tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926870823165438047.post893152601564484616..comments2024-01-21T10:04:31.352-06:00Comments on Searching for Ithaka: Talking to Cadillac Man About the State of Confusion #Unions #Police #UAW #NAFTAAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152407256780002310noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926870823165438047.post-31612620568417897892017-07-28T07:27:55.527-05:002017-07-28T07:27:55.527-05:00There's some basis in fact to just about every...There's some basis in fact to just about everything but I don't accept the validity of the stereotype overall and one of the biggest supports for the contention only came to me last night that whacking unions really hasn't made the price of anything go down. In general the reason I have never believed it is no-one would be able to afford cars if all the union builders of it were shiftless bums.<br /><br />I'm not at all personally defensive for unions but we all have stories and I do know Yevette was one of the union sisters in a different type of work and she was proud to turn out the best stuff she could. CM mentioned last night the unions have done a poor job of public relations since people such as Yevette weren't well-publicized but the stereotype of the union slacker was everywhere.<br /><br />The surprise for me in this one came from the stats on the cars when I saw the drop from the start of Bill Clinton's administration to present and that brought the oh, hell no reaction.<br /><br />The discussion last night wasn't much at all the context of those bad Republicans since we get it that Republicans don't want unions, regardless of whether that's valid. However, when Democrats are busting down unions as has been happening with Neoliberals / Centrists then we need the tomahawks and war paint and not for Republicans but rather for policing our own union and bringing a quality reputation back to the Democratic Party which no-one would credit to it now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152407256780002310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926870823165438047.post-31012254244479302892017-07-28T06:22:54.383-05:002017-07-28T06:22:54.383-05:00My father in law is one if those stereotype UAW me...My father in law is one if those stereotype UAW members.<br /> He was a "people mover" at the end of his career. That meant he transported a small crew to a location and raised them up to the work site high above the factory floor. Then waited to lower them down for lunch and return the<br />them after lunch. And lower them down at the end of a shift.<br /> He at the time 25 years ago earned over $50 per hour not including benefits. <br /> He also was allowed furlough while while awaiting the new contract so he could early retire at 55. During that furlough he was paid 75% of his hourly pay. He was on furlough for 2 years before his early retirement <br /> I was hired at a trucking company in the 70s. I was paid $18 to unload trucks. I would get paid 8 hours to unload if there were no trucks I would be sent home but paid anyway. I was not a union member but an under 90 (if I was allowed to work more than 90 days I could join the union. Tje union would not allow me to eork more than 90 to protect tbe full time union members so at 89 days I was let go. <br /> So with most stereotypes they are usually evolved from some basis of fact Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com