Fair wages, safe work environments, the list of good goes on and on of the things Unions in the history of the United States has done for the American worker. But with that said there became a point where strikes and demand for higher wages when their jobs are some of the highest paid jobs in the country without college degrees has be partly why companies keep leaving America. I am sitting here today amazed at the hypocrites that are striking for "Temporary Workers to be hired on full time" all the while blocking temporary workers from going to their jobs. The median income in America is $31,786. Those striking for those temporary workers make on average $70K a year plus benefits but they are preventing those making $12 an hour or under $25K a year from going to work, calling them scabs. What are these people suppose to do, if they don't show up they get fired, they don't get $250 a week pay from their union dues and if the strike continues for 2 weeks unemployment too. They end up without a job and if they are lucky enough that they earned enough they might get $200 a week in unemployment benefits. But you are asking them to do a whole lot more than supporting you who makes nearly 3 times the amount a money a year. If they don't work and strike with you, they get fired, they don't have a way to pay the bills, but you are okay with them having to go to Walmart or some place else for less pay. There is a problem with this that many are blinded to or refuse to even look at the other view on this.
Some choose it because they want to get their foot in the door at a certain company as they sometimes hire full time from temporary workers. Some do it so they can test drive different industries (this was the reason I did temporary work when I was younger) to find what type of career path they want to travel. Some see is as an opportunity to start their career migration to a new field. The list can go on and on but the one thing all temporary jobs have is that they are just that temporary. The other thing they have in common is allowing people to learn new skills to build a resume. If a company says you can be hired on permanently after so many weeks or months or years and then doesn't but wants to extends your temporary contract longer, you have a choice you can either say no and be reassigned to a new company or you can say yes and keep the position and keep hoping to be hired on full time, but to strike for temporary workers but then prevent temporary workers from working is hurting the temporary workers, they can't afford to miss work, they are not making $70K + a year.
Missing a day of work means a day they miss a meal, two days now their children are missing a meal, as it keeps on, it means now they can't pay their utilities, can't pay their rent. 3 weeks of striking could make their family homeless. These companies have no loyalty to the American people, when they are pushed to the point where it is cheaper to manufacturer elsewhere guess what happens they move and go some place else. It is why we have already loss so many of these manufacturing jobs, because even though the top people are paid a crazy amount of money, the so called profits the company makes isn't the companies money, it is the stock holders money. For instance if each share cost $38 and a company profits 2.3 billion dollars and say you have 10, 346,000 investors the profit per share is only about $5.85, all of this is estimates but you will see if you own any stock the dividends per share per year isn't that much, you got to have a lot of stock to make any money. But the small investor is just as important as the large one.
And if the company can make it cheaper else where they will, which can make a Union a double edge sword. As without investor money there is no company, as there is no company if the consumer can not afford the product. If demands get so big that it becomes cheaper to go out of the country these companies will. I also feel if you really are for the temporary worker for this strike you won't stop the temporary worker from working, they don't get the benefits you do, and it a really being a hypocrite to say that is why you are striking but then preventing them from working. What happens if GM because of stockholder pressure and the other auto makers decided to leave that it isn't worth it anymore to make it here? Another recession a depression?
Not so much if you are just self employed but once you start adding employees you have certain costs and I don't think people ever think about those costs. It just isn't the hourly pay, it is also insurance and I am not talking about health, it is liability insurance, assuming a large company that is required to offer health insurance they are not required to pay for it, but many companies do offer it as part of benefits that yes Unions help make standard but you are not required to actually bu it through them but it is heavily discounted because the company is paying part of it. Actually they are paying a big part of it. I own my own business thankfully I don't have these expenses for employees but each employee insurance runs $1200 a month, most employers charge $400 a month for insurance in these large companies, but without it, it would cost you a whole lot more, But insurance is averaged into what it costs an employee an hour, not just health but liability too for when they are on the job, then there is the workman comp insurance on average that is .75 per $100 the employees earn so that is not that much but adds up when you are talking about thousands of employees that are paid well. Then you have 401K and other retirement plans. Many that offer $1 for $1 match up to a certain amount that the company pays for. Then there are taxes, not only do you pay taxes on your income, the company you work for has to pay taxes on it too. Though they have better ways to save with loopholes than we do, It cost more to employ a person than their hourly wage. So when a company says they on average are paying $70 an hour for employees making $20-$25 an hour, they are once you add in all the other costs of hiring them.
But after all the expenses a Publicly traded company at the end of the day is responsible to the share holders. A privately owned company has more lead way to share those profits with employees than a publicly owned company where if their investors are not making enough to keep their investment in and pull out they can screw everyone that works for them. Well a privately own company can do that too, but I think there is a fine balance to Unions and the power they use, great insurance, better pay than most Americans, for an item that in reality is not something we need to survive. Food manufacturers are more important than cars, wonder how supported they would be if food manufacturer workers decided to strike. Bet they would then support the temporary workers that would be bringing the food to the market.
I support Unions but in this case hearing people saying they are striking for the temporary worker has triggered something inside me, as that doesn't make any sense when I see them on the news yelling scabs at temporary workers and blocking them from going to work. Strike that is fine for those temporary workers but let them go to work they don't have the funds to put 6 months of income aside and blocking them from working, could make them lose their job. You might not care now, but if GM leaves you will care a whole lot then when it is your job that gets cut.
The Union didn't save our household when the job was sent overseas, don't get too entitled, cause this is where jobs are heading if demands grow to be too much. Yes it sucks that companies are renewing temporary contracts instead of hiring the temps, but you can strike and demand they be fair to temporary employees where it is contracted in that after so many years it is automatic hire or let go. But if you think these companies are loyal to you, you have a rude awakening. They are only as loyal as their profits. If you want to be treated like a human try a privately owned company but even then it is up in the air and likely won't pay as well.
these are some of my thoughts and opinions you can disagree or agree but no name calling, it is how I see it after being screwed over by the union that was suppose to protect our jobs and didn't
