Strike at Deere plants in the US, more supply chain shortage to come

[MossRoad]

At the end of the day its still a simple matter of working people trying to get ahead and hope to pass on to their children a better life. The factory worker, whether union or not, hopes to be a little better off this year than last. These workers are our family members and friends and yet this website contributors bash them as if they are dregs on society. Tractorbynet members should support the union workers who are trying to take care of their financial well-being. Workers who make a good salary depend less on public services. We all patronize the Walmarts of the world to save 20 cents on a box of Cheerios yet these low wage workers qualify for all the programs that taxpayers pay for. You saved the 20 cents on your cereal but your taxes go up to pay for helping these workers. Perhaps one of the richest families in American (the Waltons) could pay their workers a decent wage so that they don't need the public help.

Union workers trying to get a little more financial security seems like a good thing to me. We all like it when we get a wage increase but we hate it when someone else gets it. We don't like it when someone else gets a little bump in pay as the price I pay for the goods or services will go up. If I get a bump well that is okay.

Its like the old saying, the definition of recession is when my neighbor loses his job. The definition of a depression is when I lose my job.

Unfortunately, many of us have had very negative experiences working with unions, and that seems to stick with us.

I've dealt with 4 in my past career. None of them were pleasant experiences.

That's not to say everyone in the union is bad. The majority aren't. However, there were enough bad apples to spoil the whole bunch for me and many others.

 

[rScotty]

Unfortunately, many of us have had very negative experiences working with unions, and that seems to stick with us.

I've dealt with 4 in my past career. None of them were pleasant experiences.

That's not to say everyone in the union is bad. The majority aren't. However, there were enough bad apples to spoil the whole bunch for me and many others.

I had a similar bad experience when as a young man I was asked to join & pay my union fees to the aviation and aerospace workers union before getting my first paycheck. When I said I couldn't pay them until I got paid, things got nasty.....physically nasty.

As you say, it's unfair to judge by one instance, but that soured me on unions forever. It still does.

 

[bigtiller]

I had a similar bad experience when as a young man I was asked to join & pay my union fees to the aviation and aerospace workers union before getting my first paycheck. When I said I couldn't pay them until I got paid, things got nasty.....physically nasty.

As you say, it's unfair to judge by one instance, but that soured me on unions forever. It still does.

That's how it works in a closed shop. You pay first.
I know it's tuff that way. I tried to join the labors union during the farm crises in the 80's but I didn't have the cash. Come to find out, they had most of their crew sitting on the bench waiting for the economy to pick up again, just like the rest of us. Very few people were working at that time in corn/bean farm country.

 

[ruffdog]

It sounds like you may be a union member because every one I've talked to has this very adversarial relationship with their employer, almost to the point of being hostile. They think the company is evil and only out to screw them over. Maybe that's because that's what the union leaders tell them?

I've worked in union and non-union shops and never had "hostility" toward the employer. If workers don't like the union representation, you vote different people in. The people are the union. Maybe the people you are talking to work in a very bad place and they should quit.

 

[coobie]

At the end of the day its still a simple matter of working people trying to get ahead and hope to pass on to their children a better life. The factory worker, whether union or not, hopes to be a little better off this year than last. These workers are our family members and friends and yet this website contributors bash them as if they are dregs on society. Tractorbynet members should support the union workers who are trying to take care of their financial well-being. Workers who make a good salary depend less on public services. We all patronize the Walmarts of the world to save 20 cents on a box of Cheerios yet these low wage workers qualify for all the programs that taxpayers pay for. You saved the 20 cents on your cereal but your taxes go up to pay for helping these workers. Perhaps one of the richest families in American (the Waltons) could pay their workers a decent wage so that they don't need the public help.

Union workers trying to get a little more financial security seems like a good thing to me. We all like it when we get a wage increase but we hate it when someone else gets it. We don't like it when someone else gets a little bump in pay as the price I pay for the goods or services will go up. If I get a bump well that is okay.

Its like the old saying, the definition of recession is when my neighbor loses his job. The definition of a depression is when I lose my job.

The BEST most honest post of this discussion.

 

[Snobdds]

The BEST most honest post of this discussion.

It was confirmation bias for you...

 

[Snobdds]

My wife is a health care consultant for large corps and unions on their health insurance design and rating. The one group she hates to work with is the teachers union. They want every benefit under the sun, but when she provides the rating for those benefits, they whine and play the broke teacher card. It's like they think things are free...

The best is when she goes to the national meeting to present the benefit options. The teachers union will not let her set anything up, they have to do it. The people that set it up are employed under the national teachers union corporate umbrella. If the conference is three days long, they get paid for 72 hours worth of work, they are on the clock the entire time even when sleeping. All this team of people does is set up the projector and take it down for her. It's a racket.

 

[Solitary Man]

I had a similar bad experience when as a young man I was asked to join & pay my union fees to the aviation and aerospace workers union before getting my first paycheck. When I said I couldn't pay them until I got paid, things got nasty.....physically nasty.

As you say, it's unfair to judge by one instance, but that soured me on unions forever. It still does.

I hear you. I worked for farmers through HS and college, making 1.50 to 2.00 per hour (70's), that soured me on working for farmers the rest of my life as well.

 

[MossRoad]

I recall my first run-in with a union worker. I was supposed to follow the product through the entire run. Went to the worker that was making one of the parts of the product. Asked them what the status was. Got "I don't know." Asked them where their part of the product was. Got "I don't know" again. I lifted a paper off of their work station and there it was under the paper. They immediately started screaming that they were going to file a grievance because I touched the paper on their work station and that was their job covered under their contract, bla, bla, bla. I picked up the part (that was another grievance filed), told them to stuff it and took it out to the department that needed it.

Things I learned.
1. They were purposely trying to make the product late for revenge on the employer. It was contract time.
2. They hated me because I was in management. Anyone in management was hated.
3. The worst ones were the shop stewards. Called me every name in the book. Turned on their own union members if they took non-union jobs within the company. But you bet every one of them jumped ship when they were offered non-union jobs with better benefits. Complete hypocrites.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Then you would find out how terrible the dealers are and the customer service and then reconsider.

That paints with a pretty large brush, the parts man at my dealer will bring me parts to the field if I am in a tight, if not he will drop them off at my barn and send me a bill, he makes up for the shortcomings of some of the other employees, so while I am sure there are bad dealers, there are also some good ones, they can't all be bad.