Tom,
I am not hammering you or the job you do, but there are many other jobs that are more labor intensive, require more skill, and are more dangerous than yours with less pay and usually no benefits.
Everyone in business has to deal with customers, mistakes, etc, if someone I hire screws up I have to fix it as well so I am not telling how to do your job just letting you know that although it may be difficult at times due to weather, package volume, etc it still does not compare to other jobs that pay a lot less for a lot more work.
If it were not for the Union you would be making 30% less and have bare bones benefits. Great for you, you have a Union looking out for you and it can bring UPS to it's knees and has but at what cost ??
You will also benefit from the sweet heart deal the Unions made with Obama, your "Cadillac" Health plan if you get one will be exempted for now from the high tax that all non-union workers with comparable benefits will have to pay.
As far as NAFTA, jobs went there for a host of reasons, high taxes on equipment, heating costs, energy costs, onerous regulations, stupidity in the way Unions want to run things. If a light is out you need an electrician to change a bulb, if a screw is loose a mechanic is the only guy who can tighten it. If you can't do your job we will find an easier one for you and if you are there longer your seniority gets you a job you might not be qualified for or can do but simply that you have the most time in. Efficiency, what's that ???
I don't have a beef, I just look at things for what they appear to be. Our country appears to be run by people who are happy to give it all away to those who don't work hard but rather intimidate those in business. ACORN is one who comes to mind.
Reagan fired the ATC's in the early 80's because they struck, how much money does a UAW worker lose when they strike ??? Just say they lose 6-8 weeks of income at what $20/hour so they lost $5-8K in income to get a 3% pay raise. So let's do the math, 3% of $20 is $0.60/hour x 40hrs/wk, wow $24 more a week, after taxes $16-18 more. So if I strike for a month and lose $4000 in income it takes me 166 weeks to earn that back before what I went on strike for will pay off. But nobody thinks about that.
What about when one supplier who makes a critical part strikes and shuts down everyone for weeks, everyone else is getting screwed because of something they may or may not agree with. That sure is fair that I would lose work because some "other" Union went on strike.
