OT Portland area Fred Meyer Employees to go on strike 8/28

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I’ve always felt like anti union people for the most part are envious of the luxuries union people are afforded.

Because if you’re not in a union then why would they care if there’s a few lazy union members?
 
A small number of pro athletes have star power to negotiate big salaries and dictate where they play. Most have to take what's offered. And they still have more clout than ordinary workers. When we "negotiate" our wages, which is pretty much what happens in non union workplaces, there is no negotiation. We take it or leave it.

The whole idea of unions is without power and wealth we have only collective strength.
 
Natebishop3 said:
You can strike all you want, but the problem is that housing and the cost of living has massively outpaced wages and Fred Meyer will just pass the cost of increased wages to the consumer.... again.

Housing is the problem. It's the lynchpin. People used to be able to work jobs like Fred Meyer and still afford an apartment/food/car/etc.

I was driving through Beaverton over the weekend and they have a new apartment complex on Murray called West End. They are advertising a studio apartment for over $1900 a month. A STUDIO. IN BEAVERTON. FOR ALMOST $2k A MONTH!?!?!?! How do people afford that?!?!
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tlongII said:
I drive by that frequently. Crazy.
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Drove right by it today I believe. Across the tracks form that hold hospital/church? Yellow Brick? I also passed the Fred Meyer on strike on my way to Aloha. Man that route 8 is never ending.............................................
 
The idea of a union is great.

Then people get involved and people can be assholes.

I've seen great shop stewards and I've seen shop stewards that feel they hold some mythical power to complain and throw around entitlement everywhere.

I've also seen people fired in a union and the union do absolutely nothing about it.

At the end of the day. The idea of a union is great. There is nothing wrong with folks fighting for workers rights.
 
JFizzleRaider said:
The idea of a union is great.

Then people get involved and people can be assholes.

I've seen great shop stewards and I've seen shop stewards that feel they hold some mythical power to complain and throw around entitlement everywhere.

I've also seen people fired in a union and the union do absolutely nothing about it.

At the end of the day. The idea of a union is great. There is nothing wrong with folks fighting for workers rights.
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Yeah, definitely all unions aren’t the same.

I’m a 4th generation union member. My dad always says, a union is only as strong as its members.
 
MickZagger said:
So you’re on the side of the corporate vultures?
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Nope. I'm NOT on the side of (for example) the union road construction crews that have 2 guys working and 5 guys standing there watching. I'm NOT on the side of the union electrician who makes $50 an hour and actually works only a couple hours of an 8 hour day. (one example of friends/family I know about). I'm NOT on the side of several lazy worthless union workers that I worked along side many years ago that the company couldn't fire because of the union.

I agree unions have their place. But.......
 
BoBoBREWSKI said:
Nope. I'm NOT on the side of (for example) the union road construction crews that have 2 guys working and 5 guys standing there watching. I'm NOT on the side of the union electrician who makes $50 an hour and actually works only a couple hours of an 8 hour day. (one example of friends/family I know about). I'm NOT on the side of several lazy worthless union workers that I worked along side many years ago that the company couldn't fire because of the union.

I agree unions have their place. But.......
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Those guys standing around are probably supervisors. Non union members.

$50 an hour isn’t some crazy amount these days. It’s good but not wealthy by any stretch.

I have a buddy who is a union journeyman high voltage electrician and he’s in the $60 an hour range. There is a lack of them. So supply and demand. He had to do lots of training equivalent to college but without owing a university gobs of money.

I have no problem with any worker making as much as they can squeeze out of an employer. I’m just pro labor.

Money in this country needs to be distributed better. A healthy middle class has proven to make an economy thrive.
 
MickZagger said:
Those guys standing around are probably supervisors. Non union members.

$50 an hour isn’t some crazy amount these days. It’s good but not wealthy by any stretch.

I have a buddy who is a union journeyman high voltage electrician and he’s in the $60 an hour range. There is a lack of them. So supply and demand. He had to do lots of training equivalent to college but without owing a university gobs of money.
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You are missing my point. It wasn't really about the wage amount. It's about the fact that there are too many union jobs where they only actually work a couple hours of an 8 hour day. And are protected by the union.


I have no problem with any worker making as much as they can squeeze out of an employer. I’m just pro labor.

Money in this country needs to be distributed better. A healthy middle class has proven to make an economy thrive.
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I totally agree. But when construction projects cost a lot more than they should, that takes $ away from other things our tax $ could go towards.
 
Are they still doing their holiday steak sale this weekend? I want cheap ribeyes but don’t want to be a scab
 
MickZagger said:
Are they still doing their holiday steak sale this weekend? I want cheap ribeyes but don’t want to be a scab
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I don't understand how someone who still shops there is a scab..... aren't scabs people who work there during a strike?
 
It's kinda ridiculous. I've been a part of places where there are multiple unions. If union A can't come to terms on their contract but union B does, if union B employees don't show up they will be fired.

Union B members probably have family too and bills to pay. It's not Union B's fault if Union A is negotiating terms that cause negotiations to breakdown.
 
Natebishop3 said:
You can strike all you want, but the problem is that housing and the cost of living has massively outpaced wages and Fred Meyer will just pass the cost of increased wages to the consumer.... again.

Housing is the problem. It's the lynchpin. People used to be able to work jobs like Fred Meyer and still afford an apartment/food/car/etc.

I was driving through Beaverton over the weekend and they have a new apartment complex on Murray called West End. They are advertising a studio apartment for over $1900 a month. A STUDIO. IN BEAVERTON. FOR ALMOST $2k A MONTH!?!?!?! How do people afford that?!?!
Click to expand...

I mean, if you’re friendly and popular you can probably get it down to 380 a month per roommate.
 
I honked for some picketers while driving around this afternoon. They seemed happy with my contribution to their cause. Then I wrenched my shoulder patting myself on the back. No good deed goes unpunished
 
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