Is the Tacoma union made?

It's easy to say that, but fact remains that college tuition costs have skyrocketed during the last decade but entry level jobs that you can work part (or full) time still pay shit. That means "kids" today work a lot more to pay for their school, and simply aren't able to keep up with that rising cost.

 

USW 675

 

Fun read to document exactly what you are talking about.....wish more people understood this:
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/a-dose-of-financial-reality/

 

It's fun reading comments blindly disparaging Unions made by people who have no idea of what they're talking about. They parrot the views their favorite political party/pundit/demagogue spews. No thought is put into the matter.

/non-Union employee

 

For all those who shun Union-made products, feel free to cease your purchase of anything oil related, like gasoline, diesel, motor oil, etc.

Most of the refineries in this country are Union.

 

I'm one of those that would prefer my job to be "fun"...but, by "fun" i mean keep me engaged. keep my head going, and preferably hands, and at the end of the day go home feeling like i accomplished something...anything.

so....what do you do? i'm intrigued. i have pretty much given up everything i loved about work in my current job.

 

Fun is relative obviously. I enjoy my job almost as much as I would enjoy any other job...I guess. But, I've never lost sight (and not referring to you or anyone specific on TW that I know of) of needing to support myself & my loved ones ...even if my job wasn't fun or at a time when I was working a job I didn't enjoy I always knew I had to work. When I read stupid shit I've seen posted here (on TW) like "never take a job you won't enjoy" that has been said to young guys, looking for work & seeking advice...I just have to wonder WYF... I mean what planet were these people raised on and who powdered their ass so much that they find it ok to not be a productive, or at least self supporting, member of society. No need for me to venture into the freedom I'd feel like I gave up if someone were paying my way...

PM headed your way.

 

my wife's ex has been out of work since August or September. He lives in a $500k house, and has 2 new vehicles. 5 kids to support. He and I are, not surprisingly, not the best of pals. But I threw him a bone and gave him contact info for someone who could get him a job doing something. He's an IT guy. You'd think at this point he'd take what he could get.

Nope.

 

This is what I don't understand. I'd take a job doing ANYTHING before I'd ask someone for help. Seems more & more people are sharing your wife's exs take on working. It's too bad 5 kids are involved because it sounds like he needs to enjoy his choice of not working for a while...nothing like living on the street to help motivate a guy (you would think).

 

This.

Private unions can do what they want for all I am concerned. They operate in a competitive free enterprise environment. They want to give their members generous pensions, so be it.

On the flip side we have public sector unions ( the ones that take the cake are teacher unions) that are funded by middle class tax rolls. These unions know they have the municipal tax payers by the balls and continually bleed the system dry tax raise after raise.

At the end of the day private business can only raise their prices so much and still remain competitive, where as municipalities have the advantage of be able to raise each and every year.

 

I don't want to veer off into politics but, we vote the people in who approve their contracts & those who make the laws to support public school systems.

I would also say, I don't think teachers overall/everywhere are over compensated.

 

I hear ya, talking about politics causes me a headache thats for sure.
Well not sure about down south but in the NY metro area, there are teachers making anywhere from 125k-175K a year, that includes three months off and a guaranteed pension of at least 50%.

 

Holy shit, so regular teachers hitting the class room (like k-12) are making (note I didn't say earning) 125 - 175?

All I'll say is the system is broken and I don't see any fix short of a serious mix up in our set up.

 

Yeah, not a bad gig right. Granted that is 5 years out, starting pay is probably 90K, but after a few years they get bumps.

System is DOA !

 

Only one refinery in California isn't union. Overall the rate is somewhere between 67 and 70% of all oil plants are union.

 

Holy crap.

What's the cost of living in the NY metro area?

I'd believe it. Most of the Gulf Coast refineries are union. Off the top of my head I can think of two that are not.

 

If you read some teachers union members posts, you'd realize your post is way off base.

 

is that for a masters degree or 4 year

 

some people get used to not working and never recover from that mode.

 

I bet it's higher than than both our areas by a wide margin. I just read a deal last week that showed mississippi is the lowest cost state to live in overall and I think your hood was less than the US average.

So, what's up brah? Didn't c u on the TWSS list this year... I'm guessing the hoof didn't require you to be put down...yet.