We used to either go on strike, or threaten it, so you didn't have to

[NNN0LHI]

The UAW used have a great system in place to increase everyones pay to keep up with the cost of living. We would pick a strike target from one of the Big Three every three years. We would never strike all three of them at the same time. If we had we would have had the government interfering and everything. So we picked one as the target. Usually a different one every three years. And the one we picked knew that the other two automakers would be selling cars like hell to make up for the idled production lines at the strike target. That gave them incentive to bargain in good faith.

And every contract we would get a yearly 3% raise and our retirees would also get a small increase to keep up with the cost of living. And when we received our raises there was a little extra money for others to get theirs. Now that is gone. There is no more room for raises.

When the pay went up a little bit for our retirees they weren't being squeezed by property taxes like we are now. Now instead of getting our yearly increases to keep up with the cost of living and higher taxes we are taking cuts in our retirement pay and benefits every year. Our new workers are getting 50% less pay than we were getting a few years ago. Do you think those workers can stand an increase in their property taxes?

Once our union was broken it became open season on all unions because the money just isn't there any more.

And you will always find some goof ball who says, "But we get almost the same pay and benefits as the union autoworkers did without unionizing." They don't have enough common sense to realize that the reason they were getting that pay and benefits was because of the UAW.

This is for the younger workers who don't know how things were once done in this country.

Don

[RKP5637]

1. Exactly!!! "They don't have enough common sense to realize that the reason they

were getting that pay and benefits was because of the UAW."

I was never in a union because of the nature of my job, but I always valued and respected unions highly, because what the unions did benefited all workers. Today IMO most employees have no representation at all except to go talk to HR. Any thinking that's as effective as a union really need to go look at history and see what the unions did for this country!!!

[aka-chmeee]

2. There are other unions, you know...

As a member first of URW and now USW watched the same in Topeka where employees at local pet food plant would boast about what a great employer they had who out of the goodness of their hearts would match Goodyear's employee's gains after every contract negotiation. And I think they really believed it!

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. A good third of DU...

...hates unions,doesn't think they're necessary, thinks they're sinks of corruption whose benefits are far outweighed by their costs, promote racism and sexism in the work force and on balance are a very bad thing indeed.

Keep up the good work on the pushback. Thankless job, but appreciated.