Obama on Debt Ceiling 2007

[Oleander Kayaker]

Good response Robalo.
To add, Obummercare actually takes away from all these, claimed, hard won union benefits by creating a disincentive for hiring fulltime labor. As a result, part time labor may not get the 401k, vacation time, etc.

The unintended consequences of government (and union) meddling in a free economy, erodes the economy and degrades the standard of living over time. WE can't compete in a global economy with this kind of socialist policy.

medical insurance, sick days, pensions, over 8 hrs in day is 1.5 pay ,(most nonunion companies require 40hrs 1st),double time on Sundays and holidays, meal allowances on overtime after 8hrs, vacation time, annuity plans or 401, are a few benefits that unions fought for in the last 40-50 years. And unions kept companies from taking away the 40hr/8hr day. These are a "few" things but very important things for earners. If you are working for any company and not receiving these benefits than its time for you to rethink why you are working in the 1st place. And oh yeah, no one earns anything by themselves or build a company by themselves. Barry is right about that in spite of the far right thinking. WE are ALL in this together.

[Robalo]

medical insurance, sick days, pensions, over 8 hrs in day is 1.5 pay ,(most nonunion companies require 40hrs 1st),double time on Sundays and holidays, meal allowances on overtime after 8hrs, vacation time, annuity plans or 401, are a few benefits that unions fought for in the last 40-50 years. And unions kept companies from taking away the 40hr/8hr day. These are a "few" things but very important things for earners. If you are working for any company and not receiving these benefits than its time for you to rethink why you are working in the 1st place. And oh yeah, no one earns anything by themselves or build a company by themselves. Barry is right about that in spite of the far right thinking. WE are ALL in this together.

Unions are a bane on today's society and take away from Free Enterprise. I worked in a Union-was corrupt, was all political on who got what jobs, they didn't give a rat's butt about any worker and I personally evidenced that and dispise Unions and what they do-they increase the cost of goods and services to the detriment of the Economy.

Taxing the "Big Corporations and rich" is your solution. That is proven to cause contraction of the Economy. Further, any simpleton knows that taxes are a part of the cost of goods manufactured - just like wages, bldgs. and supplies-and ALL those costs are passed onto the consumer. So MG, you are saying tax the helloutta the corporations and expect them to not add the tax charge to the cost of their goods? If so, you failed Economics 101 in High School, just like Comrade Obama. Plus, this is the USA, not Russia, Cuba or China and your posts reflect pure socialism-you appear to have no idea how the economy works, but you parrot Comrade Obama quite well-he doesn't know squat about the economy either-he just says "Free Crap for everyone" and then gives billions to his buddies while snickering all the time. He sure has you and the non-paying 53% in his pocket-right next to his snotty hankerchief. "Gimme Gimme Gimme" should be the Dems slogan in 2016.

[boom]

Go to Chicago and Detroit and tell me again how great unions and democrats are. What a joke.

[mgstei1]

medical insurance, sick days, pensions, over 8 hrs in day is 1.5 pay ,(most nonunion companies require 40hrs 1st),double time on Sundays and holidays, meal allowances on overtime after 8hrs, vacation time, annuity plans or 401, are a few benefits that unions fought for in the last 40-50 years. And unions kept companies from taking away the 40hr/8hr day. These are a "few" things but very important things for earners. If you are working for any company and not receiving these benefits than its time for you to rethink why you are working in the 1st place. And oh yeah, no one earns anything by themselves or build a company by themselves. Barry is right about that in spite of the far right thinking. WE are ALL in this together.

[Winter fisher]

Honestly I didn't even get through all of that babbling mess you replied with. A lazy, worthless piece if crap is what that dude was that left a possible escalating safety situation to walk away and take a break when 10 more turns on 3 more bolts woulda stopped it then and there. Not gonna sell me on unions boss. I was a contractor testing air emissions for 15 years and I was on the shite end of the union workers stick for most of that time. Even though not one of those jack wads had the education required or could have been trained to do the job that I was doing they all hated me for doing it. F every one of em and their 15 minute breaks.

They will take a break & let the plant blow. & they still hold there hand out

[kenny]

mgestl1,
The 8-hour day, and 40 hour week was done by statute in 1916. Unions did a great service for the American worker before I was born, But what have they done in the last 40 - 50 years? Name a few things that have improved all workers lives?

[reeltime]

somebody hit plugger for me my arms dont rep enough any more...doing fine Henry......i just cant tell the difference between a union and a coupling side by side..

[plugger]

Ha ! No one is going to change views at this stage .
Let the fur fly here but put down the knives on the water and let the talk be lies about who caught the most , best fish . HAR !

[Ibtsoom]

I'm not offended and everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I'm just speaking from my own experience and I just can't stand laziness and that's what I saw in a lot of those guys who thought their employers owed them something for nothing. Granted, not all were like that but a lot were and are still. I agree that the unions were key in turning around the poor working conditions that were the norm back around the turn of the century when people were starving to death and being treated like indentured servants. But just like everything else that starts out as a just and honorable idea, they've largely been corrupted by money and crooked politicians -- and the situation has evolved so that the workers that the unions "benefit" are encouraged to thumb their noses at the very persons or companies that sign their check and feed their families or the contractors like myself who keep their crappy plant from shutting down due to regulatory violations.

If it were me that had the choice of securing a leaky valve to ensure other workers safety or sitting on my arse and letting it leak for 15 minutes because I'm "entitled" to a break you can rest assured I'm gonna fix the valve.
My parents raised me to believe that if you want to succeed in life you have to work your arse off to make it happen and not expect a single person to lift a finger to help you along the way. I also DO NOT believe in the phrase "that's not my job" - if I see something that needs to be done, I do it. Whether it's sweeping the floor, balancing the books or cleaning a toilet -- even if I have to work through my break to get it done.

I don't want anything from anyone that I haven't earned from good old fashioned honest hard work.

More power to you if you were able to benefit from the system and retire comfortably.

If I retire comfortably it'll be because I made it happen all by my damn self and that's the way I want it.

Now - why don't we all just go fishing because not one of us is going to sway another's political opinion on this board.

[mgstei1]

Ibtsoom, I'm sorry you feel that way and many like you for hating the unions. But what you have in safe work places and even what you were doing testing air emissions was probably began by a union member seeing , smelling, or watching some company polluting our air or water and making a complaint to management. If a nonunion employee, or you, saw the same, they may have been fired or told to get back to work and mind your own business. I worked in industry(Chem/Refinery) for over 40 years and know the issues and hazards we ALL faced. Unions made it safer and better for all. Still do, always will. Every bit of that "babbling" mess is true. I'm praying if you have kids or grandkids that if they work through a gate or punch a clock that they too will have a safe workplace paying good wages and benefits. Sorry I offended you so badly.

[plugger]

Is that why I got fired on my first day boss?

sent from my taxpayer-funded sail phone and yes the government is tapped into my talk

No Chris , they just didn't like you . LOL

[Ibtsoom]

Honestly I didn't even get through all of that babbling mess you replied with. A lazy, worthless piece if crap is what that dude was that left a possible escalating safety situation to walk away and take a break when 10 more turns on 3 more bolts woulda stopped it then and there. Not gonna sell me on unions boss. I was a contractor testing air emissions for 15 years and I was on the shite end of the union workers stick for most of that time. Even though not one of those jack wads had the education required or could have been trained to do the job that I was doing they all hated me for doing it. F every one of em and their 15 minute breaks.

[mgstei1]

Miss a break, lose a break, You will never get it back. Where you think and who fought to get work breaks in the past 100 years ? It aint because company management out of the kindness of their hearts do that for an employee. Probably a foreign made valve by 1.00 a day peasants, made and put the valve together. Or most cases a cheap non-spec gasket. And my guess is the leak was probably leaking for months before management decided repair or an operator forced the issue to get it fixed. Besides a leaking valve or gasket is considered "hot work" and a JSA or a Safety Analysis was needed to work it when it was leaking. A union Boilermaker has 4-5 years of 2 nights a week training and classes. And works besides a journeyman Boilermaker for those years before he is turned out as a Journeyman Craftsman. A worker outside an organized shop with no formal training will bow down and do whatever management wants or thinks they need or to save time or money will request work to be done no matter what. Ive seen muffler repair technicians from muffler shops come into a TurnAround company and run crews of non union boilermakers and swear up and down they have experience. Without a "work agreement" negotiated by management and the union rep a non-union worker is at the companies mercy and can be fired at will in Texas for no reason at all. Instead of right to work it can also be called right to fire and companies love being in that position so the CEO's and Stock Holders make their fortunes off the backs of company employees and income inequality gets even further apart.

[reeltime]

Yea I've seen union guys in local plants leave wrenches hanging on leaking valves and walk away when the break whistle blew--Safety be damned - I'm entitled to a break!
Makes good sense huh?

Is that why I got fired on my first day boss?

sent from my taxpayer-funded sail phone and yes the government is tapped into my talk

[Ibtsoom]

I totally agree. Butt if I was one of those workers who got all those hand outs and put on weight making big bucks I'd like it too lol.

Yea I've seen union guys in local plants leave wrenches hanging on leaking valves and walk away when the break whistle blew--Safety be damned - I'm entitled to a break!
Makes good sense huh?