Pepsi workers strike over wages, insurance costs

[dmcowen674]

5-1-2014

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/pepsi-workers-strike-over-wages-insurance-costs

Pepsi workers strike over wages, insurance costs



INDIANAPOLIS - Workers at a northwest side Pepsi bottling and distribution plant went on strike Thursday as contract negotiations with management failed.


More than 30 members of the Teamsters Local 135 union were picketing outside the Pepsi Beverage Company on the 5400 block of West 76th Street on Thursday.


The strike comes amid increased insurance costs, concerns about retirement insurance and general wage disputes between the workers and Pepsi Beverage Company.


A union spokesman said workers planned to picket as long as necessary.

 

[dmcowen674]

I can walk to this plant from my apartment.

What makes these people think they can do?

Companies don't raise wages anymore, they only raise insurance premiums.

 

[smackababy]

I can walk to this plant from my apartment.

What makes these people think they can do?

Companies don't raise wages anymore, they only raise insurance premiums.

My company just sent out a memo they were not raising insurance premiums a single cent this year and I got a 3.9% raise in January.

Good thing I drink Dr. Pepper.

 

[IronWing]

Call out the National Guard to drive these workers back to their stations. The spice DMD must flow.

 

[KK]

I can walk to this plant from my apartment.

What makes these people think they can do?

Companies don't raise wages anymore, they only raise insurance premiums.

Since when is pepsi an insurance company? Fuck, all my time drinking pepsi, I never knew they had me covered. Maybe I should switch to pepsi max, I'm sure it covers more.

 

[cabri]

I can walk to this plant from my apartment.

What makes these people think they can do?

Companies don't raise wages anymore, they only raise insurance premiums.

Ever ask why the insurance premiums are going up?

 

[highland145]

Awesome win for America and diabetics. Hope they shut all of the soda plants down.

 

[nageov3t]

My company just sent out a memo they were not raising insurance premiums a single cent this year and I got a 3.9% raise in January.

Good thing I drink Dr. Pepper.

hey, I drink Dr. Pepper and I got a raise this year too.

cheers! :thumbsup:

my insurance premiums did go up, but only by a couple bucks/month.

 

[bshole]

My company just sent out a memo they were not raising insurance premiums a single cent this year and I got a 3.9% raise in January.

Good thing I drink Dr. Pepper.

You can thank Obama for that. He is the medicine that America's health care system desperately needed. BEST.... PRESIDENT..... EVER!!!!

 

[Londo_Jowo]

You can thank Obama for that. He is the medicine that America's health care system desperately needed. BEST.... PRESIDENT..... EVER!!!!

Or it could be he works for a self insured company that using a insurance company to administer the coverage. And his "premium" would actually be a administration fee instead. I work for a self insured company and that's how our insurance is handled, nothing changed from last year. My coverage (medical, dental, vision) exceeds what the ACA requires, my premium (admin fee) is half of a silver plan on the ACA and the deductible/max out of pocket is far less than the ACA plans.

 

[piasabird]

So how much do they make now?

 

[piasabird]

They probably voted for Obama Care!

 

[Oldgamer]

There have been strikes where I live. Still alot of Walmart folks striking, and then there are strikes in the downtown areas for other things.

 

[Subyman]

It is damn hard to pay unskilled workers more than minimum wage, especially the kind of employment that Pepsi has. A 50 cent raise for everyone can mean a hundred million a year in extra expenses. Its not that easy to raise wages.

 

[Newell Steamer]

See - ACA is destroying small businesses, left and right!!

 

[Laureyw27]

Pepsi offered to raise insurance over 120 a week while offering no increase in income. The new insurance also has a 9,000 deductible, while current insurance is 500 per year. Their wonderful raise would be an 800.00 bonus once a year taxed at 40%. Thats the crap they have been offered. I know I've seen the contract. For some reason the media is not covering this strike on the news at all. Makes you wonder why?!? There has been accidents where two employees were injured during the strike that also has been omitted by the media. I'm proud to see people stand up for their rights! When will we all stop being cattle and stand up for what's right? These people on strike are finally showing the true American way. Stand up for what you believe in.

 

[boomerang]

Pepsi offered to raise insurance over 120 a week while offering no increase in income. The new insurance also has a 9,000 deductible, while current insurance is 500 per year. Their wonderful raise would be an 800.00 bonus once a year taxed at 40%. Thats the crap they have been offered. I know I've seen the contract. For some reason the media is not covering this strike on the news at all. Makes you wonder why?!? There has been accidents where two employees were injured during the strike that also has been omitted by the media. I'm proud to see people stand up for their rights! When will we all stop being cattle and stand up for what's right? These people on strike are finally showing the true American way. Stand up for what you believe in.

Sounds like their proposed health care plan mimics Obamacare. How does a proletariat argue against that?

I always laugh at how labor feels that only they are burdened with taxes.

Strikes are effective when labor has the upper hand. Striking in our current labor market is about as dumb as it can get. Ask the Hostess workers how it turned out for them. I wonder how labor leaders sleep at night when they are putting so many out of work.

 

[Veliko]

Sounds like their proposed health care plan mimics Obamacare. How does a proletariat argue against that?

I always laugh at how labor feels that only they are burdened with taxes.

Strikes are effective when labor has the upper hand. Striking in our current labor market is about as dumb as it can get. Ask the Hostess workers how it turned out for them. I wonder how labor leaders sleep at night when they are putting so many out of work.

What a stupid post. Let's all laugh at how stupid this post is.

 

[boomerang]

What a stupid post. Let's all laugh at how stupid this post is.

You should. Because it's much simpler than explaining why.

 

[trenchfoot]

Sounds like their proposed health care plan mimics Obamacare. How does a proletariat argue against that?

I always laugh at how labor feels that only they are burdened with taxes.

Strikes are effective when labor has the upper hand. Striking in our current labor market is about as dumb as it can get. Ask the Hostess workers how it turned out for them. I wonder how labor leaders sleep at night when they are putting so many out of work.

Sometimes companies actually want their workers to go on strike when they feel they have the upper hand and the sympathy of the public at large. The companies also save big on the wages and benefits they don't have to pay while their workers are outside the gates picketing.

Striking is a tool of last resort. Nobody, especially those employees who are now without pay and benefits want to strike, but if all options have been played out to no avail, its the only thing left to do.

The question needs to be asked though: Did the company decide it was in their best interests to goad their employees into striking, or was there actual fair and honest bargaining being had and an impasse occurred?

I only hope that their union contract allows for federal mediation to get the two sides back to the table again.

 

[boomerang]

Sometimes companies actually want their workers to go on strike when they feel they have the upper hand and the sympathy of the public at large. The companies also save big on the wages and benefits they don't have to pay while their workers are outside the gates picketing.

Yeah, it works out so well for companies to cease production and lose the income that goes along with it.

As a former UAW member of 30 years, I can tell you with the utmost authority that management does not goad workers into striking. There is no representative of management down at the union hall pumping their fist in the air and convincing workers that hitting the picket lines is in their best interest.

Where the notions come from that you're offering up is a puzzlement to me. If it's so advantageous to management to put workers out on strike they should just close down the company permanently and live on easy street for the rest of their days.

Edit: I'm going to go a little further with this. Let's use Hostess as an example. Why did Hostess seek concessions from its workers? The lib thought is always that management wanted to fatten up their wallets. This is what non-thinking people assume and it wraps it all up for them very tidy. But consider that our government has declared war on the snack food industry. Forget about whether that is justified or not because that's not relevant to the point I'm trying to make. So, what is Hostess to do when our government has decided that they essentially must go out of business? They hunker down and transition into survival mode.

So, has the government declared war on high calorie beverages that are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup with no nutritional value that are making our people overweight and contributing to high diabetes rates? You know the answer. What does Pepsico make?

Think. Not with emotion, with your brain.

 

[cubby1223]

The bottom line is, are consumers willing to pay, say 20% more for their Pepsi, so the union can get a raise? No.

Just read through these forums here and the lengths people go through to shave a dollar off their purchases, the coupons, the price matching, buying groceries from Amazon instead of the local union grocery store.

It's not just businesses who want unions out, consumers want unions out too to keep the extra dollar in their pocket.

 

[MixMasterTang]

The bottom line is, are consumers willing to pay, say 20% more for their Pepsi, so the union can get a raise? No.

Just read through these forums here and the lengths people go through to shave a dollar off their purchases, the coupons, the price matching, buying groceries from Amazon instead of the local union grocery store.

It's not just businesses who want unions out, consumers want unions out too to keep the extra dollar in their pocket.

Are you just pulling #'s out of your ass? There is NO way consumers would have to pay anywhere near 20% more for a product in order for these works to get a raise. Likely not even 1%.

 

[theeedude]

It's funny how supporters of these companies don't ask if consumers will be willing to pay more in order for their CEOs to get a raise, or to raise the dividend to shareholders.

 

[unokitty]

5-1-2014

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/pepsi-workers-strike-over-wages-insurance-costs

Pepsi workers strike over wages, insurance costs



INDIANAPOLIS - Workers at a northwest side Pepsi bottling and distribution plant went on strike Thursday as contract negotiations with management failed.


More than 30 members of the Teamsters Local 135 union were picketing outside the Pepsi Beverage Company on the 5400 block of West 76th Street on Thursday...

Since 1989, Pepsi has given over $18 million dollars to our esteemed politicians. They have also spent over $36 million dollars on lobbyist.

How much have those 30 members of Teamsters Local 135 paid?

And while I normally root for the little guy, I can't get too excited about a company that makes millions by selling sugared water to children.

Uno