| Author | Message | ||
     Strokizator |
I worked in the farm fields during summer vacation making $1.35 an hour plus 5¢ a bucket picking plums. I worked fast enough to earn more money than my buddies who pumped gas. The first day of my union welding job I was told “Slow down, nobody before you ever run that machine that fast”. Sorry, it’s just not in my DNA. That’s part of the reason I’m in business for myself. Like Court, I’ve had a few royal ***-ups. I like to say that experience is expensive and nobody’s offering a scholarship. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Reindog, kudo's to you, Man. Kudo's to you! That is exactly what I am talking about. Sifo, you have hit on one of America's greatest enemies, Teachers Unions. There should be no tenure and poor teachers, which there are many of, should get booted. They care much more about their union than they do about kids or education but they 'use' kids as their pawns to get more pay and benefits. Teachers are well paid and have GREAT benefits, particularly for the part time jobs they have. How many of you get full summers off and the amount of off time they get during the school year? None of you, I'm sure. Ever wonder why teaching runs in families, for generations, like welfare? They know a super deal when they see it. They have a birds nest on the ground and have been very comfy/cozy in it while America has steadily dropped to 16th. or 17th. among industrial countries in educating our kids. Shameful. They have managed, through their unions, to wrongly convince Americans that they are under paid and that class sizes need to be reduced. Shameful. I could go on and on about our poor public schools and the number one reason, teachers and their love child, the teachers union, but I'll pass for now. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Strokizator, Good for you. I can completely identify. I hauled hay a couple of summers at age 14/15 for $0.20 an hour and $0.05 a bale. I worked hard and averaged $1.25 - $1.35 an hour which I was happy with in 1964. Kids kept quitting because of the work(it's too hard and hot, wa, wa, wa) and because we needed to work at getting rides to the farm 25 miles away. I became the 'foreman', lol, and had to keep finding new workers. Kids, even then, would rather sit at home than work. I finally convinced my older brother to get off the couch and give it a try. He was not working and therefore earning nothing but he talked about the 'slave wages' I worked for! He lasted ONE day and for the past 35 years has been in a cozy government job that this country could easily do without. I just hope it doesn't take a HUGE collapse to wake this country up but it well might. | ||
| Geforce |
My wife will be a teacher next year. After I leave the Army we plan to move back home to Texas. She wants to avoid the union crap like the plague after having almost a year's worth of experience in the current school system doing substitute and para work. Not every teacher is a bad/guy girl. She also has a few fellow students who feel the same about unions and performance in the teaching realm. | ||
| Dobypaw |
I'm far from complaining about having a job with a greedy employer. In fact I am happy to be working for GE it pisses me off they take away what they give while making huge profits of their employees! That my friend is wrong GE leaders constantly say we are the leaders in the industries but they want to follow the businesses under them when it come to giving to their employees...Reindog do not assume you know me... if I would ever hae the money to start a business I would treat my employees as good if not better than Buell... Erik and I share the same views on this country and the people who work in it... I know what it is like not to have money and I would take great care of my employees... Not many people have the pride I have in my work and country... My biggest point in my previous post is a company that makes as much as GE should be an Industry leader all around and not cut the throats of the very people that made them the money! That is where the union can fight for the employees rights and benefits. Someone else said GE has many entities, I know this but they are going after all the local unions and giving the same deals. Why not just screw the employees in the business that are hurting GE? why??? Because they can save more money by screwing all their employees. Do you think Erik Buell would ever screw over his employees? I doubt it and I know if I was a business man I would not because I know what it is like to struggle and it sucks big time!!! I would never put anyone threw that by taking away 10% to 15% of their pay by reduced benefits. GE continues to make tens of billions in profits every year but it is not enough for them. And it is not just GE it is most businesses in America!!! | ||
| Drkside79 |
Most teachers are underpaid for the most part and not all unions are bad. Trust me i wish we had a union where i work so i would not be working my ass off to make rent while getting pay cuts to avoid layoffs all the while watching the execs buy new cars and laugh their way to the bank. That being said there needs to be limits on unions and what they can and cannot do. | ||
| Scooter808484 |
Here I go again... To be honest, the unions and big corporations are two sides of the same coin. Both spending billions to buy the votes of YOUR elected representatives. Can't blame either one, everybody can and should do whatever they can in their own best interest. YOUR elected representatives and the system that allows them to be bought and paid for is the country's biggest problem, IMHO. | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
Corporations don't generally stick a gun to my head and make me pay for their services. | ||
| Hootowl |
"Why not just screw the employees in the business that are hurting GE?" Do you honestly think the unions would stand for a wage disparity? | ||
| Sifo |
Interesting bringing Erik Buell into this. I don't know how you think you know what goes on inside his head, but I will agree that from what I've heard it was run like a big family business. I can guarantee you that if they had unionized that employee/employer relationship would take a very adversarial turn. That is exactly what unions do. They go to war with the employer. Who can answer a simple question? Why does an business owner hire employees? It's a simple and obvious answer. Anyone? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Most teachers are underpaid for the most part Guess the unions have failed then. Oddly enough, regardless of what teachers are paid, there are always teachers to fill classrooms. Slavery sucks. | ||
| Sifo |
How many of you get full summers off and the amount of off time they get during the school year? None of you, I'm sure. Actually I do. Tomorrow is a short day and Friday is a half day, schools out at 11:00.  I have no idea why. I hauled hay a couple of summers at age 14/15 for $0.20 an hour and $0.05 a bale. You got paid to bale hay! I was doing it for free when I barely weighed more than the bales. | ||
| Beugs |
If you look at only pay, you could argue that teachers are underpaid. However, when you add in their AMAZING benefits, they are doing just fine. I have a friend who works in health insurance, she has had many ex teachers come in to buy insurance on their own who absolutely cannot believe how much the premiums cost, and that's only one of their benefits. Also, just a funny story, my roommate works for the public transit system in our town. We live in a right to work state so he does not have to join the union. His old union rep/pres, whatever she was, kept bugging him to join the union and he never did. Yeah, she got fired for embezzling from the union. | ||
| Glitch |
I was doing it for free when I barely weighed more than the bales. The same here! Ain't nuthin hottern bein out in the field cuttin, rakin, bailin, haulin, and puttin up hay.... By the way... Where are all the folks that voted BO in saying "you'll see..." I wanna hear one of 'em say "I told you so..." They're all just defending him, or maybe they're just defensive because they, and BO have •••••• up royally. | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
I think calling this a hit and run by rocket is a mistake. This is just the typical work ethic by people of his feather. Start late, leave early and then complain about vacation days. How typical. | ||
| Sifo |
Ain't nuthin hottern bein out in the field cuttin, rakin, bailin, haulin, and puttin up hay.... At least I got to do it in Michigan, near Lake Michigan. The heat wasn't too bad. Still a tough dirty job. The last 2 summers I've take a bike trip up there with a buddy who's been roped into doing it for my brother. Somehow he has hay arriving just when we are pulling in. I'm still trying to figure out how that happens. My buddy has told me to set it up again this year though. It's easier when you have the weight advantage over the hay. | ||
| Glitch |
At least I got to do it in Michigan, near Lake Michigan. Ha! Really? Man alive you ought to try Fairview, Alabama. It was my uncle's farm. My uncle used the hay for the cows. I also had to work soy bean, cotton, and corn. He also had pigs, although I didn't have a lot to do with the livestock. He also owns Hare Tractor and Equipment, never got to do anything there, not enough labor involved... | ||
| Sifo |
Prevailing winds off of Lake Michigan really make for nice summers in that area. How was Fairview?  | ||
| Buellerxt |
Ah, haulin' hay! Great memories. Haulin' it to the barn and puttin' it up was always a tough part because we weren't making money in those times. And don't ask me how many times we had to haul a tire to town for plugging, again no pay, because a hay hook got caught in a wheel as guys sat on the trailer on the way to fields and tapped the tires on the trailer as they shot the bull. One always seemed to get caught in the tire, ride around with it and punch into it when it got to the ground.  Great memories though. Nothing like seeing a hundred acre field full of bales and then pulling out of the clean field with the last load. Great memories. | ||
| Sifo |
I do remember getting fed real well at the end of the day though.  | ||
| Blake |
GE is a $200+ BILLION company. $14B profit amounts to 7%, decent, but certainly not excessive by any stretch of the imagination. You can get in on what you imagine are such huge profits. Buy the stock. I'd not advise it though. There are far better prospects out there. "If only I had money...", the common excuse of the timid. | ||
| Dobypaw |
Hey hootowl you asked if the union would stand for a wage disparity? Well GE is going after it nationwide. They want all new hires to start at $10 less an hour. GE's plant in Schenectady NY already has a two tier pay disparity so to answer your question yes the union will go for it as long as it saves and creates jobs. That's what it did in NY it saved 200 jobs and created 300 more. Power in the union is not how much the member makes, but in the number of members. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Never had anything to do with a a hay field. Guess I got no horse in this race... lol | ||
| Dobypaw |
Blake about 18 months ago I told everyone to buy GE stock when it was at $5 a share... I did with a company match of 3% I have quadrupled my money. My savings and security (401k) looks real nice since selling it and transfering into my other accounts. And as for the 14% profit the plant I work in is about 20% of that profit. They charge so much for their units that the blue collar workers are only 6% of the total cost that goes out the door there is a 4 to 1 management to hourly employees at the Schenectady plant. Kinda pisses me off GE wants to cut our throats when management is the biggest over head they pay here. (Message edited by Dobypaw on May 10, 2011) | ||
| Dobypaw |
Not mention that is when Warren Buffet bought his billions in GE stock... Sh!t did he make a killing? | ||
| Two_seasons |
Blake: GE is not a $200B in sales company. More like $145B. About 9% profit. Landscapers make that much! I should know...two seasons, get it? Dobypaw: I work at GE Healthcare, union. I do not agree with your assertions. If you ever care to research it, GE lobbyists are taking our US legislators out to dinner and they are writing the next regulatory language that will then be introduced by some senator or congressman as their own bill. What that does is ensure that GE will be "partnering with the US gov't to make things happen". That doesn't sit well with me. | ||
| Kenm123t |
Doby money isnt your limiting factor in starting a business. What did the founder of GE state about invention 1% Inspiration 99% PERSPIRATION. Determination in face of adversity is paramount. What limits your success is You! If you do not like your life change it but you have to change your self first. Working for some one else limits your options take the plunge start your own. Business owners that have sweat equity in thier companies will get new cars homes etc. Wonder why every thing you work on touch is thiers not yours. When you work for some one else you have entered into a contract for services. You do x Company pays you Y Simple what the company does as long as its legal and a safe work place. Till you renegotiate the contract none of what the owners do with any thing the company does is your business. Negotiate a new contract when its time but when you agree to it YOU have to keep up your part of the deal Every thing isnt the companies fault. Greed and Envy will destroy you You stated you own stock in GE NEWS Flash YOUR AN EVIL CORPORATION OWNER. Sell it and give the money to the Union strike fund and beg forgiveness from Richard Trumka | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
It's nothing more than a complete cop out to say that money is what prevents you from starting and running your own business. My wife and I took out a second mortgage on our house and she and her friend started a business. I quit my job and used the savings I had (about $2500) to go out on my own and start MY own business. What IS the limiting factor is imagination and work ethic. | ||
| Court |
>>>>>Doby money isnt your limiting factor in starting a business. I>'ll quote one of my favorite business writers . . me. "If you think the problem is money . . . you don't understand the problem". For what it's worth I'm currently writing a rather complex and lengthy treatise on what's currently taking place in East Troy . . . that has some fascinating elements along these lines. Fear of money problems is the greatest impediment to entry for more businesses. The paralyzer, however, is the fear, not the lack of capital. We truly live in the most amazing of times. . . . | ||
| Aesquire |
GE? isn't that the company whose Prez is on the U.S. Prez's board of how to screw you? ( I might have the name of the board wrong ) A Company someone hates so much they become an owner for personal gain, and screw the proletariat workers? Odd. A Company that pays no US "income taxes"? ( yeah, I know companies don't actually pay taxes, they collect them..... but many don't grasp that fact as class envy is used to con the unwashed masses ) That GE? Good return on your stock dollar? I guess the exploitation of the workers pays off. enjoy. You get that from left and right it seems.... |
