[herbie]

Brenda Brenda:

Politics shouldn't have a place in a union. BUT, and that is the scary part, as far as I am concerned, a lot of union leaders become politicians. Or even Prime Ministers... At least, in The Netherlands, they do...

Yeah who wants political parties that represent workers anyway? Only business should be able to buy a political party.
If you'd just STFU and work for $7 an hour at an auto parts plant like they do in Alabama the world would be just fucking perfect.
Every penny they screw out of the worker gets passed on to customers. They never ever give it to the stockholders.

[Brenda]

Euhm, I'm sorry, but the unionboss who bacame the Dutch Prime Minister turned his policy around BIG TIME.
He went from "The workers are the ones who make the country and deserve to be paid well for that" to "Yep, we need to tax the hell out of the workers, and a raise is impossible." All in a years time.
Now thats not completely true, because he became minister of finance first, and implemented "the $.25 of KOK" which was a tax on gas, that was just "for a while, until the economy got back together". You can imagine that NEVER got taken off again. Instead, he raised the tax on gas with another 10 cents. During his days, 10,000 people were laid off at the Hoogovens (now sold to Corus UK) that had a huge impact on the local economy.
This was done by the same guy, who a couple of years ealier called the workers of the Hoogovens to go on strike.

Wim Kok, FUCK YOU.
(I just read the Wiki-story of him. THAT is a load of bullshit.)

[gigs]

herbie herbie:

Brenda Brenda:

Politics shouldn't have a place in a union. BUT, and that is the scary part, as far as I am concerned, a lot of union leaders become politicians. Or even Prime Ministers... At least, in The Netherlands, they do...

Yeah who wants political parties that represent workers anyway? Only business should be able to buy a political party.
If you'd just STFU and work for $7 an hour at an auto parts plant like they do in Alabama the world would be just fucking perfect.
Every penny they screw out of the worker gets passed on to customers. They never ever give it to the stockholders.

Really?
Wal-Mart gives $933 mn bonus to workers.

"Including profit-sharing payments, 401(k) contributions and merchandise discounts, Wal-Mart says it is giving workers a record $2 billion this year, an increase of about 11 per cent over last year's $1.8 billion total, " the report stated.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2009/mar/20 ... orkers.htm

[CanadianJeff]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

CanadianJeff CanadianJeff:

If businesses started treating their employees like the factory then by all means I"m there 110% in regards to my wanting to do business with that company. I appreciate and go out of my way to do business with places that follow the same values I do.

Also your business I'm wagering was not doing over 10 billion dollars each year in profit and employing 1.4 million people. When your doing that kind of profit I don't think it's unrealistic for employees to think that they deserve a livable wage.

Frankly I don't see you as the kind of person who would pay people less then they need to live. You'll forgive me when I say that businesses like yours are not the problem at all they are the example of what to do.

It's companies that pay rock bottom wages, use 3rd world labor and deliver second rate quality like Wal-Mart that shouldn't be too amazed when someone sues.

This is part of what I'm talking about. Even in companies that DO treat their employees fairly, the unions still squawk and complain about unfair tactics when they're not let in. This is pretty good proof to me that unions don't give a shit about the workers anymore, they just like the union dues.
As far as this particualr case goes, Wal-mart may be making BIG money but, the retail sector has always been a minimum wage sector. This isn't exactly a state secret.
IF you want a livable wage, don't apply for jobs that you KNOW to be minimum wage jobs.
If you want to buy a brand new Jeep, you don't go to Ford dealership to get one.
If you wanna make $20/hr or more, you don't apply to Wal-Mart, or Zellers or the Bay etc.

Not everyone has that choice sadly. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that if someone works hard full time at a job for a living with a company that makes billions of dollars in profit they should be able to afford a place to live and some food to eat.

I just honestly wish Wal-mart would grow up and grow some balls on this one so we don't have even more unions in the world.

[Brenda]

Just for fun, I checked the gasprices in Holland
Euro 1.45.
That is $2.25
PER LITER

AND, you pay road tax, AND there are plans to tax you for the kms you drive.

[ASLplease]

its is totally ok to draw comparisons between unions and the auto industry. However, Walmart's presence in J. Quebec was to fill a retail demand that exists there. If they don't want to participate then good riddance.

Walmart did the right thing. They don't have the courage to try the J.Quebec way of retail.

[quote]So the union guys misjudged the situation, nothing new there. We have union leaders in Ontario who think they are the unelected opposition. My old man was a big union guy and I'm well briefed on what unions do.
I agree there is a need for them but they killed the auto-industry.

Look at Toronto’s recent garbage strike and the excessive wages paid to unskilled labour that is funded by tax-payers.

Wal-Mart did the right thing. Being blackmailed by organised labour is so 1960's./quote]

[CanadianJeff]

Brenda Brenda:

Just for fun, I checked the gasprices in Holland
Euro 1.45.
That is $2.25
PER LITER

AND, you pay road tax, AND there are plans to tax you for the kms you drive.

Time to take the Bus.

[Brenda]

CanadianJeff CanadianJeff:

Brenda Brenda:

Just for fun, I checked the gasprices in Holland
Euro 1.45.
That is $2.25
PER LITER

AND, you pay road tax, AND there are plans to tax you for the kms you drive.

Time to take the Bus.

Like that is for free

[Brenda]

Public Transit year card (free rides on busses, subway, tram, train all over the country (remember, the country is 300x200 kms... or something)

€3876,50 per year (2009)

(x 1.5 to convert to CA$= $5500.

Just to get to work.
That increases with 150/ 200 euro's a year. And this all started when a union leader became minister of finance, and later prime minister.

DON'T LET IT HAPPEN.

[ASLplease]

I'd buy a $5500 electric bicycle and get to work faster than the dolts on the bus.

[Brenda]

ASLplease ASLplease:

I'd buy a $5500 electric bicycle and get to work faster than the dolts on the bus.

If you work 1.5 hours away from work? In the rain? EVERYDAY?
I am sure you will get taxed for the use of that anyway
You even need a lisence to ride a moped And pay taxes of course for ownership of that thing.

[ASLplease]

I remember see a link about how a Walmart store in the US costs the state run social services hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for every store.

It seems to me that that bonus is not evenly spread out.

gigs gigs:

herbie herbie:

Brenda Brenda:

Politics shouldn't have a place in a union. BUT, and that is the scary part, as far as I am concerned, a lot of union leaders become politicians. Or even Prime Ministers... At least, in The Netherlands, they do...

Yeah who wants political parties that represent workers anyway? Only business should be able to buy a political party.
If you'd just STFU and work for $7 an hour at an auto parts plant like they do in Alabama the world would be just fucking perfect.
Every penny they screw out of the worker gets passed on to customers. They never ever give it to the stockholders.

Really?
Wal-Mart gives $933 mn bonus to workers.

"Including profit-sharing payments, 401(k) contributions and merchandise discounts, Wal-Mart says it is giving workers a record $2 billion this year, an increase of about 11 per cent over last year's $1.8 billion total, " the report stated.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2009/mar/20 ... orkers.htm

[Brenda]

ASLplease ASLplease:

I remember see a link about how a Walmart store in the US costs the state run social services hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for every store.

It seems to me that that bonus is not evenly spread out.

Is it ever? Does "the worker" ever get a bonus?

[ASLplease]

Brenda Brenda:

ASLplease ASLplease:

I'd buy a $5500 electric bicycle and get to work faster than the dolts on the bus.

If you work 1.5 hours away from work? In the rain? EVERYDAY?
I am sure you will get taxed for the use of that anyway
You even need a lisence to ride a moped And pay taxes of course for ownership of that thing.

Not quite.

However, I have a 26km ( each way) commute in the city that takes an hour by vehicle, an hour and a half by electric bike, and an hour and three quarters by Bus.

I don't enjoy riding in the rain, but I have winter studs that allow me to ride through the winter if there isn't a fresh snow fall.

There are new regulations in most provinces that define and protect the kind of electric bicycles that Canadian Tire sells. They are specifically define as "Not a motorized vehicle", and does not require insurance.

I bought one in the summer of 2008 and I love it.

[gigs]

ASLplease ASLplease:

I remember see a link about how a Walmart store in the US costs the state run social services hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for every store.

It seems to me that that bonus is not evenly spread out.

Do the employees at Crappy Tire get a bonus? How about Sears or the Bay...