Is the Tacoma union made?

Nobody put a gun to your head and made you open the thread.

 

Hey easy now... I remember it, and also when in the 70's industries packed up and moved from the Northeast to the Southeast because of unions and high taxes. Which is why the NE is often called the rust belt now. The SE is still a strong manufacturing center because of right to work.

The reason Tacomas are made in the US isn't shipping cost it is to avoid tariffs, specifically the 25% chicken tax imposed on pickups and light trucks. I helped setup the BMW plant in South Carolina and the management at BMW was amazed at the US workforce productivity and work ethic. Which is non Union. BMW setup production there to avoid high tariffs also. They said the unions are so strong in Germany that they really couldn't get much work out of the employees and in the end it was a win win for them. It has been for the local economy too.

Someone said employee operating cost in their manufacturing plant was only 6%. That is not the fully loaded salary cost taking into account all employee cost, I can guarantee you that.

And middle management is still Middle Class, not sure why some think it isn't. Unions do, in every case I have ever seen, create an us against them attitude with the employees and management. I spent 20 years in the Navy working in the Engine Room of ships swinging a sledge hammer where it was 120 in the shade. Holiday routine and Sundays I only worked 12 hours a day instead of 16 or sometimes more, much more. Decided a long time ago I didn't want to do that when I "grew up" so worked on my degree over many years often times giving up sleep. I can tell you for a fact sitting at a desk can and usually is harder work than physical labor. Because you have to use your brain, just saying... It is America if you don't like your job or position in life do something about. Take a different job. Move. Or get an education or different trade skill. And above all drive a Tacoma!

 

Completely forgot about the chicken tax.

 

I did a bit ov er 2 years in a union, read my post on page 5 for more

 

My experience in a union was not good, but I don't believe it is always the case. I am that desk guy but I don't shit on unions, and as I posted before unions have good qualities that extend beyond an employee themselves..such as if I hire someone to work on my house

 

I wasn't old enough to vote but seems that Reagan entered office in January of 1981 and fired the PATCO employees later the same year. I'm still gonna bust balls tho... 70s???

 

Another interesting bit of info would be what everyone thinks a fair wage & overall compensation package should be for the given task. It's pretty relative in a couple ways. Understanding of course we're talking about more than just salary.

 

Blaming education on unions is a tenuous argument at best. Things like common core did much more damage. Mix that with how a lot of parents are now buddies with their kids instead of parents so in turn they do the homework for the most part, rather than guiding the child's homework, you have a retention issue which in turn leads to the failing education system.

 

Does your gasoline for your vehicle work? Does paper and the metals you use in your day to day life work as intended? Those are almost completely union made.

I'm not saying all unions are great, even the workers, but saying if something is union made or not is a likely factor in its effectiveness is ridiculous.

 

I suspect nra4usa drinks a lot of the Fox Newz Kool Aid.....

 

flipping burgers = $10.00
desk jockey = $15.00-$20.00
tradesman = $25.00-$35.00
teacher = $25.00-$35.00
management = $35.00
LEO / EMS / FD (1st responders)= $35.00-$50.00
Enlisted = $50.00
Officer = $50.00-$65.00
Doctor / Lawyer / Indian Chief = $100.00
Politician = $0.00 (its supposed to be a citizen government service, not a career)
Actor / Writer / Artist = $0.00 (ya chit aint supposed to be worth anything 'till you dead )
Journalist / TV newsperson = $0.00 (bunch of corrupt fucks deserve nothing )
Farmer = Eleventy billion dollahs.

 

So if we consider auto workers tradesmen you'd put them at $25 to $35 as being a fair wage (not overall compensation). If those are true, I bet they're not too far off...

Of course it doesn't address what a lot of the thread is about...that being work ethic.

I have to wonder if the product quality is more related to the hourly Union guy or the white collar engineer accomplishing the design too....or maybe (God forbid) planned obsolescence.

 

I saw a union strike once because the company wanted them to work.

 

Again, not a generalization. This was my union experience:

I started at $5 an hour. A year later the company raised starting wage to $7. I was making $6 and got bumped to $7. Not so bad, till the next week a new hire with no experience came on making that same $7. I was told to train them and refused, as I feel my knowledge to be able to teach them should be worth more than the same wage they get and I was not management.

When I addressed this with my union stewards I got told nicely to go pound sand. Yet 3 months later the warehouse folks (same union) all decided to not work on a Sunday and the same stewards tried to rally us in-store to do the same "support your union!". I asked them how I can be expected to support them when they don't support me, which went over like a fart in church but they knew I was right.

 

Th concept of unions are good, it's just that people find ways to take advantage of them.

 

The company gave a raise that wasn't already in your union contract?

Most union employees in my job field have job steps and X number of years to top out....

Don't blame you for being peeved. My last desk job did the same except they began hiring new employees at a higher salary than the rest of us (due to high turn over...something like 80%+) and still expected us to train them.

 

Nice..... I've seen that before in unionized and nonunionized companies. What a load of bull. Managerial fail there.

 

Thanks for pointing it out. I just don't get the self appointed mod wanna be thing but it's so prevalent on here (seems so recently) and from cats that have only been here for a month...wtf?

 

I started in 1968 for $.25 and hour working with my pop as a carpenters helper. That's twenty-five cents.
Working weekends and summers, I saved my pennies (literally), and four years later in 1972 I paid cash ($150.00) for my 1st dirt bike-mini bike.

Four year after that in 1976 I was earning a whole dollar an hour and paid cash ($600.00) for my 1st car.

By 1985 I was earning $15.00-$18.00 and hour as a full time non union carpenter. Doing both residential and commercial work.

I love the trade. And probably would not bothered moving into builder and construction management. But here we are 30 years later and carpenters are still barely earning the same $15.00-$18.00. The immigrant labor (much of it illegal) has driven wages for those with my skills into stagnation. Or even down.

Not sure a union could help this.

 

What are the union labor for your trade paid now Larry?

Gotta say your story is somewhat humbling...to me at least. I've never been in a union (as I've already said) but do enjoy the benefit of them (at least in wage).

I'm not one of those cats that found what I loved doing lasting. I am in the career I wanted to be in while I was in high school. But, I've always been more concerned with the 128 hours a week OUTSIDE work more than the 40 hours at work. So with that, bang for the buck has always been a factor (even in high school while plotting my career path). I can't say I'd stay at my job if wages stagnated that much. But then I can't say I'd stay at my current employer if I was offered another job with equal pay but better benefits either.