First World Problems

I know (I still don't make minimum wage though). When minimum wage went up in California, my rent, groceries, bills, ect. went up. You know what didn't go up, my pay. They wanted minimum wage to go up so minimum wage workers afford what I had. Well, they STILL can't afford what I had, and now neither can I.

I keep hearing, "Employers raise everyone's wages when the minimum wage increases." BULLSHIT!!! The union shops maybe, but only because the union threatens to go on strike if they don't.

What really gets me is all these people getting paid more WITHOUT HAVING EARNED IT!

Not even union. Wages are negotiated without regards to minimum wage. If minimum wage goes over what was negotiated, the wage becomes minimum wage. You can't fix it until the next contract negotiation. Most unions (not all) don't even care about the employees anymore. It's all about collecting dues

My point is that there is a myth floating around that if the minimum wage is increased by ($1, let's say), that ALL employers raise their employees' wages by ($1) (or whatever the amount is). That is SOOO not true.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but honestly, I've NEVER seen a union shop whose employees made anything NEAR minimum wage.

And I do agree with your statement that unions are all about the dues, not the employees. They were necessary at one time, but now they're (almost committed the sin of using "their"; good thing I rereed this) a burden on the market and the economy. We live in a rather transparent world now. If companies are dealing dirty with their employees like they were when unions first started, there would be awareness and public outcry. Now the unions force employers to cover union dues as well as paying wages that are really much higher than the job is worth. Dare I say they're one reason why we have illegal immigrant workers?

I don't know about in Michigan, but it is actually rather common in California for union workers to make barely over minimum wage. Unions are so assured of their position that they don't even try to keep workers happy. When I worked in food service at universal studios (over 10 yrs ago) I actually made minimum wage, with no guaranteed hours or health benefits (I have no idea what the union did besides take out money). My husband worked at Albertsons (union) and made 10¢ above minimum wage. He got less than 20 hrs per week and had to pay 30$ per month in union dues.
After trying to get the minimum wage raised to $15, unions actually tried (and fortunately failed) to get themselves exempted "to give them more negotiating flexibility"
The real reason (obvious to anyone with half a brain) was to get low wage employers to "encourage" (force) thier employees to unionize, so they could pay them less than minimum wage, and then the union would still have the gall to extort union dues from the workers.

Part of the difference is that Michigan's minimum wage is $8.50/hr (confession bear time). And since many car manufacturers are here, United Auto Workers is heavily represented in Michigan.

True story: My uncle retired from the Ford plant in Saline, MI, not too long ago. He was making over $75/hr. His job? Hook a gas tank to a crane, hoist it up to a predetermined height, and drop it in order to test it's impact resistance. A trained monkey could do the job. Why was he getting paid so much? (Not that I begrudge him his pre-retirement income; 4 kids, one with down syndrome.)

Mama is a Michigander?

Born, raised, and lived here her whole life. I was born and raised here. Then went to Ohio for 2 years, Missouri for, like, a month, spent 11 years and 10 months in Oklahoma, and 9 1/2 months ago, came back to Michigan.

And she would agree with the words of your meme, but not the mascot, 'cause she went to EMU. I disagree with your meme entirely: GO BLUE!

Me too. Born here and never left. My son actually moved to Broken Arrow 13 years ago.

Oklahoma's not a bad place to live, overall. Lower cost of living, better job market, and milder winters, though the summers get a little rough, and they've surpassed California for the number of earthquakes in a year (though theirs tend to be less severe than Cali's). I probably would've stayed, but Mama needs someone to take care of her. She had a minor stroke, and even though she seems pretty much back to normal, her doctor suggested she not drive for a while. I take care of her apartment in the mornings and make sure she's set up for the day, then I go to work.

Visited them in August. Once. 79 was the low.108 for the high. Wife says winters in Michigan will be fine. :)

Peace...

Yeah, when the temperature is triple digits and the second digit ain't 0, you're gonna have a bad day. Highest I saw was 114.

Have you heard the Taco Bell radio commercial that says "unsurprising poll results" and "Michigan doesn't think it's THAT cold"? I get a chuckle from it every time.

I have the type of job that doesn't require me to think about what I'm doing, so my mind wanders, and tonight it wandered into your original question. I'm obsessive-compulsive and tend to take questions literally, but it occurred to me at work that you were shortening my username instead of asking about my mama. I'm sure you probably thought my answer was as (kind of) odd as I thought the question was... Maybe if you'd asked about Rob...