11:41:00 AM
rabble rabble rabble. unions. rabble rabble .


Quote from: KnightofNi on June 11, 2009, 08:51:22 AM
that's a lot of beer per month. i don't think that even i could drink that much without running into problems.


keep in mind that those are metric beers, so you have to x1.8 and add 32


Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: vwboomer on June 11, 2009, 11:42:54 AM
Quote from: Scottish on June 11, 2009, 11:05:10 AM
Bummer, here's another union that would rather kill the cow than take less milk.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090609/ap_on_bi_ge/us_boston_globe_future (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090609/ap_on_bi_ge/us_boston_globe_future)




unions  [laugh]


23% paycut? I wouldn't vote for it either. Say they take the cut, then in a year the business folds anyway because it's an outdated media source. Nobody wins there either.

There's probably another cut coming for maintenance at work, and its possible that it will affect me. Before the last cut, we were on 32 hours briefly. Get rid of people, then right back to 40. Personally I'd rather have stayed on 32 and retained a couple people but the union never even pushed for it. Now we've got less people trying to do the same amount of work, and the higher ups are pregnant doging because we want to FIX things. Funny, that. A maintenance department that they want to keep from maintaining.


But shit....taking beer away from Canadians? What are they gonna drink during hockey?  :'(
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: Scottish on June 11, 2009, 12:15:45 PM
Quote from: vwboomer on June 11, 2009, 11:42:54 AM
23% paycut? I wouldn't vote for it either. Say they take the cut, then in a year the business folds anyway because it's an outdated media source. Nobody wins there either.

There's probably another cut coming for maintenance at work, and its possible that it will affect me. Before the last cut, we were on 32 hours briefly. Get rid of people, then right back to 40. Personally I'd rather have stayed on 32 and retained a couple people but the union never even pushed for it. Now we've got less people trying to do the same amount of work, and the higher ups are pregnant doging because we want to FIX things. Funny, that. A maintenance department that they want to keep from maintaining.


But shit....taking beer away from Canadians? What are they gonna drink during hockey?  :'(
Yeah me neither I'd rather stand in the unemployment line.  [roll] Tight times mean everybody takes it in the shorts.
Title: Re: the power of unions
Post by: KnightofNi on June 11, 2009, 12:19:21 PM
Quote from: 13 on June 11, 2009, 11:41:00 AM

keep in mind that those are metric beers, so you have to x1.8 and add 32


dam metric system strikes again!!  [laugh]



wait a sec...that's more beer!
i might be on a permanent bender if i had those benefits.