Hello from NY

[MikeG22]

Hey Pete,

I don't get paid to fight fires and drive a Chevy 2500...a late model Mexican Chevy.

I see where your going, and perhaps the US auto makers and the UAW can learn from companies like Toyota.

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/20...otive-ceo-pay/

Although their exec makes a good salary, compare it to the US companies. These guys were making a fortune as their companies produced junk. It burns me that the UAW never stood up to the insane salaries their top guys were making while the laborers suffered. It's not the UAW's fault that the companies failed, it's the garbage that was engineered and allowed to be produced. No amount of quality labor can fix a poor design.

If a person union or not wants to buy a non union built truck because it is much more reliable I don't see the problem there.

[piece-itpete]

So much for



??

Heck if union guys don't support each other why should anyone else? Just saying...

Pete

[MikeG22]

Should a non-union guy only buy non-union produced stuff?

[hillbilly]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Howdy Mike.

I saw a fireman driving a Toyota pickup the other day.....

Pete

Here, fire departments operate on a volunteer basis. They aren't paid. They are in the big cities, but thats about it. Folks have a pager and when it goes off they drop what they are doing and hop in their own car/truck where ever they may be and haul ass to where the fire is. Except for 1 or 2 guys, 1 or 2 that have access to the keys will swing by the fire dept to get the fire truck first.

*Also, Sunday night I needed to talk to the police chief over in town. I drove to town to the police station and forgot they were locked up.. closed. Made a trip to town for nothing. No officers on duty on 3'rd shift. They operate daytime for 12 hours and close shop for 12 night. 1 shift a day, unless the yearly fair is in town. So since the problem happened in town and not out here in the county I had to wait until the next day to 'go back' to see an officer to see what needs to be done. Believe me, you don't want to call 911 unless it's a crash or a crime in which someone is dead or dying.

[hillbilly]

Welcome, Mike.

I shoulda posted that first but pete's fireman post had to be addressed before I forgot what I wanted to say. Call it a short assed memory

[MikeG22]

Hi Hillbilly,

My buddy's parents moved about an hour outside Bristol about 5 years ago, and they love it there. Beautiful area and very quiet. They say the same thing, no local police on third watch you have to wait for state. My area was like that 20yrs ago, totally different now.

My department has a pager system, all volunteer. We report to the station when there is a call and go from there. It can be very dangerous when there is a house fire. Going inside a home that could have a working fire for possibly 20 minutes already is scary. Go check out YouTube and search fire flashover videos. It'll make you want to put a sprinkler system in your home.

Thanks to all of you for the warm welcome.

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by MikeG22

Hi all, thought I would join in on some of the discussion here. I am from NY, quite unhappily. This state is a wreck. I always leaned right in my thinking on issues but lately can't stand the party, not that I ever considered myself a member of it. Not really sure what you would politically call me since I take many different stances from different sides. Not an huge Obama fan, but at the same time was not going to drink the Romney-Paul kool aid. I am a union worker and after seeing the crap coming from that camp on banishing unions it will be awhile before I consider the right a friend of mine.

In any case I am happy to finally join this site and be able to offer some input whether you agree or not.

Welcome!

Not sure why you NY is a wreck however.

[piece-itpete]

Originally Posted by MikeG22

Should a non-union guy only buy non-union produced stuff?

Good luck with that! All governments hereabouts are union and you have to drive down the street I support private unions with my checkbook, not by force, although weirdly enough mostly the CAW

If the duffus worked for Cleveland proper instead of a suburb his truck would be... damaged...

Hb yeah I know out in the country... but closer in the city here they're all paid.

Pete

[Rajoo]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

So much for



??

Heck if union guys don't support each other why should anyone else? Just saying...

Pete

My brother who was in management when he worked in the US steel industry was expressly forbidden to drive a non GM/Ford/Chrysler cars within the plant.

But then again again the joke was that when Chrysler board agreed to be taken over by Mercedes Benz (MBZ market value then was less than Chrysler), the compelling reason was that now the management could all drive MBZ's to work. So they fell over themselves voting for the takeover.

I am in agreement with Pete in principle; "practice what you preach". If not your credibility can and will be questioned.

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

So much for



??

Heck if union guys don't support each other why should anyone else? Just saying...

Pete

BTW Pete, I saw that Solidarity guy on TV sometime ago and he was awful.