Detroit and it's emergency manager!!

[Clayton_Wetter]

Whistleblower laws pit worker against worker???? And unions do not????Whistleblowers are normally reporting bad and illegal practices that mgmt or corporate is making them do illegally or at best immorally.......I wouldn't exactly call that pitting worker against worker........more like exposing illegalities or bad practices that mgmt or corporate is trying to cover up...........those laws do pretty much exactly what you guys all claim that a union will do for you.........provide you protection...................I'm assuming you are possibly a current or past member of a union and quite possibly a local steward or official........There is no selling me on them.........As an intelligent responsible adult, I can stand up for myself if I feel I've been wronged by an employer...........I don't need or want any Obama like rhetoric (big brother will take care of you) to look out for me.............where I work,we are non union, we do it as a team........we all pitch in no matter what title Any of us have......we all make a decent wage........the environment we work in is healthy, our company is healthy and most of us love working for who we do..............Unions are dinosaurs............slowly becoming more and more extinct..........good riddance.

Hallelujah!!!

[DrtRvr1]

Whistleblower laws pit worker against worker???? And unions do not????Whistleblowers are normally reporting bad and illegal practices that mgmt or corporate is making them do illegally or at best immorally.......I wouldn't exactly call that pitting worker against worker........more like exposing illegalities or bad practices that mgmt or corporate is trying to cover up...........those laws do pretty much exactly what you guys all claim that a union will do for you.........provide you protection...................I'm assuming you are possibly a current or past member of a union and quite possibly a local steward or official........There is no selling me on them.........As an intelligent responsible adult, I can stand up for myself if I feel I've been wronged by an employer...........I don't need or want any Obama like rhetoric (big brother will take care of you) to look out for me.............where I work,we are non union, we do it as a team........we all pitch in no matter what title Any of us have......we all make a decent wage........the environment we work in is healthy, our company is healthy and most of us love working for who we do..............Unions are dinosaurs............slowly becoming more and more extinct..........good riddance.

Are you saying at your work everything is so hunky dory, that none of you have a care in the world about losing your pay or your job? With a Union you will get back your pay and made hole, if you lose your job on no fault of your own. Do you really think if you get help on your own, you will be retroactively be made fully hole, with no repercussions from your present employer. You might win that battle on your own with your own resources, but your employer will win the war. Your employer will get their lawyer to find another cultivated way to get rid of you real quick, that you will have no recourse in. With a union, you will always be protected, as long as you are a good employee and gives 100% to your job, no matter what your employer tries to do to you to get rid of you. Matter a fact if your employer still bugs you for every little thing, your Union can file harassment charges for you on your behalf against the company. If you don't have a union and say you been battling on your own with your own resources, and were told to stay home until the conflict was settled, if ever. Say you got your job back and after two months of battling, and on your first day back, you start getting harassed again right away? What are you going to do, call your lawyer back and say you want to file another suit and be off another 2 months or be fired completely? With a Union, all you have to do is contact your Union steward and he will put a stop to the harassment real quick, or file a harassment charge on your behalf, while you are still working and collecting a paycheck to support your family. It sounds like you are a younger worker, that is in very good shape and handle anything that comes your way. Good for you, but as you naturally age, you can not possibly do the things as fast or as proficient as when you are younger. Do you really think it is fair, that a company can get rid of you, just because you slowed down a bit and they don't want to pay your pension out, because you are 49 years of age, with 30 years of seniority with the company in a non union environment, while being praised for your work since you were 19 years old? Like I said before, it is easy to talk the talk, but when you fall into one of these traps it is hard to walk the walk. Employees deserve to receive their pensions at the end of their work tenure. That is supposed to be the American Way. Self efficient till the day you die, being proud of what you accomplished in your life, paying your own way as you go. Hang on to your hat, times are changing.

[DrtRvr1]

And here we have a reality check of todays unions overall. These pretenders of workers rights and conditions are basically leeching off of industries and businesses and the costs are passes on to the consumers. Unions have always been a major contributor to inflation and have saved the jobs of many deadbeats.

What you are not mentioning, is that some conglomerates meaning your employers are reaping record profits in a bad economy. If everyone was making a good wage, and had stiffer laws against outsourcing work out of our Country, we wouldn't have to worry about inflation. A very big part of inflation is fluctuating fuel costs. And as for the deadbeats, the unionized workers of today are lean and mean, meaning they still have to compete in this World economy against people in other Countries, who are making say $2 an hour. How is that the Unions fault. The Union jobs left in todays World Market, gives you a fair wage for a good days work. The problem with todays non union society, is that they still think the myth about unionized workers, that they are just, old, fat, lazy workers, who just show up on Fridays to pick up their check is far from true. Every unionized worker nowadays are blessed that they have a good paying job, and work hard doing it, so that they can afford to bring up their family in the American Way, without the daily fear of losing their job. The ones I fell sorry for are the ones working with a good education, losing his good paying job, and now has a job at almost minimum wage with a Family, putting in 40-60-80 hours a week at several different jobs, What kind of quality of life is that for that family? The poor guy/gal doesn't even have time to go out and look for a decent job in todays economy, because he/she can not lose any money while looking. Hold on tto your hat, Times are changing

[Barbecueboy]

I just think people should adapt to there own situation as it comes along ......if your doing a good job and making yourself valuable to the company you work for they really have no need to screw you over.............if they do screw you over and its done illegally, there are methods for recourse.............if your the one screwing up, you get gone.............that my man is the American way of doing things, not the glad handing, no it's not my job, finger pointing , ill save your job even if your not doing it,that MOST unions provide..........I am not opposed at all to anything that involves protecting workers rights.......and I know that there are certain unions that are better and more efficient than others.............I don't want to belittle your own personal view about them at all and obviously you can speak to your own situation in the dealings that you have had with union experience..........if you are satisfied with what you get for your money, far be it from me to judge..............I don't know who you are or where you live , but this would be a good conversation sittin on a pier fishing with a good glass of bourbon! You in?

[DrtRvr1]

I just think people should adapt to there own situation as it comes along ......if your doing a good job and making yourself valuable to the company you work for they really have no need to screw you over.............if they do screw you over and its done illegally, there are methods for recourse.............if your the one screwing up, you get gone.............that my man is the American way of doing things, not the glad handing, no it's not my job, finger pointing , ill save your job even if your not doing it,that MOST unions provide..........I am not opposed at all to anything that involves protecting workers rights.......and I know that there are certain unions that are better and more efficient than others.............I don't want to belittle your own personal view about them at all and obviously you can speak to your own situation in the dealings that you have had with union dealings.....if you are satisfied with what you get for your money, far be it from me to judge..............I don't know who you are or where you live , but this would be a good conversation sittin on a pier fishing with a good glass of bourbon! You in?

I appreciate the offer, but unfortunately I do not drink anymore for health reasons. All I am really saying though is unions are not really the worst thing to happen to the labour movement in todays society. Unions still are a strong lobbyist and protector for the general worker in todays so called World Market. Like I mentioned before, if you enjoy your non union job and feel they will never do no wrong, and will provide for you and your Family, I am Very happy for you Brother. I am still worried for all those people out there, that are struggling to make ends meet with their Boss holding them over a barrel. Peace to you brother. I believe we have the same beliefs about America being strong and should lead the way in the World economy, while making a decent wage in order to be able to take care of business. The world is changing fast though, so still hold onto your hat.

[DirtClassic]

Unions like many other things have out lived there needs..we used to need typewriters and flat head fords...not anymore....JMO

Take it easy on those flat head fords....they are still operating the odd farm generator or water pump....lol I wondered why I can not buy the ribbons anymore for my brothers typewriter....

[Barbecueboy]

I appreciate the offer, but unfortunately I do not drink anymore for health reasons. All I am really saying though is unions are not really the worst thing to happen to the labour movement in todays society. Unions still are a strong lobbyist and protector for the general worker in todays so called World Market. Like I mentioned before, if you enjoy your non union job and feel they will never do no wrong, and will provide for you and your Family, I am Very happy for you Brother. I am still worried for all those people out there, that are struggling to make ends meet with their Boss holding them over a barrel. Peace to you brother. I believe we have the same beliefs about America being strong and should lead the way in the World economy, while making a decent wage in order to be able to take care of business. The world is changing fast though, so still hold onto your hat.

All good man,I have worked in the same field of work for over 30 years and have never had any personal union experience................I guess like anything else, it's just what your used to..........And i can leave the bourbon at home if you want to continue our conversation over a bass or brim......lol

[buster83]

The only people that complain about unions are the ones that have never had a union job, huh. Without unions you would not have the good working conditions that many of you have now, even without a union. Do you really think that, if unions are totally gotten rid of your jobs are going to come back and everything will be good? Wrong, your employers will continue to lower your wages for more work, no benefits and long hours. You bodies will never hold up to the abuse you put on it at a young age never mind an older worker. You need to earn a certain amount of dollars to live the american dream. House, car/truck, kids and a good paying job with benefits and a good retirement package will let you dream it. Whether you were able to tuck away enough money for yourself or you have a good pension plan, you can thank unions for that, at your retirement. In the old days, union workers put their life on the line, for what all workers enjoy today, Union or non Union, you have rights because of those union workers sticking up for the general worker. The way that people are thinking now will only put them in the poorhouse or on disability for trying to work a ton of hours because you have low pay and you have to work that many hours just to stay afloat. You better not talk bad about Obama care, because you and your family, just might need it to save your life. Its easy to talk the talk, but old Union members walked the walk to get the working conditions that we enjoy today. If you don't believe this, you don't know your history and you better look out for your and your kids futures. Times are changing fast. Hold on for the ride.

lets not forget a few things, the union and most companies support communities, for fire protection new police cruisers,and city taxes put on employees the more u make the more u pay.community events for schools and sometimes people try to influence the union which people
the way to vote with outside people with marching signs,to which the police run them off.a lot of little towns will be ghost towns without the union help.

[Crossbones]

What happened to Detroit was the violent race riots in the 1960s that caused white people to flee and companies soon followed when they got tired of being robbed at gunpoint and stores and factories being broken into, the City was then handed over to gang warlords to govern.

Unions and Democrats had nothing to do with the destruction.

[buster83]

What happened to Detroit was the violent race riots in the 1960s that caused white people to flee and companies soon followed when they got tired of being robbed at gunpoint and stores and factories being broken into, the City was then handed over to gang warlords to govern.

Unions and Democrats had nothing to do with the destruction.

if u went thru detroit on this last economy slide it was wall to wall boarded up with the loss of money coming into the city from the industry being very slow and many many layoffs. it is getting back to where it was when the union goes so does the city.

[mudslinger47]

if u went thru detroit on this last economy slide it was wall to wall boarded up with the loss of money coming into the city from the industry being very slow and many many layoffs. it is getting back to where it was when the union goes so does the city.

I'd have to say your wrong, almost 100% wrong. Look who has been in charge of Detroit through out its existence.... no one has ever tried to fix the problem, like good little Democrats they throw money at it and little else. What they needed about 20 yrs ago was maybe a Rudy G.. He did a pretty good job in NYC. Maybe he stepped on a few toes and maybe some of his staff weren't the most fine and upstanding, but he made the streets safe and the city better.

[halfast07]

[QUOTE=Crossbones;1671716]What happened to Detroit was the violent race riots in the 1960s that caused white people to flee and companies soon followed when they got tired of being robbed at gunpoint and stores and factories being broken into, the City was then handed over to gang warlords to govern.

Unions and Democrats had nothing to do with the destruction.[/QUOT

mostly Black?Unions mostly democrats ? So yes...the democrats did play the main part of the Cities destruction!

[Hollis]

http://www.eclectablog.com/2011/11/pontiacs-new-emergency-manager-fires.html

[Hollis]

http://www.governing.com/topics/mgmt/gov-emergency-financial-managers-michigan-municipalities-unwelcome-savior.html

[vande07]

Union and non-union having nothing to do with the economy's problems

I don't think unions (or non-union jobs for that matter) are really the big issue.

The largest issue I see that has sent more people to welfare and the unemployment line is the minimum wage laws. The issue is that 20 years ago the minimum wage was $3.35 per hour and factory workers (where I live) earned $10-12 / hour or 3 times what the minimum wage was. As a result, gasoline, groceries, and items at Wal-Mart or Taget were cheap and people had a lot of disposable income.

Now, minimum wage is $7.50 per hour and factory wages are in the $15-18 / hour range, all of a sudden that ratio has gone to double instead of triple from a wage difference per hour.

Now, our senators are calling for the minimum wage to be increased to $12 / hour which will make that gap even less and the good even more expensive.

Our big issue is that the low wage jobs are no longer low wage jobs and thus our economy as a whole is suffering.

Detroit as a city is in a world of hurt, 50% of the population has moved away in search of work, yet the city is still burdened with all that infrastructure for a city with twice the people. As a result, they have to raise taxes which sends people further and further into despair as well as poverty.

I don't know what the right answer is, but it will take many, many, many years for Detriot to dig itself out of the hole it is in. They could start bulldozing houses and streets today and unincorporating areas that are now abondoned, but it will take 5 years or more and TONS of $$$ to do it. Detroit may indeed become that city that was depicted in RoboCop in the 1980's before all is said and done.