“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.”

Samuel Adams

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Illinois is closing one day at a time - Chicago Sun-Times

Illinois is closing one day at a time - Chicago Sun-Times


Is he correct, Illinois is sinking quickly as more and more companies move out of this state?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know a person that worked at CAT. The person got cut on the finger that required three stitches. Naturally, insurance covered the medical expenses and CAT paid the co-pay. But the Union got the person two weeks off - paid and $1,000 additional compensation. And the kicker, the person was a fork lift driver and the injury had no bearing on the ability to do that job.
That is why manufacturers are leaving Illinois.
We need to enact right to work laws immediately and reform workmans compensation. Oh... and guess who has the highest rate of workmans compensation cases in the state. The State of Illinois has the highest rate - and many of them are from the office that investigates workmans compensation cases.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU UNIONS!!!

Anonymous said...

I have many friends who are union workers. Most are paid way to much. Several times I have made comments that so many union workers are lazy on the job making big bucks. My union friends laugh and say I'm right and they themselves are union workers. What does this tell you? We won't even get into the pensions of union workers. Can't stand overpaid union workers from a working standpoint. What does a person who's a service member for our country and us make an hour approximately? What's a person make an hour holding a directional flag at a construction site? SHAME ON THIS COUNTRY! HOW ABOUT-FREEDOM MADE-FREEDOM SAVED.

Anonymous said...

I retired from the military seven years ago. I was an E-7 in high technology specialty and I had 40 people working for me when I retired with 20 years of service. At the time I retired my salary was $42K per year and my AVERAGE work day was 12 hours. Naturally, no overtime.

Anonymous said...

Thank You for your service 3:47.

Anonymous said...

Wonder what your pension would be if you started working for the city with your first years salary being $84,000 , and retired in 20 years? There is definitely something wrong with this 3:47. You served your country for 20 years.

Anonymous said...

keep in mind that the salary was what I made in my last year of active service. The pension is 50% of my highest three years. But I do get insurance coverage.
But I did not do it for money and I would not trade my time in the service for a million dollars. You are very much welcome and thanks for saying thanks.

Anonymous said...

2:14 PM -- Your post is appreciated. I also have friends who are union workers and retired workers. The major majority of them will NOT hire another union contractor because the guy in the back of the paper is cheaper and they do not want to pay a union wage to someone else. This attitude has wrecked the area and the country. Look at what happened to the car companies and how the unions readjusted wages and benefits.

Anonymous said...

Keep in mind, every one of us chose our own destiny when we got out of high school and chose our respective career paths. I hear so many people complain about the high wage earned by the union laborer, yet I ask myself, why didn't you go through the schooling apprentice programs with little or no pay for 4 years while working full time on the job? Same as a college degree without the debt at the end, right? Why is the union laborer not allowed the same perks and pay as a professional with a degree at the end of his/her 4 year term? Just a different profession in my eyes.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:54 Wake up to the truth or do you already know the truth and are lying . Every one did not choose our own destiny when getting out of high school nor did we choice our respective career paths. Most if not all of the trade unions were limited to sons of those already in the crafts.
Yes the trades have apprentice programs which if not a son of the brotherhood you would not be accepted.
Yes the union trades man has priced himself out of the job market because of his high wages. Wages which are so unsensibe that the unions retaliate to programs which they dislike by blowing up a huge rat and stand next the rat with our countrys flag next to it. Don't the unions realize that that those working on the job that are non union are also Americans only asking for their constitutional rights.
You state why didn't you go through the schooling apprentice programs with little or no pay for 4 years while working full time on the job. With little or no pay? Lets discuss this; Most apprrentice programs start at 50% of the scale and work their way up by 10%/year. What is the present scale of each trade. I believe in the trades it is $28 to $45,hour for a journeyman. The average hourly pay in the Illinois Valley is $8.50 to $10.00/hour for a retail employee which is less than the 50% of most of the trades in their first apprentice year.
In no way is the apprentice program to become a journeyman comparable to the hardship of obtaining a Bachelors degree. The college students opportunities of making 50% of what a 1st year apprentice makes are nil.
Your wording answers your question which is why union workers are not allowed the same perks and pay as a professional. Union workers are a union employees who have to be represented in collective bargaining whereas a professional represents himself and has highly trained mental skills, skills which only a small number have.
The seperation of a profession and a union are that a professional represents himself and the union man is represented by a union and collective bargaining. If you want a example a monkey could be trained to perform to the level of some union employees whereas a professional has to perform heart surgery, win a case in court, design a bridge and on and on. Your arguments stink and my final answer to you is a quote from Abe Lincoln 'You can fool some of the people sometime but you can't fool all of the people all of the time".

Anonymous said...

It's rather funny when people complain about everyone else making too much money, vote to reduce other people's pay and benefits, and then bitch when they themselves can't make enough money to pay the bills. It's a race to the bottom. While the working class spends its time trying to cut their neighbor's pay, the CEOs keep on marching to the bank with bigger and bigger paychecks. Wake up.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:37 please inform the blog of where you have recieved this education in consumer economics. if it is a book let us know which one.
I'll go out and purchase all identical copies and burn them rather than see more minds contaminated.

Anonymous said...

8:37 here. You want a book? Just go ahead and read these comments! Arguments that union people should be paid less. There are plenty of similar arguments about why the minimum wage should NOT be increased. Want you cheap stuff at WalMart? First, they bust the unions to get the cost of US manufacturing as low as possible. Then, when those wages can't get any lower, they close up the factories and send the jobs overseas. How is that good for the US economy or the US wage base. The economy is quite complex. In general, if our neighbors earn less money, then our ability to make money will be reduced because fewer people can afford whatever service or product that we provide. Henry Ford recognized that. He increased his workers' pay so they would be able to afford a Model T. As such a large employer, if he raised wages, so would other companies in order to attract and keep good employees. It raised everyone's standard of living.

On the other hand, if you think that reducing wages across the board somehow helps us all, I'd be interested in hearing why you think that.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:59 Don't you think that blaming Sam Walton for all the problems of the U.S. economy is a over simplification if not totally wrong. Sam Walton entered business in Bentonville, Arkansas in 1950 and started Walmart in 1962. Walmart advertised that there products were made in the USA when other stores such as KMart had all Japanese products. I personally questioned a Vise President of a huge local of our area as to why at a Walmart store opening the unions had picketed the store and on their opening day you saw nothing but union jackets, ball caps etc. parading thru out the store. His answer was what can we say their merchandice is made in the USA and everybody elses is made outside the USA.
I give you credit for fishing deep and hard. But you are living in a capitalistic economy which promotes stores such as Walmart.
Since Walmart has opened the 1st WalMart store in 1962 who has the greater degree of success, the unions or Walmart? Think clearly, advance carefully and answer with your mind not your heart.
The union workforce is now below 11% of the American workforce and Walmart is building how many new stores/year.



















a

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:59 Don't you think that blaming Sam Walton for all the problems of the U.S. economy is a over simplification if not totally wrong. Sam Walton entered business in Bentonville, Arkansas in 1950 and started Walmart in 1962. Walmart advertised that there products were made in the USA when other stores such as KMart had all Japanese products. I personally questioned a Vise President of a huge local of our area as to why at a Walmart store opening the unions had picketed the store and on their opening day you saw nothing but union jackets, ball caps etc. parading thru out the store. His answer was what can we say their merchandice is made in the USA and everybody elses is made outside the USA.
I give you credit for fishing deep and hard. But you are living in a capitalistic economy which promotes stores such as Walmart.
Since Walmart has opened the 1st WalMart store in 1962 who has the greater degree of success, the unions or Walmart? Think clearly, advance carefully and answer with your mind not your heart.
The union workforce is now below 11% of the American workforce and Walmart is building how many new stores/year.



















a

Anonymous said...

8:37 again. The issue is not as simple as WalMart versus the unions. The issue is whether reducing someone else's wages is going to help you. Instead of trying to lower the wages you think are too high, let's try to raise the ones that are too low.

Also, as an aside the WalMart of Sam Walton is completely different that the WalMart of today. Yes, it is true that some time in the past, over 20 years ago, WalMart pursued Made in the USA products. That is not the case today at all.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8;44 Whenever the wages of those too low are raised the wages of those that are too high are raised proportionally. This results in the low wage earner getting a 10% increase of $8.25 which is a $.83/hr raise and the $30/hr. wage earner getting a 10% raise which is $3/hr. Now instead of a difference of $21.75/hr. per hour we have a updated and increased difference of
$23.92/hour.