Writers Go On Strike

Why?

The US screenwriters' union has called a strike starting next Monday to demand a fair share in royalty payments from DVDs and new media sales.

About 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America are being asked to cease work and set up picket lines from 0001 local time (0701 GMT).

The UAW has given its members a good f*cking, will the Writers Guild do the same? It is all about the survival of the union, not about what is best for the membership. The US labor movement is dying and the leadership is partially responsible.

A Six Hour UAW Strike

All I can say is WTF?

What did the Union give up? What did the automaker give up?

So far not much is being said about the contract. Only that the Union will once again take on the VEBA from the auto maker. What did they accomplish in 6 hours?

Chrysler has a glut of vehicles that are unsold. About the only harm the strike could have done was to the new "Caravan" which is made in Canada, but depends on parts from the US. Its debut would have been pushed back and would have cost the company money. I would say that this was a prime motivator, if there was one.

The early reports are that it will be similar to the GM contract, which, IMO, was as worthless as the paper they signed. The worker got screwed yet again and the Chrysler worker can look for a similar screwing.

The strike was gonna effect 45,000+ people and yet CNN lead story was that of a school shooting in Ohio. That was a terrible thing but it would be better if it was handled by a local affiliate, since its impact was on a limited area and the strike covered a considerable larger area.

Sorry, I digress! The Union is doing the automakers a favor, all in the name of the worker. It s not working in the interest of the worker it was about money and profit, not about the conditions of the worker.

UAW Strike Update

The strike ended yesterday, but what did the Union and its members win? IMO, not too damn much. They will transfer retirement funds to the Union for their control, it will be in control of tens of billion of dollars.

The Union agreed to : employees will not get pay raises but rather lump sum bonuses at year's end. New GM employees will come to work with a big cut in starting pay.

GM agrees to possibly keep jobs in the US.

There is the major points of the deal. Now I ask where in this settlement did the members and employees win? This is why the Unions are failing. They are not working in the interest of the worker, it is always about economics, never about the worker and his needs. The only concession they got from the automaker was a transfer of funds and a promise to "maybe" protect American jobs.

Now the Union will move on to Chrysler and Ford, will the workers and the Union cave on these negotiations? The worker is not being adequately represented in good faith, only what is good, financially for the Union and its staff of cronies. In short, the worker will ALWAYS lose in these negotiations.

CHUQ

UAW And GM

I guess that this has gotten people's attention, but I could be wrong. It is billed as negotiations between the company and the union on retirement and health care mostly. So most people just ignore it as a game played by unions and companies. It is NOT!

I realize that most Americans cannot remember past last night's meal but about 15 years ago Caterpillar had a stand-off with the union and it broke the union. Cat stock went from about $5 a share to about $75 a share. Now there is the real reason for this. GM stock has been at about $35 a share forever, they need to break the union's hold. And, boys and girls, that is what is going on in Michigan.

It is not about jobs, health, retirement; it is about the process of breaking the union and making more profits for the share holders. But ask yourself, where would GM be today without the workers they are trying so hard to screw over? This is an important situation, if the unuion is broken then jobs will leave for sure and the workers will be left on the curb like some well used hooker.

Wake up! this will effect the entire country and especially the workers who by the way, create ALL WEALTH!


CHUQ
26 Sept 2007