Midwest Manufacturing Jobs

I wonder what the job description of "laborer" is? The places that I have managed, the term laborer refers to the lowest paid, lowest skilled job in the plant. The laborer is the guy who does general maintenance, cleaning and non-skilled work. If this terminology holds true, could we / should we expect that a $30/hr wage rate for that type of job is sustainable?

There are skilled laborers though Trog, and manufacturing jobs used to employ them in this country. He is probably one of those. I doubt he was making 30 dollars an hour as a janitor.
 
There are skilled laborers though Trog, and manufacturing jobs used to employ them in this country. He is probably one of those. I doubt he was making 30 dollars an hour as a janitor.

Thus my question and the conditional statement. In an AFL-CIO based union in automotive, he might well have been making $30/hr as a slug - line assembly folks used to make nearer $45.

Topper will be on later to give you a lesson in what happens when labor overprices itself, and the coming effects of the new minimum wage increases.
 
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Thus my question and the conditional statement. In an AFL-CIO based union in automotive, he might well have been making $30/hr as a slug - line assembly folks used to make nearer $45.

Oh really? You know, I'm pretty ignorant of the pay rates and job descriptions, so I can't really answer Trog.
 
Thus my question and the conditional statement. In an AFL-CIO based union in automotive, he might well have been making $30/hr as a slug - line assembly folks used to make nearer $45.

Topper will be on later to give you a lesson in what happens when labor overprices itself, and the coming effects of the new minimum wage increases.

Yeah right! "lessons" lol. I am so worried.
 
Yeah and I think that the glib answers of "you can't stop globalization" and "get an education" are inoperative.

This is a major problem, and should be addressed as such. Not with the same old same old, but with some new thinking.

Do you have any new recommendations? Do we need higher tariffs and protectionist policies? Remeber in 2001 when Bush slapped those steel tariffs to thank voters in the Midwest? A lot of good that did.

Partisanship aside what policies or changes would you like to see to address this?
 
You guys'll ALWAYS need us... if for nothing else than to sue the companies laying you off.

I don't think that's necessarily true. You could definitely have the lion's share of your corporate law jobs outsourced. Not all lawyers go to trial or need to be physically present. There are some that really do mostly paper work and advise. When I worked with a 'lawyer' a few months ago, I never saw him at all, most of our communication was done by fax and I would have only needed him to go to the closing. The biggest obstacle would be overnighting documents in time. Only jobs where the customer or patient has to be physically be present to receive services are safe. i.e. nurses, doctors, mechanics, etc.
 
Do you have any new recommendations? Do we need higher tariffs and protectionist policies? Remeber in 2001 when Bush slapped those steel tariffs to thank voters in the Midwest? A lot of good that did.

Partisanship aside what policies or changes would you like to see to address this?

Huge tax penalties for offshoring if the producs/services are still offered in the US, Long-term tax credits for inshoring, mandatory labeling of goods and services that are done outside the US broken up into labor-pool and manufactured goods.
 
Yeah right! "lessons" lol. I am so worried.
I detest labor cuts. It is the simple minded way to 'solve' the problem. It usually doesn't, it is usually counterproductive. Your three key factors are throughput (T), inventory (I), and operational expense (OE). This only addresses OE, but has negative effects on T and I. Since T and I dwarf OE, a small % improvement in OE, counterweighted by small % declines in T and I, leads to further losses in the absolute.

Why do you think I was the #1 manager in my group? Ans: Because I did NOT manage by cost accounting (flawed assumptions) methods. Cost acct says that labor cuts are the way to go, and it is wrong.
 
Do you have any new recommendations? Do we need higher tariffs and protectionist policies? Remeber in 2001 when Bush slapped those steel tariffs to thank voters in the Midwest? A lot of good that did.

Partisanship aside what policies or changes would you like to see to address this?

First, I want fair trade not free trade, and that means regulated trade. Second, I want universal health care, removing that burden from our corporations.

I'd look at so-called "protectionist policies", but you'll note I said we need new thinking on this. Outside the box. It will reach the point where we won't have a middle class, and that's going to hurt everyone, even the precious rich.
 
I detest labor cuts. It is the simple minded way to 'solve' the problem. It usually doesn't, it is usually counterproductive. Your three key factors are throughput (T), inventory (I), and operational expense (OE). This only addresses OE, but has negative effects on T and I. Since T and I dwarf OE, a small % improvement in OE, counterweighted by small % declines in T and I, leads to further losses in the absolute.

Why do you think I was the #1 manager in my group? Ans: Because I did NOT manage by cost accounting (flawed assumptions) methods. Cost acct says that labor cuts are the way to go, and it is wrong.

Well, that's new thinking.
 
Well, that's new thinking.
It's math and stats and being on the floor knowing how things work, rather than looking at numbers in Quickbooks and thinking you have a clue.

Theory of Constraints, Lean, Deming, Drucker, and Juran.
 
Do you have any new recommendations? Do we need higher tariffs and protectionist policies? Remeber in 2001 when Bush slapped those steel tariffs to thank voters in the Midwest? A lot of good that did.

Partisanship aside what policies or changes would you like to see to address this?

Do you have any new recommendations?

Yes:

1) No more lame ass NAFTA/CAFTA style trade agreements
2) Negotiate bilateral trade treaties that are fair to both labor and capital.
3) Enforce trade agreements and retalitate against countries that don't honor them (aka, China)
4) Universal single payer healthcare, to remove financial burden from american corporations and make them more competitive internationally.
5) Public investments in education, science, and infrastructure to build up the economy.
 
Psycologists should be in demand. According to Dole last night talking about the special VA comission Psych types are in very short supply right now.
And they were talking about paying them enough to get more in the VA.


Did anyone else watch the interview on the Nightly News ?
Was some good stuff.


I
 
Psycologists should be in demand. According to Dole last night talking about the special VA comission Psych types are in very short supply right now.
And they were talking about paying them enough to get more in the VA.


Did anyone else watch the interview on the Nightly News ?
Was some good stuff.


I

No, I wish I had seen it. I hadn't even heard about it.
 
Do you have any new recommendations?

Yes:

1) No more lame ass NAFTA/CAFTA style trade agreements
2) Negotiate bilateral trade treaties that are fair to both labor and capital.
3) Enforce trade agreements and retalitate against countries that don't honor them (aka, China)
4) Universal single payer healthcare, to remove financial burden from american corporations and make them more competitive internationally.
5) Public investments in education, science, and infrastructure to build up the economy.


Why is socialized medicine called "single payer"? It seems like a "focus grouped" slogan. "Our studies show 'single payer' connotes the type of rugged individualism americans like to think they believe in"
 
Why is socialized medicine called "single payer"? It seems like a "focus grouped" slogan. "Our studies show 'single payer' connotes the type of rugged individualism americans like to think they believe in"

because 'socialized medicine' will not fly with the public.
 
Cypress's #4 and #5, too late on the others:clink:


Too late? Bull crap. That's not a rational argument, it's just your fascist tendency creeping out. Just because you prefer to profit on cruelty and destruction doesn't mean it's written in stone. That's from the oral tradition.
 
Do you have any new recommendations?

Yes:

1) No more lame ass NAFTA/CAFTA style trade agreements
2) Negotiate bilateral trade treaties that are fair to both labor and capital.
3) Enforce trade agreements and retalitate against countries that don't honor them (aka, China)
4) Universal single payer healthcare, to remove financial burden from american corporations and make them more competitive internationally.
5) Public investments in education, science, and infrastructure to build up the economy.

CAWACKO, This is a pretty good list here. The only one really inconsistent with conservative values is the single payer.

Are you telling me wacko that conservative today means embracing slave labor and denying the governments right to set basic trade policy and working conditions?

Do you believe there was a time when unions were needed? Is it really true that even without regulation companies would be fair? IS that your idiotic contention?

You pick out one thing on a pretty good list, what about the rest? You, as a neocon, need to face your inconsistencies.

Shouldn't all people get health care? Do you want people dying in the streets? I know, I know "If anyone goes to the emergency room, they get treated." If you believe that, why not make it official, instead of burdening other organizations with having to foot the bill. Or do you not believe that?
 
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