"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"hk" wrote in message
. ..

Just to clarify, in addition to optical thin film engineers and
technicians, the company also had (still has) many skilled welders,
fabricators, machinists, electricians, general assembly people, plus a
full staff of mechanical, electrical, software engineers and CAD
designers.

This is why Harry's assumption that nobody can possibly know more about
non union workplaces than him is so empty. He has really had a very
narrow exposure to the overall American workforce, despite his claims.

Eisboch


How many of the non-degreed fellows at that plant are making $37 an hour
in the envelope, plus pension and health benefits?


It has been several years since I had an idea of payscales, etc. All I
can say is that the company paid competitive salaries/hourly rates, had a
401 type pension plan to which the company made a varying contribution,
depending on how well we were doing, had an excellent Blue Cross health
plan for which the company paid 75% of the premiums and a dental plan with
the same company contribution. We also picked up the tab for continued
technical education, if it was pertinent to the employee's
responsibilities at the company.

It must have been ok because our turnover rate was virtually zero. We
did lose one welder to the "Big Dig" because they were offering
pay/overtime packages at the time that were way out of whack with
industry. The welder came back though, after a year of busting his ass,
working night shifts plus overtime. It wasn't worth it to him.

We also had a close knit, teamwork culture. Quite often during the
summer, on nice weekends, we would simply shut the place down at noontime
on Fridays and let everyone enjoy a longer than normal weekend at home.
They were fully paid for the day of course.

And, when the company was sold the first time, every employee shared in
the financial rewards, based on a formula I came up with. Basically, each
employee got a thousand bucks for every month or part of a month he or she
had worked for the company.
Several people received enough to pay off house mortgages, or move up to
larger homes, as they had over 11 years at the company.

My son and I bought the company back several years later when the buyers
determined the business was not in line with future plans. (They were,
themselves the subject of an acquisition).

My son ran the company for the past 5 years. Lightning struck twice and
again, it became a desirable acquisition by a globally based, high tech
organization.

The financial rewards of the recent sale were also shared proportionally
with all employees, most of whom had also received a share of the first
sale. None of the employees who received either or both benefits were
shareholders.

I am very, very proud of the company I had, the work ethic of the
employees and their loyalty, sense of teamwork and quality of the systems
we produced. Our customers shared that viewpoint.

So, being union at whatever per hour isn't the answer to everything.


Eisboch


If every workplace was as fair as yours...unions would be out of business.
I worked for a 'Crown Corporation' and in a big somewhat impersonal national
workplace always complaining about insufficient funds from the gov't, a
union to protect employees was and still is necessary.
I can guarantee you that by American standards, we weren't overpaid. One bad
period we went almost four years without a cost of living increase, and when
we did get increases it was always a struggle to stay even with inflation.