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

[NoTrespassing]

So? 60K a year is a living wage, one where you can help the kids through college; if you think that is a lot of money, think again.

I'd say 60K isn't bad if two people in the household are each earning that. $120k/family of 4 in my neck of the woods is very doable.

Kevin

 

[Dan Dargeloh]

I really wonder how many of the experts here have actually worked in a job that was represented by a union? I would hazard a guess of not many. I don't feel the least bit sorry for some of these companies, as they have brought the unions on themselves. The ideal situation would be one where everyone got along and a union was not needed. But the greed of the bosses and the stockholders has eliminated that. I worked for a rail road for 25 years as a locomotive engineer before I finally had enough of them and their horrible management. When you are just a number and mean nothing else to them it doesn't take long to lose respect for the company. Don't even tell me that doing your job is all that is needed. Do your job to the best of your ability and the company takes advantage of you. Be a total complete deadbeat and they promote you. Kinda reminds me of the political atmosphere in this country.

 

[bigtiller]

I have been paying union dues for 50 years and hopefully another 30 or so.
My dad and his dad paid them most of their lives also.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I really wonder how many of the experts here have actually worked in a job that was represented by a union? I would hazard a guess of not many. I don't feel the least bit sorry for some of these companies, as they have brought the unions on themselves. The ideal situation would be one where everyone got along and a union was not needed. But the greed of the bosses and the stockholders has eliminated that. I worked for a rail road for 25 years as a locomotive engineer before I finally had enough of them and their horrible management. When you are just a number and mean nothing else to them it doesn't take long to lose respect for the company. Don't even tell me that doing your job is all that is needed. Do your job to the best of your ability and the company takes advantage of you. Be a total complete deadbeat and they promote you. Kinda reminds me of the political atmosphere in this country.

Sour grapes...

 

[ultrarunner]

I really wonder how many of the experts here have actually worked in a job that was represented by a union? I would hazard a guess of not many. I don't feel the least bit sorry for some of these companies, as they have brought the unions on themselves. The ideal situation would be one where everyone got along and a union was not needed. But the greed of the bosses and the stockholders has eliminated that. I worked for a rail road for 25 years as a locomotive engineer before I finally had enough of them and their horrible management. When you are just a number and mean nothing else to them it doesn't take long to lose respect for the company. Don't even tell me that doing your job is all that is needed. Do your job to the best of your ability and the company takes advantage of you. Be a total complete deadbeat and they promote you. Kinda reminds me of the political atmosphere in this country.

I actually like my time in the Union and the management...

As mentioned it was small with 40 men on the shop floor.

The local called a strike because we were tied to aerospace workers and the aerospace workers had grievances...

So strike was on...

The shop was always open Saturday mornings with managements blessing for side jobs the guys had... like a go cart for the kids or one guy building a engine stand etc..

Retirement parties were fun and guys even getting misty eyed and would drop by keeping in touch...

The owner called us in and asked if we were unhappy and no one was unhappy.

He then said let's get back to work and signed...

 

[rScotty]

I was taught that instead of bi*ching about what others make, do what you have to do to get THEIR job.

That's right. You can be a line worker or a CEO. Or go into business for yourself and be both. It's entirely up to you.
rScotty

 

[Frankenkubota]

Well let's think about it. CEO got a 160% pay raise to 16million this year is what google says? So reverse math 16mil/1.6 is 10 mil, so he got a 6mil pay raise. Whoo that's a lot of money. Lets give the employees an equal raise!

John Deere employs about 75,000 workers, so $6mil/75k is $80. So working 40 hrs a week 52 weeks a year is 2,080 hrs. $80/2,080hrs is $0.04/hr. Well heck, that's not $5 an hour! Let's just pay the striking workers that bonus! So $6mil/10,000 is $600, now we're getting somewhere. $600/2,080hrs is $0.29/hr raise. Damn, is that 5%?

Now lets look at 5% raise for folks, even making as little as $44k/year which I doubt is what most of them are making. Just the ones on strike, 10k times $44k is $440mil. $440mil times .05 is $22,000,000. Now for that $22mil what is the company getting? About jack all?

Now John Deere's revenues were falling during 2019-20. Guess when Mr. May started? Last part of 2019 so too late really for the '20 FY numbers to be affected. He however increased sales more than $5 billion! In the first quarter ending in July '21 revenue was up over 29% and they are on track for a really good year. So worker worthy of his wages etc. Less than 0.001% of the profit bonus for a guy that increased profit 18% seems like a pretty reasonable deal for share holders to me.

always 2 sides to the story

 

[Frankenkubota]

I really wonder how many of the experts here have actually worked in a job that was represented by a union? I would hazard a guess of not many. I don't feel the least bit sorry for some of these companies, as they have brought the unions on themselves. The ideal situation would be one where everyone got along and a union was not needed. But the greed of the bosses and the stockholders has eliminated that. I worked for a rail road for 25 years as a locomotive engineer before I finally had enough of them and their horrible management. When you are just a number and mean nothing else to them it doesn't take long to lose respect for the company. Don't even tell me that doing your job is all that is needed. Do your job to the best of your ability and the company takes advantage of you. Be a total complete deadbeat and they promote you. Kinda reminds me of the political atmosphere in this country.

add to that a union for government workers?

btw....i been in the union and i been in management and i failed grammar!

everybody's right and everybody's wrong

 

[Bocephous]

I used to be a member of the union at the Federal Prison I work at until I started getting literature in the mail advocating for who they thought I should vote for. I knew nothing about unions and saw that who they advocated were not in line with what I knew to be right and decided that, while they may do some good locally (at my prison), I could not be a part of a union (AFGE) that was diametrically opposed to my core beliefs. So I opted out. I was questioned about it by various union officers and, for the most part, they respected my opinions.

What subsequently bothered me was how each new union president was given a cushy job with no real responsibilities and lots of "official time." Meaning that they really didn't have to spend much time at the job they were being paid to perform. The current union president had a position created for him and does quite literally nothing.

Currently, many members of the union that he is president of have been told that he will do nothing for them to retain their jobs in the midst of a battle with the federal government's illegal vaccine mandate. He told them, in a memo, that "...this is an Executive order from the President, not the Mayor of Waymart, so are (his misspelling) hands are tied on how locally we can challenge this." Other local unions have fought this and are fighting this in the AFGE, but he won't.

I'm sure that this is not a reflection of all unions. But it is the only union I have ever been a part of, so my experience in this is limited.

 

[Bobctat2035]

All I have to say is: I've never heard of any instances of unions saving a company from ruin whereas you can point to numerous instances of unions causing that ruin.

If you don't like working at a company for any reason, you're more than welcome to find a new job. It's as simple as that. - Small business owner of 20 years