Of boo fucking hoo....
I haven't worked for a wage in YEARS and I guarantee you I make more than most union "workers" in this country. Of course, in getting to this point I have had to take risks, battle a battalion of government regulations, etc. to get to a point where I can call my own shots.
But hey, you wanna join the job club, pay protection money to union fat cats and vote as your told.. have at it! This is after all, America!
Sounds like jealousy talking. Not that I blame you for it.
Jealous! The global corporation I work for has 500-550 workers in the the Chicagoland area. We don't have (nor need) a Union to screw us up. Yet we have health ins, dental ins, LTD, STD, 20 FTO days, AD&D, Life Insurance, Legal Assistance Plan, 5 sick days, 401(k) with a nice match and high salaries (at least 75% of the workers make over $60K, I guarantee 50% over $75K and at least 20% make six digits year in and out). We don't have Unions stealing money out of each paycheck to make outraganous demands on my employer, so they lay-off workers, ship the jobs to another state or another country! No thank you!
I was recently promoted from sales to the legal department! It had nothing to do with seniority, because I didn't have it. It had to do with merit. I didn't need a Union to help me, nor do any of the other 500+ workers here.
Were not jealous of Unions, we pitty the poor soles forced to get robbed, raped and abused by Unions!
Really?? WOW!!
100% of our employees over 60k. And that includes the entry level Laborers if you count their overtime.
Since we're comparing wages and benefits......
As an Operator my base wage is in excess of 75k (not including overtime). Along with that I am getting a pension check from Excelon (formerly ComEd) (remember them?), full medical, dental, AD&D, Life Insurance (6 X base wage), 30 vacation days per year, UNLIMITED sick days and a very generous 401K. BTW...along with the 401K I get a good, "defined benefit" pension along with medical coverage, all collectable at age 55 with at least 10 years service.
Plus (as you know) I live in an area that has a cost of living that is probably HALF of what yours is. I look out my back door and all I see is land.
Sounds to me like you're getting the short end of the stick!!
But I will admit you get good wages. And the reason you have good wages and benefits? To make sure you don't vote a union in, plain and simple. So indirectly you can thank the unions for getting you such good pay and benefits.
No matter the industry, labor unions helped bring workers' wages to a livable--and some critics say much more than livable--level. These pay increases filtered to the non-union working world, as companies were forced to increase wages to compete for good workers, though there is still a gap between union and non-union workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unionized workers earned a median average of $908 per week in 2009, as compared with $710 for non-union labor.
To compete for quality help, an employer must offer wages and benefits that compete favorably with other companies in the industry. Plus, the threat of unionization forces some employers to pay higher wages and extend better benefits, if for no other reason than to keep the organizers out.
Good Things About Labor Unions | eHow.com
My brother got a job at an Ethanol plant about 6 months ago. When he inquired about the pay and benefits he was told that it wasn't decided yet (This is a brand new plant). But his boss told him that the employees would receive VERY generous pay and benefits so that they would not be tempted to "petition a union".
Absolute 100% true story.