Strike at Deere plants in the US, more supply chain shortage to come

[pmsmechanic]

"The United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers (UAW) announced Saturday it reached a tentative agreement with John Deere."

Ohhhh 37 pages of discussion for nothing.

 

[RickB]

Ohhhh 37 pages of discussion for nothing.

Deere and the UAW had a tentative deal before the strike. Then the workers voted..............

 

[finn1]

Looks like they came to an agreement.

 

[Cub 7275]

As for what the JD workers are doing, how is it not hypocritical for someone to approve, defend or simply shrug and accept the exorbitant compensation increases of a few employees at the top while at the same time finding fault the many at the bottom who are seeking a slightly larger scrap of the pie? Remember we are talking about a publicly traded company where everyone is an "employee", including the CEO.

Simple test: How long will a company be able to operate if the CEO is removed and not replaced? A month or a year or years? Now starting with the lowest paid employee, remove employees until their combined pay equals the CEO's compensation level. Will the company be able to operate at all? If all those workers together are worth more to the company's functioning than the CEO, then the compensation ratio is out of whack. How was it possible that businesses thrived when the CEOs made only 20 times the average worker? Did we forget whatever magic made that workable? Is a ratio of 200:1, 350:1 or even higher really justified today?

This article from 2012 is still valid and does a decent job of explaining the harm to our economy from the out of control compensation just for the few at the top: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ECONOMY: In the 1980s, Greed WAS Good... Then We Went Overboard

{quote}
THE BOTTOM LINE:

Great companies create value for three different constituencies:

• Customers
• Shareholders, and
• Employees

In a well-balanced economy, companies balance the interests of these constituencies: They give customers great products and shareholders a nice return while also providing a good living and rewarding careers for their employees.

Sometimes, however, things get out of balance–and companies focus too much on serving only one constituency.

...... snip.......

But, 30 years later, things have changed completely.

Corporations have become highly efficient, so much so that profit margins have just hit an all-time high.

Meanwhile, wages are at an all-time low, thus starving the economy.

So, it’s time to rebalance the economy again (and preferably not through taxation–it’s better if the private sector solves this problem itself.)"
{end quote}

Regardless of anyone's position on the current state of compensation today, history warns us that when wealth inequity gets too great, revolts occur. History also has plenty of examples of entire societies collapsing, like the Romans for example. The current state of things in America align with the historical end phases of a society. While it doesn't necessarily mean the end is inevitable, it should be a wakeup call that we take seriously, for there is no reason to believe we are any less vulnerable to failure than any of the other failed societies that came before us. We must relearn how to work together for the good of all and address the selfish concentration of wealth before it's too late.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Just a comment from yesterday's visit to the sports bar to watch the football game.

I was at a sports bar, it was 1/2 time and a late middle aged guy walks in and sits down but he's mumbling, loudly.

I've learned, avoid eye contact at any cost.

Turns out another guy at the other end of the bar works with the new guy, they are 30-40 ft from each other kinda yelling and laughing.

It was 6 pm and the new guy was about 2.5 sheets to the wind. Not many other folks.

Pretty soon the guy pulls out his wallet and starts pulling out union membership cards. Turns out they both work at Catapiller which has a big facility here.

I can't put in print what this guy was YELLING about except every other word was F this and those Fin SOBs etc etc.

They were talking about some issue at work and the new guys attitude was.......F them, let them send me home, $36/hour for sitting on my azz, i can live with that.

Point being, the hatred in this guys demeanor was kinda scary except......i been there and done that. Little did he know he and i were union brothers.

Amazing...i've worked in many many big manufacturing facilities, both union and non union. The relationship between the employer and employee is almost always adversarial.

I've seen it first hand and i don't completely understand.

But........Unless you have stood at a punch press, 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, month after month with some UAW foreman looking over your shoulder......think twice about what you think you already know.

it just ain't healthy.

 

[Frankenkubota]

As for what the JD workers are doing, how is it not hypocritical for someone to approve, defend or simply shrug and accept the exorbitant compensation increases of a few employees at the top while at the same time finding fault the many at the bottom who are seeking a slightly larger scrap of the pie? Remember we are talking about a publicly traded company where everyone is an "employee", including the CEO.

Simple test: How long will a company be able to operate if the CEO is removed and not replaced? A month or a year or years? Now starting with the lowest paid employee, remove employees until their combined pay equals the CEO's compensation level. Will the company be able to operate at all? If all those workers together are worth more to the company's functioning than the CEO, then the compensation ratio is out of whack. How was it possible that businesses thrived when the CEOs made only 20 times the average worker? Did we forget whatever magic made that workable? Is a ratio of 200:1, 350:1 or even higher really justified today?

This article from 2012 is still valid and does a decent job of explaining the harm to our economy from the out of control compensation just for the few at the top: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ECONOMY: In the 1980s, Greed WAS Good... Then We Went Overboard

{quote}
THE BOTTOM LINE:

Great companies create value for three different constituencies:

• Customers
• Shareholders, and
• Employees

In a well-balanced economy, companies balance the interests of these constituencies: They give customers great products and shareholders a nice return while also providing a good living and rewarding careers for their employees.

Sometimes, however, things get out of balance–and companies focus too much on serving only one constituency.

...... snip.......

But, 30 years later, things have changed completely.

Corporations have become highly efficient, so much so that profit margins have just hit an all-time high.

Meanwhile, wages are at an all-time low, thus starving the economy.

So, it’s time to rebalance the economy again (and preferably not through taxation–it’s better if the private sector solves this problem itself.)"
{end quote}

Regardless of anyone's position on the current state of compensation today, history warns us that when wealth inequity gets too great, revolts occur. History also has plenty of examples of entire societies collapsing, like the Romans for example. The current state of things in America align with the historical end phases of a society. While it doesn't necessarily mean the end is inevitable, it should be a wakeup call that we take seriously, for there is no reason to believe we are any less vulnerable to failure than any of the other failed societies that came before us. We must relearn how to work together for the good of all and address the selfish concentration of wealth before it's too late.

problem is....in modern america most people think roman empire refers to a mail order birth control product.

 

[riptides]

...

Corporations have become highly efficient, so much so that profit margins have just hit an all-time high.

Meanwhile, wages are at an all-time low, thus starving the economy.

So, it’s time to rebalance the economy again (and preferably not through taxation–it’s better if the private sector solves this problem itself.)"
....

Regardless of anyone's position on the current state of compensation today, history warns us that when wealth inequity gets too great, revolts occur. ..... We must relearn how to work together for the good of all and address the selfish concentration of wealth before it's too late.

We are sort of in the process now. Unfortunate the area of focus is on the working class and not the wealthy class. And we are super divided on what the issue is, within the working class.

Meanwhile.....it's status quo.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

As for what the JD workers are doing, how is it not hypocritical for someone to approve, defend or simply shrug and accept the exorbitant compensation increases of a few employees at the top while at the same time finding fault the many at the bottom who are seeking a slightly larger scrap of the pie? Remember we are talking about a publicly traded company where everyone is an "employee", including the CEO.

Simple test: How long will a company be able to operate if the CEO is removed and not replaced? A month or a year or years? Now starting with the lowest paid employee, remove employees until their combined pay equals the CEO's compensation level. Will the company be able to operate at all? If all those workers together are worth more to the company's functioning than the CEO, then the compensation ratio is out of whack. How was it possible that businesses thrived when the CEOs made only 20 times the average worker? Did we forget whatever magic made that workable? Is a ratio of 200:1, 350:1 or even higher really justified today?

This article from 2012 is still valid and does a decent job of explaining the harm to our economy from the out of control compensation just for the few at the top: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ECONOMY: In the 1980s, Greed WAS Good... Then We Went Overboard

{quote}
THE BOTTOM LINE:

Great companies create value for three different constituencies:

• Customers
• Shareholders, and
• Employees

In a well-balanced economy, companies balance the interests of these constituencies: They give customers great products and shareholders a nice return while also providing a good living and rewarding careers for their employees.

Sometimes, however, things get out of balance–and companies focus too much on serving only one constituency.

...... snip.......

But, 30 years later, things have changed completely.

Corporations have become highly efficient, so much so that profit margins have just hit an all-time high.

Meanwhile, wages are at an all-time low, thus starving the economy.

So, it’s time to rebalance the economy again (and preferably not through taxation–it’s better if the private sector solves this problem itself.)"
{end quote}

Regardless of anyone's position on the current state of compensation today, history warns us that when wealth inequity gets too great, revolts occur. History also has plenty of examples of entire societies collapsing, like the Romans for example. The current state of things in America align with the historical end phases of a society. While it doesn't necessarily mean the end is inevitable, it should be a wakeup call that we take seriously, for there is no reason to believe we are any less vulnerable to failure than any of the other failed societies that came before us. We must relearn how to work together for the good of all and address the selfish concentration of wealth before it's too late.

You make some solid points and I hear what you're saying but you also need to take into account it is a high price to pay to become a CEO of a major publicly traded company like Deere. It's many, many years of schooling, training, learning and grooming to get there and then after they get there it's a hell of a lot of responsibility. There aren't many people out there who are really qualified to do such a job. At the same time what I see is the employees have to fight for what they get because if they leave it up to the company the company is always going to give as little as possible. But I think that has always been true and so is life in the free market, capitalist system.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just a comment from yesterday's visit to the sports bar to watch the football game.

I was at a sports bar, it was 1/2 time and a late middle aged guy walks in and sits down but he's mumbling, loudly.

I've learned, avoid eye contact at any cost.

Turns out another guy at the other end of the bar works with the new guy, they are 30-40 ft from each other kinda yelling and laughing.

It was 6 pm and the new guy was about 2.5 sheets to the wind. Not many other folks.

Pretty soon the guy pulls out his wallet and starts pulling out union membership cards. Turns out they both work at Catapiller which has a big facility here.

I can't put in print what this guy was YELLING about except every other word was F this and those Fin SOBs etc etc.

They were talking about some issue at work and the new guys attitude was.......F them, let them send me home, $36/hour for sitting on my azz, i can live with that.

Point being, the hatred in this guys demeanor was kinda scary except......i been there and done that. Little did he know he and i were union brothers.

Amazing...i've worked in many many big manufacturing facilities, both union and non union. The relationship between the employer and employee is almost always adversarial.

I've seen it first hand and i don't completely understand.

But........Unless you have stood at a punch press, 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, month after month with some UAW foreman looking over your shoulder......think twice about what you think you already know.

it just ain't healthy.

Yep... been there, done that with the stopwatch clicking away behind me operating the punch press in a Union Shop.

Hospital Administrators and Managers frequently earn on par or even less than those they manage... referring to the Doctors and even RN.

Some have refused promotions to management because they love being on the clock.

After 25 years salaried I fought being on the clock...

In retrospect my checks are bigger and I am here less but it does bug me that sometimes things do not get done because it means overtime.

When our Hospital CEO retired the board created the Hospital Administrator position... a position without ownership.

Went through two Administrators in short order...

For months the day to operation was kept open by three department heads... Directors of Nursing, Business Services and Engineering... and we did well and I rather enjoyed it...

The solution was being acquired by a Health Care Giant and how U became hourly...

 

[ruffdog]

Judging people how they act at a bar is not representing the entire membership, it is judging people that sit at a bar. The media will also seek out people at the bar during strikes or plant closings for this reason...to talk to drunk people with loose lips. All the while 98% of the workforce is NOT at the bar and taking care of their family or seeking work. I also worked at union/non-union shops and they all had a small percentage that sit at the bar....all the time.