Union Myths

[GhostTX]

The railroad charges up to 300k for one train. I think they can afford to pay me my daily rate and still keep the lights on.

Obviously a "big picture" kind of guy. So, do tell, how much does it cost to maintain and fuel that train, and maintenance of the track and all the salaries that touch that one train? You make 6 figures, so that's 1/3 the cost right there.

How does this attitude work that the company "owes" you? You work for the company and as a compensation, they pay you. Everything else is just bonus to entice your talents to work for them (because they want talented people that won't cost them money and/or increase their profits). They're not obligated to give you jack other than the agreed upon salary.

[Denny]

Jealousy isnt your color. You love to bash unions and claim you got yours. Well guess what I didnt have to go to a war zone to get mine. So dont be bitter at me. Yall want to talk shit fine Im tired of being pc. Man denny as a son of a railroader why didnt you hire out they had a spot waiting on you. Or does your hated of unions run that deep.

I never had a desire to work in the RR industry. I found a way to work for mine on my own and taking risks that others wouldn't. Why wouldn't I be proud of that?

[FreightTrain]

I seriously doubt he is/was bitter. He is a person that never worried how much anyone else made but himself. Anyway, what does that have to do with your piss-poor demeanor or an industry ran by free-loaders?

Jealousy isnt your color. You love to bash unions and claim you got yours. Well guess what I didnt have to go to a war zone to get mine. So dont be bitter at me. Yall want to talk shit fine Im tired of being pc. Man denny as a son of a railroader why didnt you hire out they had a spot waiting on you. Or does your hated of unions run that deep.

[Lason]

Sounds like you guys have some pretty sweet scams going. Read your gloating posts, you revel in being overpaid for your skillset. Just be aware that when cuts HAVE to be made (and they will, in order for your host to survive the bloodsucking) that they will be painful.

I don't think there have been many union concessions to slowly decrease pay and benefits to be more inline with other industries - it has usually been "fight til the death" and a company reniges on its unfunded liabilities (GM) or it goes completely under (many examples).

I wish you union guys all the luck in the world. Hopefully your companies survive, because you will probably have a hard time making it in the real world with realistic pay for what you do.

Who is this directed at?

I never gloated anywhere, I realize Im paid well and am gratefull for it. I have absolutley no fear of my employer shutting its doors though.

[Denny]

Then you know first hand how good railroad retirement is.
Your pops is just bitter he wasnt te&y. We get all the glory and make all the money.

I seriously doubt he is/was bitter. He is a person that never worried how much anyone else made but himself. Anyway, what does that have to do with your piss-poor demeanor or an industry ran by free-loaders?

[46Tbird]

Sounds like you guys have some pretty sweet scams going. Read your gloating posts, you revel in being overpaid for your skillset. Just be aware that when cuts HAVE to be made (and they will, in order for your host to survive the bloodsucking) that they will be painful.

I don't think there have been many union concessions to slowly decrease pay and benefits to be more inline with other industries - it has usually been "fight til the death" and a company reniges on its unfunded liabilities (GM) or it goes completely under (many examples).

I wish you union guys all the luck in the world. Hopefully your companies survive, because you will probably have a hard time making it in the real world with realistic pay for what you do.

[FreightTrain]

I sent this to my father, a retired RR electrician from Santa Fe before the merger with BN. He said that is how the majority of the people the real workers had to carry acted.

Then you know first hand how good railroad retirement is.
Your pops is just bitter he wasnt te&y. We get all the glory and make all the money.

[Denny]

I sent this to my father, a retired RR electrician from Santa Fe before the merger with BN. He said that is how the majority of the people the real workers had to carry acted.

[FreightTrain]

Wow...no wonder people would rather ship by truck. Every "extra" you earn adds to the operating costs of the business.

The railroad charges up to 300k for one train. I think they can afford to pay me my daily rate and still keep the lights on.

[FreightTrain]

Originally Posted by FreightTrain View Post
Lol thats nothing. On the railroad we have job insurance. It pays us if we screw up and get suspended. I make $360 a day everyday Im suspended up to 6 months. Talk about a paid fucking vacation. How do you like them apples.

How does it make sense for a company to provide you a paycheck if you screw up? That right there is why unions need to go. They provide a mandatory safety net for fuckups

Its not the company its the union. We pay for it just like you do car insurance.

[Forever_frost]

Originally Posted by FreightTrain View Post
Lol thats nothing. On the railroad we have job insurance. It pays us if we screw up and get suspended. I make $360 a day everyday Im suspended up to 6 months. Talk about a paid fucking vacation. How do you like them apples.

How does it make sense for a company to provide you a paycheck if you screw up? That right there is why unions need to go. They provide a mandatory safety net for fuckups

[Lason]

Wow...no wonder people would rather ship by truck. Every "extra" you earn adds to the operating costs of the business.

Yeah I agree, that attitude, worded like that, isnt going to sway any opinions lol.

[Lason]

As for companies charging what they can get... welcome to business. If they can get $25k for that car that a $15/hour worker made, then good for them. That is what makes our world go round. What do you have against businesses making a nice profit? Why do you think they even exist? To provide people with good paying jobs? Haha yeah right. You're on your own in this life, there is nobody that owes you a fucking thing. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be.

You consistantly miss the point. My point was not that cars are expensive, it wasnt that buisness's should not make money, it wasnt that anyone is OWED anything.

My point was, why do YOU care how much someone in a union makes? If that car's price wont go down if they take away the union and lower pay scales then what difference does it make to you?

[GhostTX]

We have to compete with a million trucking companies that are willing to haul freight for pennies on the dollar and pay slave wages to their drivers. So no its not a walk in the park. Also railroads have to pay for their own infrastructure and not ride the coat tails of the general public like truckers do. This year my company is spending 3 billion on infrastructure.

Alot of little dick jealousy going on here. So lets add some fuel to the fire. My union dues cost me 90 bucks a month. For that $90 I get a job with a 6 figure income that takes an act of congress to fire me. I might as well be a supreme court judge. On top of that my healthcare package is valued at 24k a year. It only cost me $20 to have a baby. We pay that at the first Dr. visit and dont pay another penny till the baby is 6 months old. On top of that my prescription plan pays for baby formula. How kickass is that.

Lol thats nothing. On the railroad we have job insurance. It pays us if we screw up and get suspended. I make $360 a day everyday Im suspended up to 6 months. Talk about a paid fucking vacation. How do you like them apples.

Wow...no wonder people would rather ship by truck. Every "extra" you earn adds to the operating costs of the business.

[SMEGMA STENCH]

Being union means your uneducated? There are ALOT of jobs here that are union that require degree's and pay accordingly.

And of course you completely lost the point of what I was saying. Your absolutley right, the store across town would not have to raise their pay if there wasnt a union store across town. Now imagine what would happen if all unions suddenly disappeared and pay across the board went down dictated only by the employer and the federal minimum wage standard. Do you think you would pay less for those cars and other goods that made by unions? LMAO, yeah I dont think so either. So now you have people across the board making less money and prices of goods are staying rock solid. Can you imagine what would happen to the economy? Its a downward sprial and anyone who says otherwise is living a fairy tale.

As far as corrupt, you hit on one of many gripes I have with unions. They have become corrupt and they do protect the lazy.

Ok I'm sorry I should have said the vast majority are uneducated, but then you have a few that are not. We both know who we're talking about here. Yeah there are a lot of unioners out there that have to go to school. But how many compared to all the rest of the union jobs? Most of them are just common laborers who want something they don't really deserve. I guess I'm not really against someone who has an education making higher pay. But day laborers are just that: fucking day laborers. No one ever has, or ever will, care about their lot in life cause they're generally the ones that put themselves there.

As for companies charging what they can get... welcome to business. If they can get $25k for that car that a $15/hour worker made, then good for them. That is what makes our world go round. What do you have against businesses making a nice profit? Why do you think they even exist? To provide people with good paying jobs? Haha yeah right. You're on your own in this life, there is nobody that owes you a fucking thing. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be.