Elon Musk calls out the UAW for embezzling money from its workers

[Cybertruckee]

The Democratic Socialist Nordic countries have the highest union density of 52% to 67% of all workers.


Guess what, typical CEO pay is usually no more than 5 times the pay of lowest ranked worker. And correlation but not causation, they virtually have no poverty, single-payer government health care system with no one going bankrupt for medical bills, free education at all levels, most secure and adequate pensions that no seniors have to decide to buy their meds or eat cat food.

Dang socialism!

PS -- I should be against unions having to deal with them across the table in negotiations and it's a real pain in my behind. But when we are not making the bottom line numbers, all of us managers get to keep our jobs and bonuses too -- and we then we have to let go of among their ranks. Same as GM getting bankrupt due to poor management decision-making but it's the workers who have to get the haircut. In these cases, they may have a point.

 

[SwampNut]

Did someone say, "BRING MORE POLITICS INTO THIS THREAD?" I think so.

 

[JBee]

I always say that if you are employed, you haven't yet found your calling, and are working for another person's dream.

It's time to get your own dream and be a real individual.

Joining or having a union won't get you one step closer to your dream.

 

[SwampNut]

Joining or having a union won't get you one step closer to your dream.

No, but it helps keep the mindless worker society in line, and away from independence. A lot like welfare and other handouts; why work?

My extended family has a long line of union workers if they weren't welfare queens, my direct family did not. Guess who is doing well?

 

[Cybertruckee]

Did someone say, "BRING MORE POLITICS INTO THIS THREAD?" I think so.

Let me guess, from someone who see the ghost of politics under the bed even when discussing economics.

Yup, politics is easy. Economics is so damn hard.

 

[SwampNut]

Let me guess, from someone who see the ghost of politics under the bed even when discussing economics.

Lousy guess.

 

[SparkChaser]

I always say that if you are employed, you haven't yet found your calling, and are working for another person's dream.

It's time to get your own dream and be a real individual.

Joining or having a union won't get you one step closer to your dream.

For most, I believe, working is a way to pay the bills. I seek my life outside of my work. With friends and loved ones. Experiences that I can afford because I have a job that pays fairly well with benefits that support me any my family. I do like my work, and find it challenging. The biggest headache is the resistance to improvement. Many co workers and mostly management want to remain stagnant.
Having a Union means I get to raise my concerns and if not addressed I can further press them if they meet the criteria of a contract violation or safety issue. In many work place that puts a target on your back.

 

[Cybertruckee]

Lousy guess.

Yup, economics is hard!

 

[SwampNut]

Yup, economics is hard!

Not really. Most of it's pretty obvious unless you wear rose colored glasses and think we can steal from some to make others successful.

 

[Crissa]

I agree with what you are saying, but would like to further the discussion by adding there are a lot of things unions do that are just outside of what even an extremely powerful government could do. As one example, I watch a lot of cop dramas. Whenever an officer is being investigated, they ask for their union rep.

Public defenders. It has been suggested that actually paying for a lawyer corrupts the system - what if there were and equally funded systems of public defense and prosecution?

I agree, there are things - especially small day to day things - unions can do better. It's no different than say a city is more agile than the state which is more agile than the feds. Just, fewer people to agree on a topic.

But that doesn't mean there aren't ways we've not even tried before. There are always ways that the rich will dislike because it doesn't let them opt out. (Like we're letting them opt out of traffic via FasTrak and taxing the carpools for it. I just had to pay $30 for a trip my spouse carpooled, but forgot the FasTrak tag.)

-Crissa

PS, it's been there practically forever, but it was made explicit by the Obama Administration in 2014.
https://www.govdocs.com/can-employees-discuss-pay-salaries/

 

[Crissa]

PPS, economics is hard, because the observed know they're being observed and act in accordance. Hence, the rules have no hard lines, and alot of it is actually psychology.

-Crissa

 

[JBee]

For most, I believe, working is a way to pay the bills. I seek my life outside of my work. With friends and loved ones. Experiences that I can afford because I have a job that pays fairly well with benefits that support me any my family. I do like my work, and find it challenging. The biggest headache is the resistance to improvement. Many co workers and mostly management want to remain stagnant.
Having a Union means I get to raise my concerns and if not addressed I can further press them if they meet the criteria of a contract violation or safety issue. In many work place that puts a target on your back.

Working for money to pay the bills is the percieved extent of our freedom. Freedom is an illusion, as we believe we can only do what we can afford to do in a world run by currency.

But remember the only true currency is time. Your life time. You can only spend it once and whatever you spend the most of it on, will become what most of your life was about.

So go look for your dream and fulfill your calling, don't hold back, not for convention, complacency or coin. ?

 

[SwampNut]

But remember the only true currency is time. Your life time. You can only spend it once and whatever you spend the most of it on, will become what most of your life was about.

I turned my love of tech into various money-making ventures. I'm a high school dropout, I had nothing else to fall back on. I don't love every second of my day, but I hate very few parts.

 

[JBee]

I turned my love of tech into various money-making ventures. I'm a high school dropout, I had nothing else to fall back on. I don't love every second of my day, but I hate very few parts.

Its the balance that counts. ?

 

[Cybertruckee]

Not really. Most of it's pretty obvious unless you wear rose colored glasses and think we can steal from some to make others successful.

Seriously, what neo-economic theory is that?

From the same people that formulated trickle down and Laffer curve (reverse Robin Hood of robbing the poor to give tax break to the rich), where it failed the first time and caused recession, do it again, and where it caused Great Recession then one more time, where it resulted in Greater Recession. Seems similar to Einstein definition of insanity.

Funny, I worked with these Nordic countries and no one said it's stealing but more like ensuring everyone's boat is afloat.

Yup, economics is hard but accusing somebody is stealing from you is easy psychiatric paranoia.