http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/08/31/bush-makes-backdoor-appointment-to-wage-and-hour-office/


Now regardless of how you feel about unions or Bush, you do have to wonder about the off-session appointment of a clear industry-involved party who has never represented a labor interest to the one post he is most able to bury his former employer's legal challenges. If I wasn't a happy-go-lucky taxpayer too busy watching Rockstar Supernova, that might be an odd set of events to think on.

In other more important news though, some chick is a news anchor now. Clearly frontpage material.

Par for the course in admin-labor relations the past few years.

Another glowing example of Bush's "compassionate conservatism".

Yeah, the work place has become more hostile to workers in the past 6 years....

Before I give my opinion on the post.. I will say that here in Michigan where the auto industry is king.. the unions have become more of a hinderance then help to the economy. I mean come on.. how is GM suppose to compete with foreign auto makers when they have to pay employees full salary to sit in a room and play cards. The job bank is the biggest scam in the world. And that is just the beginning...


Now.. on the to blog. Well.. outside looking in and only reading what the AFLCIO has to say (which I am sure is not biased), I would also agree that this looks shady.. but... then again we are talking politics..

I mean come on.. how is GM suppose to compete with foreign auto makers when they have to pay employees full salary to sit in a room and play cards.
I'm not sure how many employees are being paid to play cards, but I believe GM had something like 1.3 billion in health care costs last year (or year before), not an insignificant amount.

Well, the Unions make them cover thier employees' healthcare, don't they?

Aye Thor.. it is. In addition, the automakers/unions failed to get into the 401k/TSP's like other major corporations or the government, and then when they were paying those large pensions.. well sooner or later you will fall too far behind. I know many retired employees who never put extra money away, banking thier future on that pension and heathcare. They always had multiple cars, boats, usually a weekend house on a lake.. ect.. But now they are paying the piper which is unfortunate.

It's all about balance...

Unions are absolutely needed until they become too powerful and forget that it's aslo in their members best interests to keep the company they work for solvent and competitive. What good is it to have your employer cover your health care if they are going out of business and closing factories because they can't compete with companies that have lower costs....

On the flip side, there has to be protections in place so companies cannot abuse and exploit employees.

Unfortunatley this looks like an appointee that would like to shift the balance toward exploitation of workers...at least form the outside. WalMart isn't a company I would put as any kind of example of how a company should treat it's employees. I'd like to see what his proposals actually are to "gut" the overtime provisions before I make a final judgement.

I'm not sure how many employees are being paid to play cards, but I believe GM had something like 1.3 billion in health care costs last year (or year before), not an insignificant amount.

I think the above points to the real problem.

Now, of course we don't want to have universal government healthcare because that would end up in a situation where doctors would have to get approval for procedures from a third party or even worse it could turn into situations where there is a possibility that unnecessary procedures are performed. It would be a situation where government would be on our backs.

The present system of healthcare for profit is great, where else could a family of 6 get healthcare coverage with a $5000.00 deductable for as little as $1100.00 per month and have highly trained customer support people, from India and the Phillipines, in the insurance companies assist their doctors with advice on patient treatment and prescription recommendations.

They always had multiple cars, boats, usually a weekend house on a lake.. ect.. But now they are paying the piper which is unfortunate.
My late, maternal grandfather had a nice house in Toledo, a nice boat, and the house on the lake and managed a good retirement (before passing away about a decade ago). He was a regular union guy, worked in some plant or other, and lived that good middle class life common in the 50s but, as you point out, very difficult to manage today without extra saving and sacrifice early on.