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1   zzyzzx   2012 Aug 6, 12:47am  

I love to see overpaid union thugs get what they deserve!

2   tatupu70   2012 Aug 6, 4:21am  

And how exactly did you decide that they were overpaid thugs?

3   🎂 Tenpoundbass   2012 Aug 6, 4:33am  

Horray! Now real justice would be if the employees pooled their resources and ventured out into their own Heavy Equipment manufacturing.

You know like Capitalism is supposed to work.

4   everything   2012 Aug 6, 4:49am  

I was part of a union, over the last ten years they were better at holding our increases to a minimum, if anything, now that the union is gone, it was a step backwards for my income, about 15%, and the only raise I'll ever see is when I quit the job and go elsewhere.

Quite a few of my friends in private industry do pretty well without a union and always have.

It's fun to blame unions, they had their time getting us the 40 hour week, healthy working conditions, safety at work, fighting for things like unemployment, and social security along the way.

It's easy to bastardize those that have come before, it's America, what do you expect.

5   zzyzzx   2012 Aug 6, 4:57am  

tatupu70 says

And how exactly did you decide that they were overpaid thugs?

The article clearly states how much they were overpaid.

Existing employees would get to keep wages that average about $26, but there would be no raises and new employees would be paid wages pegged to the existing market — roughly $12 to $19, depending on the job classification.

6   Shaman   2012 Aug 6, 5:33am  

Henry Ford said that "The first rule of the Industrialist is to make the best product you can at the lowest price you can, paying the highest wage you can." I think "modern" business practice is to pay investors the highest return possible and screw consumers and workers. The obvious problem with that strategy is that the economy is made up of workers and consumers. When they have money to spend over and above subsistence, they may just buy the products that their fellows work to manufacture. Unions are good for ensuring that the little guy gets a fair and living wage that allows a worker to move out of mom and dad's basement and perhaps start a family of their own.

If you think unions are the problem, then please send a check to the CEO of your company. He/she is obviously not getting a large enough share of the profits.
If you think investors should be paid above all, then send Romney a check. He'll only pay 14% tax on that amount. Funny thing happens when you give people that much money to spend. They reinvest it in Washington DC buying up Congressmen who will lower their taxes and ensure nobody will ever be allowed to compete.

7   tatupu70   2012 Aug 6, 6:54am  

zzyzzx says

The article clearly states how much they were overpaid.

The article clearly states Caterpillar Management's view of the "market". Does the guy off the street that they pay $17/hr have the same skill set as the union employee? Do you know? Are Caterpillar's numbers accurate?

8   tatupu70   2012 Aug 6, 6:54am  

Ruki says

Uh, when they use the power of government coercion to extract wages+bennies above what they could otherwise command in a free labor market is the usual Big Clue.

They use the power of organized labor.

9   tatupu70   2012 Aug 6, 6:57am  

I notice that zzzyxxx and Ruki conveniently ignore the last part of the article.. Where it states that Caterpillar is actually shooting itself in the foot with this strategy.

It makes me chuckle that nobody complains about the CEO making $16MM but they worry about the union worker making $16/hr. Why is that??

10   drew_eckhardt   2012 Aug 6, 10:17am  

tatupu70 says

I notice that zzzyxxx and Ruki conveniently ignore the last part of the article.. Where it states that Caterpillar is actually shooting itself in the foot with this strategy.

It makes me chuckle that nobody complains about the CEO making $16MM but they worry about the union worker making $16/hr. Why is that??

He's less of a problem for the share holders.

With 152,982 underlings according to wikipedia he's only making $0.05 for each hour worked by them assuming they work 40 hour weeks and total 4 weeks of company holidays and vacation.

11   tatupu70   2012 Aug 6, 11:22am  

drew_eckhardt says

He's less of a problem for the share holders.

If I'm a shareholder, I consider every million paid to the CEO as one less million that could be distributed to me.

12   tatupu70   2012 Aug 6, 12:33pm  

Ruki says

Let's see how well they can use the 'power of organized labor' after the government removes restrictions on firing union organizers

Great idea. While we're at it, lets see how well old folks do when the government allows companies to fire people because they are old. Or how women do when companies are allowed to fire them if they become pregnant.

13   tatupu70   2012 Aug 6, 12:35pm  

Ruki says

So says the article. Just because some ObamaCommie idiot writes that doesn't magically make it all true

Just like because some idiot manager at Caterpillar says they are paying above market wages to their union doesn't make it true.

14   futuresmc   2012 Aug 6, 12:47pm  

Ruki says

Henry Ford didn't have Japanese and other competitor who could make better, cheaper cars w/o unions, either.
Man do you Libs like to live in your fantasy bubbles in lieu of reality.

Other foreign competitors also use forced labor or child labor, and others still dump industrial waste in the water supply of the people who do this labor and keep sweatshops that routinely take off digits or limbs when the machines malfunction. There is no floor to what some of these corporatons will do to their workers if they can earn a buck doing it. Why should America allow our corporate leaders to sink to that level?

15   MisdemeanorRebel   2012 Aug 7, 5:58am  

Ruki says

No they don't. Unionization is forced on employers.

It's not forced on employers anymore than the power company forces itself on an employer.

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