Guys things are tough out there.

[TheSlamma]

Not all Unions are the same.

The vast majority of Teachers, Police and Firefighters belong to them for starters I believe.

Don't include teachers in your argument, all that union does is keep terrible teachers on the payroll. Even if they are so bad they can't be in a classroom they still collect money

 

[Spungo]

I read the story and while I feel the pain of Mr. Walsh, a lot of his problems were self inflicted. Being fired from not one, not two, but SEVERAL jobs, seriously?

$10/hour is not enough? Last time I check, $10 >>>>>>>>>> $0.

It also looks really bad on a resume when you've been unemployed for half a decade. Would I hire a guy who has an engineering degree but works at McDonalds? Hell yeah I would. What about a guy with an engineering degree who has been unemployed for several years? No way. A guy could have 3 degrees and 20 years of experience, but being unemployed for a long time is a huge red flag. If a guy can't even get a job cooking fries, I probably don't want him designing stuff, welding stuff, making decisions, or talking to clients.

Also, this has nothing to do with unions. Being in an electrician's union does not prevent you from getting a job cooking fries.

 

[unokitty]

Not working for the working class

So if Democrats want to win back the white working class ... maybe they need to start thinking about honoring and encouraging work, rather than talking about race or class. One person who has some ideas in this direction is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who suggests that the government invest heavily in infrastructure, which would create a lot of blue-collar jobs.

That was actually an original part of Barack Obama's stimulus plan, but it was derailed by feminists within the Obama coalition who thought it would produce too many jobs for men. Christina Romer, then-chair of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, reported: "The very first email I got ... was from a women's group saying 'We don't want this stimulus package to just create jobs for burly men.' "

Well, if you're offended by jobs for burly men, you probably won't do well with working-class men... And, as Joel Kotkin notes, many other Obama policies — promoting urban density, which creates fewer construction jobs; fighting oil and coal extraction, thus targeting industries that create high-paying blue collar jobs; and even opening up immigration, which drives down wages for the working class — all seem designed to punish people who work for a living, even as expanded benefits for the poor seem designed to reward people who draw government checks for a living.

Interesting perspective from the USA Today.

Uno

 

[HeXen]

Don't include teachers in your argument, all that union does is keep terrible teachers on the payroll. Even if they are so bad they can't be in a classroom they still collect money

Yeah I had a lot of really bad teachers in my school years back in the 80's and 90's. Some were pathetic, like the Nazi lady I had in 8th grade that was more concerned about all the desks being perfectly inline than she was teach English. Or my HS sociology teacher that just showed us videos and gave us an A if we wrote enough words to fill out a whole page, since he never read it, we just jotted down random stuff and presto..instant pass with an A.

I only had a few that I would seriously consider to be a very good teacher that knew how to get through to kids and make learning fun and memorable. A few average to ok ones and too many god awful ones that no one liked.

To further say how bad my education was, I graduated 3 points more than necessary and never took a single math class since 8th grade..which sadly was just basic geometry and divisions. I know a guy who graduated and didn't know how to read except a few words and his own name, he couldn't grasp language very well but just worked around the system to pass I guess.

 

[x26]

Not working for the working class



Interesting perspective from the USA Today.

Uno

Great Article!!

 

[Orignal Earl]

He's an electrical worker. Or was.

That's just another of those "Jobs Americans won't do."

Just get some guy in illegally who'll do it for a fraction of whatever this guy and his union used to charge.

lol
What kind of a dumbass would hire someone without papers to do the electrical in his house?

 

[Mai72]

What do they say?

You need a job to find a job. I think he would feel a lot better about himself if he just got out of the house and did anything. Pumping gas, washing dishes, anything.

How many immigrants have come to America and all they did in the beginning was wash dishes. The dirty work! With hard work they found success and became successful.

Seems a lost art nowadays.

 

[Mai72]

It also looks really bad on a resume when you've been unemployed for half a decade. Would I hire a guy who has an engineering degree but works at McDonalds? Hell yeah I would. What about a guy with an engineering degree who has been unemployed for several years? No way. A guy could have 3 degrees and 20 years of experience, but being unemployed for a long time is a huge red flag. If a guy can't even get a job cooking fries, I probably don't want him designing stuff, welding stuff, making decisions, or talking to clients.

Also, this has nothing to do with unions. Being in an electrician's union does not prevent you from getting a job cooking fries.

I'm surprised that he's an electrician and has been unemployed for so long. All you hear about today is the need for people who are skilled in electrical work and other blue collar jobs. Mike Rowe has even talked extensively about the need for skilled workers.

My dad is neighbors with an electrician who just retired. Worked for the union for 35 years. Gets an amazing pension.

 

[chucky2]

lol
What kind of a dumbass would hire someone without papers to do the electrical in his house?

What kind of dumbass? The kind that buys a house or approves a job and the electrical work is contracted out. The electrical company employs a bunch of illegals to do the work, with one certified union electrician to inspect and sign off on the work. Great work? Probably not. Got the bid and thus made the owner money? You betcha. Happens all day every day...

 

[MongGrel]

Don't include teachers in your argument, all that union does is keep terrible teachers on the payroll. Even if they are so bad they can't be in a classroom they still collect money

Better yet, don't try to tell me what to say.

Half the women in my family are teachers or professors and a few male profs.

 

[Mai72]

I hate to bust David's bubble, but going into the computer field at 51 is going to be very difficult. Plus, he looks worn down. Isn't age discrimination rife in IT?

I wish him luck. He's going to need it.

 

[alcoholbob]

Not all Unions are the same.

The vast majority of Teachers, Police and Firefighters belong to them for starters I believe.

Hah, I keep hearing ludicrus stories about substitute teachers retiring after a few years and pulling huge pensions.

 

[alcoholbob]

What do they say?

You need a job to find a job. I think he would feel a lot better about himself if he just got out of the house and did anything. Pumping gas, washing dishes, anything.

How many immigrants have come to America and all they did in the beginning was wash dishes. The dirty work! With hard work they found success and became successful.

Seems a lost art nowadays.

I think you are talking about the Great Wave immigrants? From the 1880s to 1910? That was during a time period when there was no Federal Reserve and the US dollar appreciated in value by 30 percent in that time period, rewarding savers, and a time of rising wages--wealth was rising on both sides, simultaneously falling prices and rising wages. Quite a different time in American history, when you could certainly wash dishes, pick up skills on side, save some money and start a business in a few years. It's certainly easier to have hope when you see many others succeeding doing simple blue collar work.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Hah, I keep hearing ludicrus stories about substitute teachers retiring after a few years and pulling huge pensions.

Ludicrous indeed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substitute_teacher#Pay

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes253098.htm

http://www.nea.org/home/14813.htm

 

[chowderhead]

It is hard to believe and mongrel is probably right there is something else going on here.

That aside, I love the pic in the article, it should almost win an award. is there a more depressing picture to go along with such a story? His hideously ugly wife is sitting there in the dark because they can't afford to keep the light on with a medical illness (check out the ankles) and the A&W storage area next to her. Even the wood paneling. It's a great pic.

That man in the picture is not the electrician who was fired from multiple jobs. That man was according to the article injured on a job and now collects disability while taking care of his disabled aunt.

 

[Mai72]

I think you are talking about the Great Wave immigrants? From the 1880s to 1910? That was during a time period when there was no Federal Reserve and the US dollar appreciated in value by 30 percent in that time period, rewarding savers, and a time of rising wages--wealth was rising on both sides, simultaneously falling prices and rising wages. Quite a different time in American history, when you could certainly wash dishes, pick up skills on side, save some money and start a business in a few years. It's certainly easier to have hope when you see many others succeeding doing simple blue collar work.

I was actually talking about the new wave of immigrants who are coming to America. The Indians and Asians who aren't afraid to work 20 hour days so they can support their families.

 

[TheSlamma]

Yeah I had a lot of really bad teachers in my school years back in the 80's and 90's. Some were pathetic, like the Nazi lady I had in 8th grade that was more concerned about all the desks being perfectly inline than she was teach English. Or my HS sociology teacher that just showed us videos and gave us an A if we wrote enough words to fill out a whole page, since he never read it, we just jotted down random stuff and presto..instant pass with an A.

I only had a few that I would seriously consider to be a very good teacher that knew how to get through to kids and make learning fun and memorable. A few average to ok ones and too many god awful ones that no one liked.

To further say how bad my education was, I graduated 3 points more than necessary and never took a single math class since 8th grade..which sadly was just basic geometry and divisions. I know a guy who graduated and didn't know how to read except a few words and his own name, he couldn't grasp language very well but just worked around the system to pass I guess.

Same boat, I can remember the 5 names still of the teachers that actually made a difference in my life (that's 1st - 12th grade only 5), all the rest are now just blurred memory fillers that had zero passion for the job.

 

[TheSlamma]

Better yet, don't try to tell me what to say.

Half the women in my family are teachers or professors and a few male profs.

lol, "don't try to tell me what to say" I always love when 4 year old's say things like that.

Oh and you didn't say if any of them any good at what they do? or because they are family we can just assume they are?

 

[Zaap]

lol
What kind of a dumbass would hire someone without papers to do the electrical in his house?

...and your answer:

What kind of dumbass? The kind that buys a house or approves a job and the electrical work is contracted out. The electrical company employs a bunch of illegals to do the work, with one certified union electrician to inspect and sign off on the work. Great work? Probably not. Got the bid and thus made the owner money? You betcha. Happens all day every day...

And by the way, same process more and more with: building the house, roofing it, repairing/remodeling it, plumbing, and the landscaping. Jobs Americans won't do...!




... for peanuts.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

What kind of dumbass? The kind that buys a house or approves a job and the electrical work is contracted out. The electrical company employs a bunch of illegals to do the work, with one certified union electrician to inspect and sign off on the work. Great work? Probably not. Got the bid and thus made the owner money? You betcha. Happens all day every day...

I wouldn't doubt most of the houses that are being built in the area where I live has a master tradesman in a given trade with a journeyman while the rest of the crew if helpers are made up by illegals.

 

[Orignal Earl]

with one certified union electrician to inspect and sign off on the work. .

Oh
Well as long as there is someone responsible inspecting and signing off.
It's been that way for a long time, most of the grunt work will be done by apprentices and signed off

 

[TheVrolok]

"filled out '15 to 20' applications over the last year"


15-20 apps in a YEAR? Seriously? That's casting a wide net?

 

[theeedude]

Work is for suckers in the US. You are either ultra-rich, and you make most of your money off investments rents, and suckers working for you for cheap, and the government will subsidize you with preferential taxation at every corner.
Or you are poor, old, disabled and on public assistance, and the government will also subsidize you if you play your cards right.
If you are working, you get hosed. Income from work is the highest taxed income in US. That should tell you something. If government taxes something that high, usually it's because you shouldn't be doing it. In this case, that something is work. You will be underpaid for your productivity by the corporate owners, and then you'll be taxed on what you do get.
If you are going to work, go on public assistance and work for cash, otherwise you are a sucker.

 

[unokitty]

Hasn't been a good decade for the middle class...

Uno

 

[Subyman]

Wish he'd come to my town, it is damn hard to find reliable construction and trades workers around my area.

And, yes, an electrician should be paid more than $10 a hour. I pay the guys that haul demo dry wall out of the house $10/hour.