The truth behind IAM 933...
Here in Tucson, the International Association of Machinists, Lodge #933 are on strike from my place of work. They claim that the company is increasing their medical costs and not directly increasing their pay to compensate. They claim that some employees will not be able to pay their rent or buy food after paying for their medical coverage, and that a MAJORITY of them will be below the poverty line due to this increase in medical coverage.
I am here to tell you all that THEY ARE WRONG!
The IAM #933 are striking for selfish reasons, and are the personification as to why I believe unions have completely served their purpose and are only hurting industry at this point in history. Every 3 years we have a potential strike because the union thinks that the company is giving the employees the shaft. First lets talk about the previous deal:
4.2% increase in pay over 3 years
That's it! No changes to medical coverage, no changes to anything, and one minor loop hole about overtime (see later). This was acceptable. The new deal:
9% increase in pay over 3 years
Increase in medical premiums
No more automatic double time on Sundays
According to the union PR machine, the 9% is an insult and the union would never accept such a pitiful increase in pay. YOU ACCEPTED IT BEFORE! I know for a FACT, that the real reason for the strike was due to the change in double pay on Sundays. In the previous contract, there was verbage that stated that if you worked on Sunday that you automatically got double time, reguardless of your current hours. So you could work 2 x 8 hour days, and then then 12 hours on Sunday to get your pay. While I think this is outrageous, and patently stupid, it gets worse. Work 4 x 10 hour days (40 hours) then take Friday and Saturday off, then come in on Sunday and work 8-10 hours and they get charged at time and a half (for overtime) and an additional times two for it being Sunday. It makes working Sunday equivalant to a 3/4 weeks pay! Is there anyone out there that does not think this is patently rediculous!!?!
Finally, I know for a fact that the lowest member of IAM #933 makes as much as I did when I started. While I won't go into details, it is FAR from the poverty line, and considering the low cost of living in Tucson, it is a very, very good starting pay. In the end, I hope the company does not cave into the demands. Actually I hope the cave into the medical demands just to prove that the union is being greedy and its members won't work without a stupid loophole.
So I hope everyone in Tucson reads this. I hope people start asking questions, and I REALLY hope that people will learn the truth behind this strike and instead of looking at me like I am a giant cold sore, will look at the picketers and realize how greedy and stupid they are being.
Game On!
I am here to tell you all that THEY ARE WRONG!
The IAM #933 are striking for selfish reasons, and are the personification as to why I believe unions have completely served their purpose and are only hurting industry at this point in history. Every 3 years we have a potential strike because the union thinks that the company is giving the employees the shaft. First lets talk about the previous deal:
4.2% increase in pay over 3 years
That's it! No changes to medical coverage, no changes to anything, and one minor loop hole about overtime (see later). This was acceptable. The new deal:
9% increase in pay over 3 years
Increase in medical premiums
No more automatic double time on Sundays
According to the union PR machine, the 9% is an insult and the union would never accept such a pitiful increase in pay. YOU ACCEPTED IT BEFORE! I know for a FACT, that the real reason for the strike was due to the change in double pay on Sundays. In the previous contract, there was verbage that stated that if you worked on Sunday that you automatically got double time, reguardless of your current hours. So you could work 2 x 8 hour days, and then then 12 hours on Sunday to get your pay. While I think this is outrageous, and patently stupid, it gets worse. Work 4 x 10 hour days (40 hours) then take Friday and Saturday off, then come in on Sunday and work 8-10 hours and they get charged at time and a half (for overtime) and an additional times two for it being Sunday. It makes working Sunday equivalant to a 3/4 weeks pay! Is there anyone out there that does not think this is patently rediculous!!?!
Finally, I know for a fact that the lowest member of IAM #933 makes as much as I did when I started. While I won't go into details, it is FAR from the poverty line, and considering the low cost of living in Tucson, it is a very, very good starting pay. In the end, I hope the company does not cave into the demands. Actually I hope the cave into the medical demands just to prove that the union is being greedy and its members won't work without a stupid loophole.
So I hope everyone in Tucson reads this. I hope people start asking questions, and I REALLY hope that people will learn the truth behind this strike and instead of looking at me like I am a giant cold sore, will look at the picketers and realize how greedy and stupid they are being.
Game On!
posted by BubbaJoe at 7:26 PM
3 Comments:
Interesting...the only experience I had with a union was during the UPS strike. I was working for Fedex and our business nearly quadrupled. It was a busy time and it was billed to us as a "this is why we don't have unions at fedex".
First off let me say my union, the IAM 933, is on strike in front of OUR place of work. The claim IS that most of the bargaining unit hasn't received a raise in 3 to 6 years and the raise proposed by Raytheon would just barely cover, or not cover at all, the raise in cost of ALL benefits.
Let's talk about the previous deal: I received no raise in 3 years, period!
If you would have read the last proposal from Raytheon, the Sunday OT was struck and only affected those who abused FMLA and hurt those who need it.
If you were making less than $10/hour when you started then that is your fault or it was many seasons ago when $10 per hour was a good wage. Times have changed. Go into details...I'm pulling this from the last union contract: Custodian $10.00 per hour rate min / $10.00 per hour rate max / $10.35 after 3.5 GWI rate max on 1-13-06. Cost of living in Tucson, have you priced a house lately? Rent? Gas? Food? They have all gone up considerably.
Sounds to me like you have a grudge because you took a bad deal when you started at Raytheon and are an under-performer otherwise you would be getting the 5-7% per year raise like some of my engineer friends are making. We are not “stupid” or “greedy”; we are the best educated and skilled missile builders in the world and just want a fair wage. We are not wrong.
I hired on @ Raytheon as a Product Test Specialist, 2 weeks before the 2003 contract expired. I remember receiving the $3000 dollar lump sum payment, the .50 cents raise every 6 months until I maxd out in my family (I never did max out because I accepted a salaried job @ Raytheon one year later). And the few other perks that was negotiated with the 2003 contract.
The problem with the 2003 contract was the Union negotiators. THEY gave up. THEY settled, in 2003, for less than what is being offered in the 2006 contract. The Union negotiators negotiated the maximum amount of pay its members will receive. Don't blame your company for your lack of a raise, blame the Union, they negotiate the pay rate for its hourly employees.
Comparatively speaking, Raytheon pays its hourly employees more than most (if not all) employers in Tucson. Notice I said 'comparatively' speaking. Compare the job you perform and the amount of pay you receive at Raytheon with other employers in Tucson (do some homework). I'll bet other employers in Tucson don't pay as well for the same 'type' of job, especially in the 'janitorial' line of work.
Also, there is a maximum amount of pay for each industry across the country. (You will not get rich doing hourly factory work in any state and let's face it, the pay for hourly employees will never keep pace with inflation.)
Reality is: IF you are paid more for the same type of job you're doing now but in another part of the country, it's for a good reason --- higher cost of living, higher taxes, higher premiums, etc., and at the end of the month, you still have less of your paycheck, in comparison.
Here in Tucson, WE (the voters and the politicians) are preventing Tucson from attracting high-paying high-tech industry. For what ever reason, the high-tech industry just doesn't want to set up shop in Tucson.
The bottom line is this: STOP blaming Raytheon for your lack of a pay raise and find a job where your pay 'grows' as you 'grow' in knowledge, skills and abilities; and consider the working conditions (the environment) in which you work at Raytheon. You can make $23.00 dollars per hour pounding the pavement, doing back-breaking work, or you can enjoy your $23.00 dollars per hour sitting on your backside in a controlled air conditioned environment. Think on these things….choose wisely.
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