"...the Barnacles of Unionism wrapped around their necks."

[Olo401]

The WHAT??????

....what I want to do is make sure we have jobs for these workers and we have first-class American automobile companies... and we're not going to do it with the barnacles of unionism wrapped around their necks.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

When I heard this on NPR this afternoon on the way home, I almost flipped right the hell out of my seat. I probably should have, because how many folks on my commuter bus were listening to NPR at the moment DeMint said these scandalous words? How many would recognize the impact and intent here? In this interview, DeMint clearly stated that his goal was to force the automakers into Chapter 11 bankruptcy so that the union contracts could be broken and restructured; that decades of union contracts and threatened strikes and "union bosses" are the reason that the auto companies are in trouble now; that unions are "...an antiquated concept in today's economy..."

Let these words burn into your mind for a moment.. Then take a moment to read up on the history of the union movement in this country, which led workers out of poor working conditions and protected them from cuts in wages that led beyond mere poverty to starvation for entire families. Workers gave their lives in many cases during the strikes of old, not just so they could make working conditions, pay and benefits better for themselves but so that the next generations of workers would not have to fight these same battles. It's the reason we have a minimum wage in this country. It's the reason breathing masks are required when working in mines or with dangerous chemicals. It's the reason children are not allowed to work.

Now take a few moments to read this diary, which is far more eloquent than I am. There's a bunch of action items in there to follow. Spread this whole thing far and wide. It's time to show this country who the real barnacles are, who they intend to choke, and that they need to get scrubbed off the hull of our ship.

Do not take your working standards and conditions for . Fight for them as if they don't exist.

[thestalkmore]

I will get right on that.

[Kerberoz]

Gogo baby boomers getting paid $30+/hr for unskilled labor and making their kids and grandkids foot the bill. Unions are awesome!

[Rhinox]

Gogo baby boomers getting paid $30+/hr for unskilled labor and making their kids and grandkids foot the bill. Unions are awesome!

How do you like your 5 day work week?

[Jer]

Unions used to be needed. Nowadays, not so much. Maybe it is because of my job and what I have seen them do, but in today's workplace the union is not worth the trouble it causes.

[Pabst]

Gogo baby boomers getting paid $30+/hr for unskilled labor and making their kids and grandkids foot the bill. Unions are awesome!

I only get paid $20/hr :<

[ZarakiKujata]

Lol Jim DeMint has been saying that for weeks, also I don't remeber if it was Colbert or Stewart that pointed out that Barnacles are responsible for ships being destroyed?

[Olo401]

Unions used to be needed. Nowadays, not so much. Maybe it is because of my job and what I have seen them do, but in today's workplace the union is not worth the trouble it causes.

The trouble a union causes? Like what? Standing up when an employer wants to dump your parents' pension? Making sure incoming and existing workers are paid a wage that is consistent with what a middle-class family income should be? Making sure workers aren't exposed to shit like asbestos and ether fumes and smoke from fires?

A lot of us today don't recognize that the laws we have in the workplace in regards to wages, working conditions, safety, and consumer health were fought and won by organized labor in the past. And we don't recognize it because since the 1950s organized labor's power has been slowly and quietly stripped away by legislation like Taft-Hartley and by the NLRB's decisions, combined with people taking advantage of the power of unions for their own ends in the same way they take advantage of political or corporate office.

[archibaldcrane]

In a "perfect market", employers would have to openly compete via wages+benefits+working conditions for employees, and that competition would foster improvements in those areas as the market bore.

However, given that workers are bound by realities life and not nearly as willing to relocate for work (kids schools, married couples not wanting to separate, fear of the unknown), employers are able to ignore free markets to some extent and exploit the complacency of the situation to optimize profits at worker expense.

Little has happened in the past 50 years to mitigate this reality, but the gutting of the manufacturing base in America has somewhat marginalized unions as they were a blue-collar bastion of a better life.

Since this nation is so anti-socialized-medicine, the most important aspect that unions provide is health insurance benefits, which are overly expensive and inefficient but lacking viable alternatives in the current system. If medical coverage in America becomes a right, not a privilege, the need for unions decreases dramatically and the perceived "harm" they cause also decreases dramatically.

[Septimus]

I really would like to compare how much the top executives get paid in cash, benefits, and bonuses (including their corporate jets) in the auto industry versus all of those darn union people. But you know, it takes so much skill to drive a company into the ground...

[Suited Aces]

I'm not gonna say we should get rid of Unions, I think they serve a necessary role in protecting workers.

However I do think it's bullshit that, due to UAW "contracts", GM has to spend billions of dollars a year in paying workers to sit in a "rubber room" and not work. How are they supposed to stay competitive with foreigns automakers when they have so much wasteful overhead?

I also find the barnacles phrase to be an appropriate metaphor.

[Dimmauk]

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...8869761651.jpg

[Tristam]

Unions are much more than just the UAW, I've worked with some crappy union people who took their jobs for granted, and I've worked with some honest hard-working union people who probably would have lost their jobs without the support of a union. There's still no doubt in my mind that unions are better for this country as a whole, even though some aspects of them piss me off greatly.

Either way, the UAW has made lots of concessions (out of necessity, but still...) to the big three, to the point that even with benefits their per-hour cost to the company approaches what american workers for japanese auto companies make. Guess what, the big three still won't make it this year, or next year. It's not the UAW's fault.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

I really would like to compare how much the top executives get paid in cash, benefits, and bonuses (including their corporate jets) in the auto industry versus all of those darn union people. But you know, it takes so much skill to drive a company into the ground...

And then I'd like to compare that to the amount of money unions donated to the Dem's this year. I wonder who cost employees more.

Edit: Tristam one of the CEO's for the big 3 said benefits + salary etc = $70 an hour whereas for the Japanese companies they make $30 an hour. So the benefits would have to be $40 an hour to = that. Seems like a lot.

[pohibaba]

As long as unions have a right to force people to join, I say fuck 'em.

[Dimmauk]

And then I'd like to compare that to the amount of money unions donated to the Dem's this year. I wonder who cost employees more.

Edit: Tristam one of the CEO's for the big 3 said benefits + salary etc = $70 an hour whereas for the Japanese companies they make $30 an hour. So the benefits would have to be $40 an hour to = that. Seems like a lot.

Someone still butthurt from this?

UAW launches advertising campaign against McCain
By JEFF KAROUB AP Business Writer
Posted: 10/08/2008 12:43:27 PM EDT

DETROIT—United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said the union would run $3 million worth of advertising criticizing Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his economic policies in four key states.

Gettelfinger said the television, radio and Internet ad campaign targeted four industrial states: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. They feature UAW members and the union's argument that working families can't afford McCain. Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana are competitive states; the McCain campaign said last week it was abandoning efforts to win in Michigan.

Gettelfinger, who played the TV ads for reporters Tuesday afternoon at UAW headquarters in Detroit, said they feature "workers talking to workers about issues" that concern them, such as health care and policies that have cost millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs.

"We strategically placed these ads where we think they can and will make a difference," Gettelfinger said.

The UAW says more than half of its 1 million active and retired members live in those four states.

McCain campaign regional spokeswoman Sarah Lenti said in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon that working families need McCain's policies.

"UAW's attacks are about partisan politics, not a concern for working families," she wrote. "John McCain's Jobs for America program will grow America's economy while keeping our taxes low."

The UAW has endorsed McCain's Democratic opponent, Barack Obama.

[Tristam]

Edit: Tristam one of the CEO's for the big 3 said benefits + salary etc = $70 an hour whereas for the Japanese companies they make $30 an hour. So the benefits would have to be $40 an hour to = that. Seems like a lot.

Ford's CEO said the difference was legacy health-care benefits, and the "best case scenario" ..whatever that means, I'm still not sure tbh, was that with the concessions the detroit three compaines would pay on average 4$ more per hour than foreign auto workers in america. The UAW has suspended the job bank and new hires are making 14$/hour in addition to other wage cuts for established workers. Health care benefits are also being suspended, not sure what else they can do.

The root problem is more directly the rising cause of health care in america, but that's a whole nother ball game. None of the Detroit three are blaming the UAW from what I can read, I think the focus on workers is just a political wedge issue and a distraction from the bigger problems facing the compaines.

[Saphirea]

Card check is stupid. I thank God I live in a right to work state where I can't be forced into binding arbitration and I have some union boss telling me exactly what breaks I can take.

Also that money they make also goes to Union dues, great they get health care but they have to pay a due anyways. Awesome. Funny Toyota, Honda and Nissan are still doing somewhat well in this economy, and Ford is overseas where it doesn't employ union workers for their Japan and Mexico shops but for some reason, the shops that have 100% union workers seem to be going straight into the shitter.

Yay for getting promoted on union time instead of merit and losing the ability to take issues straight to your employer right because I mean hey, Unions are awesome! Hey they support all the corruption in Chicago's politics and we all know that Chicago is cornucopia of amazing when it comes to being in great political standing. Hey 1.7m from the union to keep this corrupt son of a bitch in power over his campaigns.

That's another thing, great you're forced to join a union and your dues get to go support PAC's even if you don't agree with that person because of course, micromanagement of you is way better than you having your own thought right? Even if you disagree with what they support. Yeah unions are dumb.

[Olo401]

Ford's CEO said the difference was legacy health-care benefits, and the "best case scenario" ..whatever that means, I'm still not sure tbh, was that with the concessions the detroit three compaines would pay on average 4$ more per hour than foreign auto workers in america. The UAW has suspended the job bank and new hires are making 14$/hour in addition to other wage cuts for established workers. Health care benefits are also being suspended, not sure what else they can do.

The root problem is more directly the rising cause of health care in america, but that's a whole nother ball game. None of the Detroit three are blaming the UAW from what I can read, I think the focus on workers is just a political wedge issue and a distraction from the bigger problems facing the compaines.

That's exactly the problem here, aside from the widespread freeze-up of credit worldwide that's squeezing everyone. So the solution then is to make a fix to the healthcare system to make it less costly, not force these companies into bankruptcy court just to you can break union contracts and eliminate the pensions and health-care of thousands of retired auto industry workers.

To Saphiera: That's fine by me. you go ahead and work without a union. just know that it's the unions who were starved, shot, and killed in order for workplace laws that you take for granted to get passed, like your precious and flawed right-to-work law.

[kuronosan]

I like how most people forget that unions are the reason we have the working conditions we have today, and that without them most of us would be struggling far worse than we already are.

The main reason for the employment problems are because people are wanting to cut overhead to maximize profit, which is the very same reason it was happening before - take advantage of the desperate need for livable living conditions and get as much out of a worker as you can for as little cost to the company as possible.

It's the need to maximize profit and maximize bonuses and maximize money that's created this problem - not unions.

I guess since most of the people here or who are supporting this stance here never understood the importance unions have had to the work force.