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SCABS CNH
By flexible workforce I am refering to the union rules that prevent the factory from moving people around to different positions to keep things running. Meaning, if certain departments are hit hard by illness, the union rules dictate only certain people can fill in. So we've had to shut lines down because of it. Then orders are filled and creates a whole mess down the chain.
The flexibility really comes into play in spring and summer when the absenteeism is at it's height. They just don't show up for work. So it would be great to be able to move people around to keep the critical lines functioning.
It's a shame because you can't find that kind of pay and benefits anywhere else for workers with only a high school diploma.
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SCABS CNH
Iowafun
I see now. I am in total agreement also. I was amazed at our place. This was the real first assembly line operation type place I have worked at. Most other companys were either job shops or machine manufaturing operations where all work was more machining than other. We have no real absentee problem (except for the habitual violators) Reason being they pay for them to be on time and consecutive work days! I could not believe that either.
That has been getting phased out thru the last few contracts they had though new hires not getting as much if any of those kind of perks. For reasons you just stated I also have a bad taste about unions being a tool and die maker many rules that they live by dont apply to me. Many perks they get also dont apply. Problem here where I work is trying to get a work force (out of high school) that wants to work. When the fast food resturants are paying $9-$10 a hour and offering some benifits or like my high school son, he is working at a grocery store chain. This place pays him $10.50 an hour now to be a checker. They get 1 1/2 time on sundays whether they work partime or full.
They also get double time on holidays. If you work full time there your wage will eventually go up to $13+ an hour and after 15 months you will qualify for FREE health insurance. There plan is better than my unions plan. They also have a drug card that they pay only a $5 co pay on! This is at a damm grocery store! How can manufacturing jobs pay less and stay in buisness? They cant find a work force if the money per hour is less than the other jobs much less keep employees on the same job. Assembling a transmition takes time to really understand what you are doing to do it repeatedly and "right" every time. Not like scanning a carton of milk. So I do feel for the companys around me that have to jack up the wage for an assembly worker just to have the product made.
My point being, the store that my son works at has NO problem getting qualified help to work and to show up for work. They also have a very low turn over rate. They pay great and provide what is needed to make the workers want to stay there on the job. Problem with many companys is they want to make more money with out sharing it with its workers. I am not saying all company's are like this I know many are struggleing just to make a profit but it is all to easy to blame the American worker (and some times it is true) rather than looking into how a place is managed to save a few bucks. It is all too easy to pack up and move than especially when a forign company owns/employs american workers. Its when some company's are showing big profits and big ceo bonuses but then want to cut the work force salery that bubbles my blood a bit.
Iowafun, I have worked on both sides of the fence, was in management in R&D for 6 years, was a tool maker in a job shop for around 10. Worked a couple other tool and die shops one not union one union. I dont care where I work if it has a union or not. I dont need the protection, I work the same no matter what, it is just inbred in me, you put out a honest days work for the money you make. I am a firm believer that my boss/owner should make atleast $10-20 an hour (or more) than my total expense (benifits/wages utilities costs) for every hour I work or I should not expect him to continue to employ me. The risks of being a owner of a company are extreme and should, be benifited by him when times are good. I have respected just about all the owners I have worked for my entire life. The only two employers that I feel I have worked for that deserve NO respect are the 2 that were bought by forign competition. Sorry but I feel I have no respect for the forign ownership of companys here in the states (that I have worked for) There is no loyalty to us Americans (or so it seems) no feeling that they want us to make a decent living. Seems like all they want to do is take over a company and drain what they can out of it then ship it over seas for a cheaper work force. I understand that manufacturing is on its way out of the country, but until it is, if a company is making nice profits it would be nice if they would share with us americans who are trying to do our best.
I can get up for work every morning and look myself in the mirror. I can except my check with my hand out infront of me and not behind my back. Many workers cant say the same, many workers (and others) think they put in a days work and have no clue.
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SCABS CNH
Hey Brokenarrow, does the recent sale of GM's intrest in Fiat have any effect on Fiat's ownership of C-NH? Will it have any effect on the walkout/strike?
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SCABS CNH
I wish we knew? We were secretly hoping fiat would hand over us to GM or something there bouts. Of course that has not happened. How it will effect us is anyones guess? Does it invigorate and regenerate the funds for fiat? I dought it, they are neck deep. Just speculation though. I think a impasse is going to be announced soon. Others on the line dont think so and are optimistic. I think the recent stoppage of bargaining and the walk out by the company on negotiations say's they are getting ready to present a case to the state for impasse procedure steps. Steps on their way to try and replace the work force. Of course that is just my guess and anyone who knows me knows I have no long lasting love for either side. Who would of thought technology was going to be the survivor and manufacturing was going to be the sacrifice to china and others?
Less than 30 days left for me, I figured about the middle of March if we were not back to work yet I would decide on if we were moving. I wont be far from you AVR8. soon!
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SCABS CNH
I hope you find out soon. At our facility, the company pulling out of talks would signal to start watching for trucks to be hauling the tools out of the factory. Our lines could be disassembled and be up running in Mexico in less than 120 days.
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SCABS CNH
Just heard they are going back to talking tomaroo.
About 5:30 am today the police delivered a paper to the gaurd shack and about 5:45 I saw one of our HR guys smoking a cig at the gaurd shack. The 2 police cars were parked accross the street (as usual but usually only 1) About 5"55 am the cars took off, one behind a suv entering the drive (just got past us strikers) and the other policeman drove up the out gate and blocked in the suv. (which had 2 PUNKS in it) Guess they had a warrent for this convict cause they hauled him out of the car, cuffed him and took off with him. Funny thing is that while this was going on anouther car came up and had to stop for us to move out of the way. This car had 2 people in it a woman and a man. The woman lit up a cigar (was holding it like a doobie, but it looked like a cigar) HELLOOO Are these drug addict punks still under the impression that no one knows what that is she is toking on!? does she really think we think it is a cigar? They are as stupid and ignorant as they look. This sister was crying while lighting up. Ya think her man just slapped her ass? I am going to wait for this car tomaroo and try and remember what it looked like (should be easy cause only about6 cars ever come from the gravel road the opposit way) I will get the plate and description and give my buddy Doug Talbat (HR director) A call. Let him know he better check her out too. Wouldnt want anouther scab to lose anouther finger like last week! ROTFLMAO. No I am not worried about this work force replacing us. If this is what the area can produce for workers our product is in deep trouble or they will have to pack up and move. The majority of these workers are very diverse and look like they came right from the streets in down town (which is pretty rough area).
Something is going to happen by the end of this Month! The company plans on imposing the new health care provider and has sent a letter to all of us about this. They extended it 2 months in a row but now plan on doing it. I think one way or the other by March 1rst we will know if we are going back or if they plan on getting rid of us. I cant wait, one way or the other I want to finish this fiasco. Either way I get to go back to work (somewhere)
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SCABS CNH
Hey brokenarrow,
Good luck to you and yours.I hope something
good comes out of all this crap for you.
I was "pissn and moanin" a little to
myself about working outside and being
tired of it. But, it occurred to me I'm
fortunate to be able to go to work.
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SCABS CNH
Grinder
Ya know I dont want to come off as sounding like a hypocrit. We brought this upon ourselves (to some extent). I would be in there working right now if our union would not of put us out on strike. Yes we voted down the companys offer. We could of accepted it and just moved on. SO I dont want to sound like I am crying the blues because to an extent we done this to ourselves.
Here is where that story ends though. The company came out last year and told us this is what we would work for and this is what they would give us for benifits. If we did not like it we could walk, it was their last and best offer. They have moved very little off that stance. Up until this contract the company has always told us that they could not compete with what the auto companys paid ans gave their employees. We alwasy understood that. Our company always basically followed the industry standard
(deere and company) and we got about what they were offering their employees. This has all gone by the way side now that deer has offered its employees an real nice package. I am sure they will benifit from a happy work force. CNH has took the stance that its employees are not worth the money we make. They see no reason why American workers should make that much more than the foriegn workers. Even though the industry standards that we have a unwritten rule for are not exceeded by us, the comp. still wants to lower just about everything we have ever worked for in the last 40 years. Yes I am not happy with fiat, but at the same time I am a very honest person, and will be the first one to tell you that if we would of just accepted the huge cut in the package we have and would of totally screwed the next generation and if we would of shit on the retirees By capping their agreement., yes we would still be working. I for one am glad American workers are finally standing up to the foriegn monster companys that keep lowering our standard of living. Even if it costs me my job, atleast I have my dignity and did not fold to a foriegn company. Trust me, we are not asking fo much of anything but to keep what we have for a contract. Infact excluding cost of living wage increases (which the first .04 of every one goes to the company to offset healthcare) we have not got a raise in 9 years. Here is little inside info that is pretty interesting. Every 4 months there is a cola raise of review. If the cola goes up a certain % then we get a wage increase. What we bargained the last contract (when the company wanted us to pay a set fee for insurance) was to give them the first .04 of every cost of living increase. ( I went nutz! That is so assinine, I wanted to just pay them a set fee) So over the last six years we have had have had a possible 18 cola raises. Of those 18 we actually had many that were just .04 so we did not get any increase but lost .04 to the company (that per hour!) We had one cola that actualy went south and was .02 lower, so we had to GIVE BACK 2 cents an hour. (no .04 and hour on the other side of cola) In the end we actually gave the company .69 an hour BACK. Do the math that equals $28 a week or $118 a month. Here is the kicker with that system. I average 20 hours a week overtime. That comes to 90 more dollars a moth that I pay. Thats $90 more than the guy who dont work any over time in my plant! So in then end I was paying $207 a month for my health care. You see what I mean? Thats why I get so piseed when someone tell sme that I am a spoiled union worker because I dont pay for healthcare. That could not be farther from the truth. $208 a month is alot less than other have to pay (I know that) but it is definately not a free lunch. Many salery employees get around 3-4% a year increase in many companys. We did not get that. We get a 3% check of our (working hours only) at the end of the year. This was only in 4 of the 6 year deal. So we have not had a per hour raise in many years. NOW the company wants us to pay around $185 a month for our insurance with a huge out of pocket deductable. Please add this up then. I will pat them $208 for the rest of my life from this last contract in lost wages + anouther $185, that equals $392 a month. Do I have free healthcare if I go back to work under fiats deal? There are many other things that have not been broadcast to the public with this offer that are very significant. Its a shame that they want a skilled tradesman to make what the top machine operators in my area make, and alos want our machinests to make what they can get at the local large grocery store in my town. Yes my sone just go anouther raise and is now making $11.50 on weekends and more on sundays. BTW if you work at his grcery store and are full time for more than 15 months the company provides you will free health care that rivals our plan!
Grinder, I am hoping if I do get anouther job that I CAN work outside. I am just tired of working in a unariconditioned sweat shop in the summer.
Thanks for your concern
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SCABS CNH
WOW, I wrote all that (again) me must be a bit pissed off still huh?
Sorry about that
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SCABS CNH
How's your carpentry skills?
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