[Discuss] Discuss - Software Engineering union

[matt at mattshields.org (Matt Shields)]

On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 5:41 PM, Jack Coats <jack at coats.org> wrote:

> Union have had their place, and some times they may have use today.
>
> Unions came about when employers were abusing employees.
> More resent history have employees abusing employers.
>
> If we all played nice like we were taught in kindergarten, none of that
> and lawyers wouldn't be necessary.
>
> Instead, we are stuck with unions, lawyers, etc ... a whole system designed
> to enforce the kindergarten rules of how to treat each other.
>
> ------
>
> When I was younger a friend was an engineer for a big firm that had
> union 'skilled workers' but non-professional.  The engineers formed a
> union just to make sure they got the same raises the 'skilled workers' got.
> Before that they got no cost of living raises.
>
> ......
>
> If unions are happy about companies sending lower skilled (and some higher
> skilled) out of the country, they are doing a good job.
>
> In todays world, We want to be paid to make stuff in the USA, but we
> just don't want to buy it (Wal-Mart had a 'made in USA program' that
> failed, because USA manufacturers could not meet the cost control
> needs. ... Off-shore manufacturers did. ... without that WMT couldn't sell
> product in the USA at the prices that were demanded by customers).
>
> .....
>
> Unions and businesses are both constructive and destructive, often at
> the same time.
>
> I just find it interesting that when the ownership of GM and Chrysler
> were stolen
> from the rightful owners (common stock holders) the were given to the
> UNIONs
> and government, not back to the people the assets were stolen from.
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>

That's not Walmart's only problem.  Walmart has been known for questionable
purchasing practices.  Let's say you make product X and you're the only one
who makes that product.  You sell around 100,000 units per month for $10
each throughout the US from a few small retail locations, to which you sell
it to those retail stores for around $7 each.  Walmart finds out about it
and comes to you and says that it will commit to 1,000,000 units/month but
it wants to but it for $6 each.  This goes on for a few months, which makes
you happy because you've been able to grow you production and hire more
people.  Now Walmart comes back to you and says since it's selling so many
it will commit to 2,000,000/month but it wants it for $5/month.  You say
yes because you don't want to lose your existing orders and at $5 you can
still make a bit of profit. But after this, this is when Walmart starts to
demand that you only sell through them and continues pushing your price
down further and further to the point some manufacturers have had to go out
of business.  All because American's want to save a few cents and Walmart
wants to get more customers and earn a few more cents.

Here's just one of many articles.  I think there was even a documentary
about what they're doing.
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

If you want to save your job, your income, your American lifestyle, I
firmly believe we need to be investing more into small local businesses and
less into these big chains.  Yes you can't get rid of large corporations
and in some cases we do need them, but there's a lot of times it would be
more beneficial to purchase local services/goods.

Matthew Shields
www.sysadminvalley.com
www.jeeprally.com