New Kubota Factory

[BXpanded]

The only time ive ever heard of a union dictating what car you can drive was the UAW. I cant remember which automaker, but if you drove a different manufacturer's vehicle you had to park in the FAR lot. If you drove the same brand as your employer, you got to park close.

It wasnt that you couldnt buy a different brand, but you suffered for the privilege

It was at Chrysler

 

[Martian]

The only time ive ever heard of a union dictating what car you can drive was the UAW. I cant remember which automaker, but if you drove a different manufacturer's vehicle you had to park in the FAR lot. If you drove the same brand as your employer, you got to park close.

It wasnt that you couldnt buy a different brand, but you suffered for the privilege

That still happens. I know, for instance, my mom still works for gm as an engineer, in the warren tech center, and if you drive gm you get to park in the nice, close parking structure where you don't have to shovel snow off your car and if you drive anything else it's across the road. Pretty sure that's true with the other manufacturers as well.

 

[kuboman]

Umm...imagine a company demanding its employees show some commitment to the product they make.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Umm...imagine a company demanding its employees show some commitment to the product they make.

Person helps make a product he/she needs. Person has a choice of which product to buy. Is pressured into buying the one he/she makes??? Hmmm maybe they know more about the product they help make and don't want to buy it. Make them buy it and that solves that problem. What's this choice idea all about any way???:laughing::laughing:
What about this program Corvette has going? You (customer) pay an extra $6000 and you can go to the factory in Bowling Green, Ky and build your engine yourself.:thumbsup: Maybe that wll start catching on with more Automobile (Tractor) manufacturers. Wonder if the employees or stock holders get to keep the extra $$$$s or maybe they split it.
Speaking of Unions. How many years did the Railroad Unions require all train engines have a Coalman on every engine even if there was no coal (deisel engines) and the Coalman was never required/allowed to do anything but shovel (non existent) coal? I love the RR Union requirement that no one (my Uncles, Cousins, Dad, Father in law) could replace a light bulb in the round house except the Electrician (Cousin).:licking: Good ole Union Shop. Oh, that round house is closed now and has been for years.

 

[300UGUY]

The only time ive ever heard of a union dictating what car you can drive was the UAW. I cant remember which automaker, but if you drove a different manufacturer's vehicle you had to park in the FAR lot. If you drove the same brand as your employer, you got to park close.

It wasnt that you couldnt buy a different brand, but you suffered for the privilege

I worked for a Chrysler assembly plant in the 70's, they had a 3 parking lots: #1 the best, closest, for guys who bought a car made in that plant. #2 next closest, for guys who bought another Chrysler product, and #3, the dark side of the moon, for guys who bought something else. I worked for GM later, and the policy varied by plant. I had relatives that worked for Fords, they had similar policies.

 

[300UGUY]

Person helps make a product he/she needs. Person has a choice of which product to buy. Is pressured into buying the one he/she makes??? Hmmm maybe they know more about the product they help make and don't want to buy it. Make them buy it and that solves that problem. What's this choice idea all about any way???:laughing::laughing:
What about this program Corvette has going? You (customer) pay an extra $6000 and you can go to the factory in Bowling Green, Ky and build your engine yourself.:thumbsup: Maybe that wll start catching on with more Automobile (Tractor) manufacturers. Wonder if the employees or stock holders get to keep the extra $$$ or maybe they split it.
Speaking of Unions. How many years did the Railroad Unions require all train engines have a Coalman on every engine even if there was no coal (deisel engines) and the Coalman was never required/allowed to do anything but shovel (non existent) coal? I love the RR Union requirement that no one (my Uncles, Cousins, Dad, Father in law) could replace a light bulb in the round house except the Electrician (Cousin).:licking: Good ole Union Shop. Oh, that round house is closed now and has been for years.

No way GM is gonna let cash slip thru their hands.... I didn't think the engines were built there in Kentucky. I thought they were built in Wixom or Flint.

 

[300UGUY]

@JOHNTHOMAS -
"All 25 work a 40 hour week putting a part on an assembly moving by them on a moving line. One (the Union Worker) gets paid $35 per hour plus "benefits" and the other 24 earn $9.27 per hour and a few benefits."

I think a previous poster made the case that workers who were treated better were more responsible and productive workers. I think the $9.27 per hour folks might feel their poor salary was poor treatment. The rest will follow. Also, crummy wages lead to high turnover - not good for production either.

"but due to some lucky breaks"
They had to live for 30 yrs in Detroit : ) Ain't that enough?

I will say I had a senior level administrator, making well over $100,000/ yr, tell a group of workers that part of our compensation was getting to live here in this beautiful place. Try and pay rent with that.

After 35 years in different plants, yeah, that oughta be enough !!

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

No way GM is gonna let cash slip thru their hands.... I didn't think the engines were built there in Kentucky. I thought they were built in Wixom or Flint.

Not sure where engine assembled/built. May be in Mich.

 

[newbury]

Good post. It seems many expect to graduate from high school and make a high salary with no skills. Things have changed and a person must have current and marketable skills to earn a good living. The days of a high school diploma and a high paying no skill factory job are gone. There are good paying jobs in a factory but they are not standing on an assembly line.

Edit: I meant to quote EHR's post but goofed.

I see buck12 is from NW Mississippi. That is near where Toyota is putting in a new BIG plant. There may be some jobs opening up for factory workers on an assembly line.

One could substitute "college" for "high school" in buck12's writing and it would be twice as true.

There are 7 children in ours and my wife's brother's family, (age range is 22 to 34). One has yet to graduate from college. The rest graduated, worked for a bit and all are getting advanced degrees, (some while still working and all on their own dime) because they found a simple bachelors degree wasn't good enough for a really good wage.

When I entered the work force part-time in 1966 in rural Vermont it was not uncommon to have 8th graders NOT go to high school, but to enter the workforce for the jobs which did not require more than basic math and literature skills. There were jobs like "stablehand" to shovel horse manure.

Now it seems 2 years of college are required to shovel horse manure. And the jobs is "Equine Sanitation Engineer".

It's still horse manure.

We have, in this country, fostered the idea that everyone can be GREAT at their job. Anyone can become President. College dropouts can become billionaires.
That is a truly inspiring concept. However there doesn't seem to be the emphasis on everyone being GOOD at their job first.

We've got to face the facts that not ALL the children will be above average. That some children will be left behind, simply because they don't have the native genetic intelligence which can be developed.

And on another matter someone commented on all the money being "wasted" on teachers.

In my neck of the woods it's the administrators that are costing the big bucks. The overhead of administrators and staff that DON'T teach and CAN'T teach has threatened to sink the system.

 

[Grateful11]

I know a "union" worker (he's an electrician) and he can't buy a foreign vehicle! It's against his union's rules. He was talking to me about my tractor and he stated he couldn't buy one because they are made in Japan. How about that? I'm SOOOOO glad I'm not a union worker!

Sorry but I'd have sit and read over his Contract before I believe that one. I know that Unions generally encourage their members to buy American made products but with IAM we've never been told we could not buy a foreign anything.