Subscription to this thread should be barred!:lol:

I actually think it may be someone who made a new account and is "trolling"

Swank sounds like you have covered your tracks. My whole point about a lot of union workers is their lack of skill sets. A machinist is a trade, a skill, something you can take with you. Auto workers unions get under my skin worse than any other. If you have a skill set and something to offer then you have a leg to stand on and can find work if your industry goes under. MOST UAW workers do not. Steel workers, welders, machinist, etc have legitamate skills. A tailgate technician does not.

:rocker: :rocker:

THE END

I blee, I blee, I Blee
Thats all folks!

Understood.

This thread actually got out of hand in sorts.
The question was why do people strike?

Answer:: Negotiations take place and elected representatives bring the companies offer to the union members with either a recommendation or a recommendation to turn the offer down.
IAM members usually get about a 2 week review of the offer from the company.
We also vote to ratify whether we want our officials to notify the company if there are any issues that we would strike over (cuts in medical benefits usually)
The members then vote to ratify or reject the offer, in my union that is done PRIOR to the contract ending hoping we can avoid a strike.
But if the membership decides to reject the the contract but doesn't get enough votes to ratify a strike, we go back to work.
If we get the votes to ratify a strike and enough votes to reject the offer we go out.
We never want to strike, the union members loose out, the company looses money. It's a bad situation all the way around.

It's never the union par say that strikes, it's if the people who vote reject or accept the offer is what generates a strike.


Swank07' Out (I reserve the right to bring this back up when my negotiations are on deck in Sept of 08')

Thats the down side to working for a company that is self insured, you take the risk of coverage changes. Now some of your previous concerns with your employer and the insurance policy (or I now realize the lack there of) make more sense. I was a little confused.

I always ask those questions before accepting a job and I always review the insurnace policies before accepting. If insurance was one of the main reason s I was working (which it's not, I work for money) If it was then as soon as I seen a self insured policy, then I would have either turned the job down, or if the money and oppurtunity was good enough to compensate for that risk. (which obviously it isn't that good of a job, other wise it wouldn't be a striking point). If it was good enough, then I'd taken the job and not expected myself to participate in thier policy, I'd taken thier policy and paid for a suplemental policy out of my own pocket. Or worse case, gotten my own insurance policy with an Insurance company outside of the employer. Again the pay, perks and other benefits as well as oppurtunity for advancement, bonuses, etc would have to be well enough to compensate me for that before I would have ever taken the job.

The company was actually trying to get us to pay for medical (30 bux a month to cover myself, the wife, my son with downs syndrome and my daughter. 10 bux if your single.
Made no difference to me as I believe that is a outstanding deal, but the majority of the people said it was a serious issue with them so the majority ruled.
Mind you we didn't strike for that, we also struck because they where going to not give people hired after Sept 06' retiree medical and the where going to lower the hire in minimum.
So yes I benefitted from not having to pay medical, but we also went out to help out people who where going to come into the company after us.

Cobra coverage would cost a family of 4 around 1600 bux a month up here.