Future of Unions?

[Lead Belly]

The good union jobs all left starting with Reagan, Bush 1 and the majority of those jobs left during Bush 2. Over 55,000 factories closed and moved out of the country during the BUSH administration and that killed our middle class blue collar security.

Its been republican policies that have killed not only the middle class, but hard working americans in general. Turning this country into a service industry nation has only increased the working poor and devalued the middle class american.

Bad trade deals and the outsourcing of goods and manufacturing has ruined our country, yet, the republicans even today continue to try and make more trade deals that include the outsourcing of even more jobs to south america and the pacific rim.

Its pretty clear if you are willing to truly pay attention, that the intended goal is to eliminate unions and drive down wages and salaries of the american worker. These GOP tactics are intended to keep people in the debt society as to prevent them from moving up and replacing them.

The rich oligarchs of this country pull all the strings of the republicans in congress and the senate.

Just look at the funding of todays first three republican candidates. This next race will be the most expensive presidential race in history thanks to Citizens United.

I find it puzzling how any hard working middle class american could vote for a political party doing everything it can to bring them down in the workplace.

TOS.

Please don't hurt him TOS.

 

[Wally]

"We will rue the day we passed NAFTA", Pat Buchanan

 

[llamainmypocket]

Where will we be in 20 years? Technology is taking away "Blue Collar" jobs daily. Are we sitting on our hands by not going after the low tech jobs? Should we be starting relationships with the tech schools?

I see the current "Union Jobs" disappearing. Sure, there will always be blue collar jobs, but will there be enough to sustain the Unions.

I really think we are blind to the future of what we should be moving toward as far as what future membership should look like.

Is it too late?

I think UPS will remain union until labor in general comes into question.

Let's be reasonable here, the more mechanized society becomes the less labor there will be. I really don't think we can all be engineers, scientists, and artists. At some point, many of us are either going to be working unnecessarily, collecting welfare checks, or just being peasants living in poverty.

 

[box_beeyotch]

I think UPS will remain union until labor in general comes into question.

Let's be reasonable here, the more mechanized society becomes the less labor there will be. I really don't think we can all be engineers, scientists, and artists. At some point, many of us are either going to be working unnecessarily, collecting welfare checks, or just being peasants living in poverty.

Then I'll start cooking crystal meth!! All hail Heisenberg!!

 

[brownmonster]

I have a buddy who is an union elevator mechanic, clears six figures every year. I have another buddy who's a union electrician and also clears six. Their are still very strong unions out there, but from what I can gather in my center, there are a few guys who are all about themselves and cheating the system as they can, but the vast majority are willing to help their brothers/sisters out. I do agree that we need better organization and thicker skin as members, but most of the newer employees don't even bother to read the fine print.

Clears?

 

[HBGPreloader]

I give unions another 10 -20 years - if they're lucky to last that long because,IMHO, that's when the Taxpayers are finally going to say they've had enough with the pension bailouts.

Beyond that, this is how the government forced banks to issue mortgages to deadbeats...

"Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today announced a policy to require the nation's two largest housing finance companies to buy $2.4 trillion in mortgages over the next 10 years to provide affordable housing for about 28.1 million low- and moderate-income families."

Source:
http://archives.hud.gov/news/1999/pr99-131.html

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I give unions another 10 -20 years - if they're lucky to last that long because,IMHO, that's when the Taxpayers are finally going to say they've had enough with the pension bailouts.

Beyond that, this is how the government forced banks to issue mortgages to deadbeats...

"Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today announced a policy to require the nation's two largest housing finance companies to buy $2.4 trillion in mortgages over the next 10 years to provide affordable housing for about 28.1 million low- and moderate-income families."

Source:
http://archives.hud.gov/news/1999/pr99-131.html

Remember when houses were much more difficult to buy and required a hefty down payment and was something people WORKED and saved for? Now a house is considered a right and if the buyer can't afford the house then it's up to others to foot the bill.

 

[Lead Belly]

I give unions another 10 -20 years - if they're lucky to last that long because,IMHO, that's when the Taxpayers are finally going to say they've had enough with the pension bailouts.

Beyond that, this is how the government forced banks to issue mortgages to deadbeats...

"Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today announced a policy to require the nation's two largest housing finance companies to buy $2.4 trillion in mortgages over the next 10 years to provide affordable housing for about 28.1 million low- and moderate-income families."

Source:
http://archives.hud.gov/news/1999/pr99-131.html

Can you show me somewhere where a multi employer pension fund was given a bailout. Are you referring to the pension guarantee corp?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Can you show me somewhere where a multi employer pension fund was given a bailout?

What would you call what UPS did with Central States and the New England pension funds?

 

[Turdferguson]

What would you call what UPS did with Central States and the New England pension funds?

With Central that wasn't a bailout. They paid their way out of it

 

[oldngray]

What would you call what UPS did with Central States and the New England pension funds?

Taxpayers had nothing to do with that "bailout".

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

Remember when houses were much more difficult to buy and required a hefty down payment and was something people WORKED and saved for? Now a house is considered a right and if the buyer can't afford the house then it's up to others to foot the bill.

When was the last time you looked into buying a house? The housing collapse change a lot.
The 20% down requirement is back big time. Sure, you can put down as little as 3.5% with an FHA, but then you're required to buy mortgage insurance which adds hundreds a month to your payment, thousands over the course of the loan unless you refinance once you get enough equity.

I'm not sure what you're talking about when you say others foot the bill. In a lot of ways, the FHA program is now one huge hand out to the banks and insurance companies, not the poor and middle class.

 

[oldngray]

When was the last time you looked into buying a house? The housing collapse change a lot.
The 20% down requirement is back big time. Sure, you can put down as little as 3.5% with an FHA, but then you're required to buy mortgage insurance which adds hundreds a month to your payment, thousands over the course of the loan unless you refinance once you get enough equity.

I'm not sure what you're talking about when you say others foot the bill. In a lot of ways, the FHA program is now one huge hand out to the banks and insurance companies, not the poor and middle class.

FHA is mortgage insurance. Its purpose is to allow people to buy a house with less than the 20% down usually required by private mortgage insurance.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

When was the last time you looked into buying a house? The housing collapse change a lot.
The 20% down requirement is back big time. Sure, you can put down as little as 3.5% with an FHA, but then you're required to buy mortgage insurance which adds hundreds a month to your payment, thousands over the course of the loan unless you refinance once you get enough equity.

I'm not sure what you're talking about when you say others foot the bill. In a lot of ways, the FHA program is now one huge hand out to the banks and insurance companies, not the poor and middle class.

Maybe you should read what I was responding to.

 

[undies]

Teamsters just added 15,000 new members this month in So Cal. I'd hardly say we're dying.

 

[HBGPreloader]

In addition to the payoff from the last contract, IMHO, moving the part timers into the central states fund was just another bailout that, ultimately, absolves UPS of any future liability.

The bigger issue, though, is the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp's deficit...

"The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.'s deficit hit a record $61.7 billion in fiscal 2014, the agency said Monday. The deficit in the PBGC's insurance program for single-employer plans fell to $19.3 billion, down from $27.4 billion in fiscal 2013."

http://www.businessinsurance.com/ar...s-record-61-7b-in-2014?tags=|62|77|82|307|329

No matter what happens, it ends up being a no-win situation for the unions and their members because, if congress doesn't act, retiree benefits, likely, will be slashed - driving away future members. And, if congress does act, it will be viewed as another wasteful bailout that will result in an even bigger backlash from the Taxpayers.

 

[HBGPreloader]

Forgot to add that taxpayer guaranteed "0% down" loans never went away.
Instead of being offered by HUD and/or guaranteed by Fannie and/or Freddie, they're now being offered/processed through the USDA....
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/zero-down-mortgages-endure-in-rural-areas.aspx
They're supposed to be for "rural areas". However, here in south central PA, they're being offered on both new and existing homes - in suburbia.

*Edited to add link

 

[MC4YOU2]

1. While the PBGC is a federal agency, it not funded with tax dollars. Instead, it is funded by premiums* collected from defined-benefit plan sponsors, assets from defined-benefit plans for which it serves as trustee, recoveries in bankruptcy from former plan sponsors and with earnings from invested assets.

http://www.pbgc.gov/about/how-pbgc-operates.html

 

[rickyb]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/589866071022182400

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

Teamsters just added 15,000 new members this month in So Cal. I'd hardly say we're dying.

this is good news but in the last 30 years unions have dropped from 20 sum% of the workforce to only around 11% of the total work force now. This is a very bad trend.