It seem slike to me that a ton of big name companies that employ union workers are being forced to do this. Unions were real strong back in the day, but ove rtime, they will eventually force themselves out of a job becuase new contacts usually mean more $$$ that the company cannot pay. I work in a union shop (even though i am non union office employee), and contract after contract, they are getting more money and more jobs are layed off to keep costs down. It' a downward spiral, and not to make unions sound bad, but i dont think they are as needed now as they were in the early-mid 1900's. union's protect their employees, but at the same time, they are killing themselves and everyone else slowly. I know, we're going through a new contract with our guys now and for the first time, they are going to have to pay their own health benefits. Must be nice cause i know in the 3 years I've worked here, I've already paid close to $3000 toward my health benefits, plus co-pays and prescriptions, and I have barely used it.
Companies just cannot afford unions anymore. I hate to say it, but i've done 2 years of research on it, and it affects everything. prices go up on anything made or moved by a union worked, and it gets to the point where companies will outsource their work to other countries so that they can competitavely price their product, and at the same time, take jobs away from hard working US citizens. We could easily pickup anyone off the street, give them some simple training, and pay them $10-15/hr (half of what our guys are making now), but the union holds us back from saving money and spending it on other things like helping out with health benefits and stuff. Our customers have threatened to purchase from other places that can store and move product much cheaper than we can. Its hard to say, but the country will not be able to go on like this much longer.
Sorry for the rant, but i seem to get like this everytime i see a union shop close or possibly file chapter 11 cause i know the reality is right in front of us, and expecially me since i work in a union shop, not knowing what's going to happen contract after contract. My company has threatened to pickup and move out of the Local Union area. I can;t afford to do that, and most of us underpaid office people can't either(because all the money is going to union workers).