I have worked in 3 union shops and the rest non-union. In one union shop, we went on strike over benefits with wages also thrown in as a secondary goal. I walked on a picket line for 13 weeks in an upstate New York winter. Ended up going back to work for less than we had before the strike. Union was worthless. Union execs were riding around in Cadillacs and didn't mist a paycheck. Meanwhile, they were throwing us under the bus. Next union was an issue over working hours. I just left. Last union was transparent. Just like they were not there at all.
Back in the early days of unions, they were necessary. Unions got workers decent wages and freed them from near slavery. Unions also saved many lives. Unsafe working conditions whether in mines or around dangerous machinery was a leading cause of workplace deaths. Unions helped to eliminate some of the dangerous conditions. However, today we have OSHA to protect workers from dangerous workplace conditions. There is also competition for skilled workers that supports higher wages for them.
I have seen unions put businesses into bankruptcy. Brockway trucks is one example I know of. The union workers went on strike for more. Union execs poured fuel on the fire by insisting that the company could afford to pay them more and provide better benefits. Company said no. Strike went on for over 13 months, and the company finally pulled the plug when their last best offer was rejected.
I also remember when American Airlines was near bankruptcy. They asked pilots and maintenance workers to take pay cuts and make concessions in benefits to keep the company in business. Soon after the pay cuts, they rewarded the execs with multi million bonuses for mismanaging the company into near bankruptcy. That resulted in an immediate strike. They got a spanking from the union that was well deserved!
Overall, my personal feeling is that unions are out of control these days. I also disagree with huge million dollar bonuses to executives while the workers get crumbs. That isn't right either.
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo and video filesizes should be less than 5MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
2022 John Deere 5045E, 4wd, front end loader and 3rd function with grapple. 120 hrs, 55k new, must sell
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
