My aunt is a true-blue Southern woman. She taught me and my cousins against unions all our lives; she was vehemently anti-union and always has been. I was talking on the phone with her last night, and she told, "You know what? I still don't like unions, but with all this junk I'm seeing at work, I can see why they exist. I really can."

Now, I'm not one to like unions, either. But the original purpose was to fight for decent wages and fair treatment of workers. If things are getting so bad that old school folk like my aunt are starting to come around to unions, it's bad.

Originally posted by camaro68ss

Do you guys see any movement or talk of people waking up?

Not unless the cancel American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, CSI Miami and Criminal Minds all in the same week, and McDonalds stops serving Happy Meals and the Bud Girls get kidnapped . . . otherwise, the oblivious will remain . . . well . . . oblivious.

Originally posted by AnIntellectualRedneck
My aunt is a true-blue Southern woman. She taught me and my cousins against unions all our lives; she was vehemently anti-union and always has been. I was talking on the phone with her last night, and she told, "You know what? I still don't like unions, but with all this junk I'm seeing at work, I can see why they exist. I really can."

Now, I'm not one to like unions, either. But the original purpose was to fight for decent wages and fair treatment of workers. If things are getting so bad that old school folk like my aunt are starting to come around to unions, it's bad.

edit on 19-12-2011 by AnIntellectualRedneck because: (no reason given)

Having worked for Union companies as well as non-union companies, I can tell you for certain that Union workers get treated MUCH better in general. Unions offer workers decent pay and benefits as well. There is NO COMPARISON.

The only thing I dislike about Unions, is that sometimes the unions defend the always present handful of slackers on the job. But then again, the slackers eventually always goof something up significantly enough to get fired easily anyways in the end.

Unless folks have been to both, they can only 'parrot' what others say.

When companies feel they are invincible, TRUST ME, they will walk-all-over their employees if given the chance. Withholding raises, offering CRAPPY benefits, and make you work unlimited hours and change your shift times on a dime. You could be a 20 year veteran on the job and one week you can be forced to go from days to nights. The next week forced to be on graveyard shift. The next you are back on days!! Thats HARD TO DO at the drop of a hat!!! But they are invincible so they WILL do it!!!!

At non-union jobs, every-time I left the job I was always offered $2-$3 dollars more an hour to stay. My union friends working the same skill (but much easier jobs) were ALREADY MAKING THAT!!! Unions fight to give you fair compensation from the start. Non-union companies play games with you. In other words, Unions put them in check and influence them to give their workers FAIR compensation without playing GAMES with workers.

I have personally experienced both worlds, and theres NO comparison for the employees. Union jobs are WAY better for employees. Way better.

edit on 19-12-2011 by HangTheTraitors because: (no reason given)

Well I work a science and research job that is funded through various grants and soft money. It is a awesome job and we are good at what we do, we actively publish, we contribute to science, and we create new ways of distributing access information in broad scales. However, with the economy in the state it is in, things like science and the arts are generally the first on the chopping block and we are coming near to the end of this phase of our grant. If there is no money in the hoppers to fund our work, a combination of 5 masters degrees and 2 PhD's will be looking for new work, some of us on the unemployment line.

It is a scary thought but an inevitable consequence to living in a bankrupt society. I am grateful and I consider myself quite fortunate to have worked in the field I do for as long as I have and I would walk away with the confidence of knowing that we created something worthwhile that will benefit researchers and enthusiasts for years to come (we are not one of those labs that study whether a bear #'s in the woods if you follow).

As far as people waking up? Well I can say that even in my little corner of the scientific community these trends do get discussed, especially when the anthropologists get in on it. This stuff is affecting everybody, educators and researchers not the least.

Originally posted by camaro68ss
But this thread is not about me. I wanted to hear the status on the "locals" (you) on how business is doing, if your working, or if things in your area are changing for the worst, fast.

I'm an architect, still with the same firm I've been with over 10 years now. Work is steady. The dip for us was about 2 years ago, things were dicey but they leveled off and now we're even talking about hiring a couple of people next year. Polling my peers around the DFW (TX) area it seems most people are saying the same, work is steadily chugging along but there are no big moves to the upside on the horizon. Indications are it'll stay this way for the foreseeable future. We haven't seen any layoffs in our industry in this area in a couple of years now, but the bad news is that the many people that were laid off a few years back are either still out of work or working odd jobs at a much lower income.

My business is in the same boat.

I'm running a skeleton crew and have had a very tough time getting paid from customers, but the doors are still open.

I sold my McMansion this summer and paid cash (39K) for a very nice 1,800 sqft HUD foreclosure. I also bought a 9 passenger 4wd Suburban with the off road package and had an extra gas tank installed, it now holds 46 gallons of gas in the 2 main tanks, enough to get me 600 miles with the camper hooked on back. I also bought 25 drums of racing fuel (VP 112 octane) in 5 gallon cans. It doesn't have all the junk pump gas has in it so it will keep for years.

I bought some survival food, but not much, mostly I bought spices and ammunition, cases of it. Give me the right seasoning I can make Muskrats edible. It's all loaded in the camper and ready to bug out at a moments notice. My daughter and son in-law also bought a Suburban and the trailer with the racing fuel and extra gear will be pulled by them. We'll be able to get all 3 families in the 2 trucks (12 people total). We also bought water purification equipment, can process mud puddles into potable water, about 30 gallons a day.

We had a familt meeting this last spring where we made firm plans for a bugout if needed. We have 3 routes planned out for different scenarios, maps are marked with turn by turn directions.

One plan is to go to the northern border of Montana where there is a family rustic cabin, another to the gulf coast where my brother in-law has a rather large sailboat, the 3rd is to go way south, as far into Mexico as the fuel will take us, Panama being the ultimate goal.

I don't tell many people about our plans because I just get the "look" but the guy who customized my Suburban said I was not alone. He said for every pimp job he gets one like mine, no fancy rims or useless stereo equipment. Just skid plates, extra tanks, winch, roof racks and lights.

I got my degree 2 years ago in the hope of getting into the video games industry which is already very difficult to get into. I was unemployed for a year after trying everything to get any job until I got a government funded trainee job in a workshop for 6 months. 6 months passed and the company said they couldnt afford to hire me so back into the unemployment line I go.
I've been applying for every job I can find from shop work to call centres and bar work part time/full time but had no luck.
These past few weeks have been the worst, I cannot find anything to apply for in my area.
I plan on doing some voluntary work in the new year.
Btw youth unemployment in my town has recently hit 25%.

Originally posted by AGWskeptic
My business is in the same boat.

I'm running a skeleton crew and have had a very tough time getting paid from customers, but the doors are still open.

I sold my McMansion this summer and paid cash (39K) for a very nice 1,800 sqft HUD foreclosure. I also bought a 9 passenger 4wd Suburban with the off road package and had an extra gas tank installed, it now holds 46 gallons of gas in the 2 main tanks, enough to get me 600 miles with the camper hooked on back. I also bought 25 drums of racing fuel (VP 112 octane) in 5 gallon cans. It doesn't have all the junk pump gas has in it so it will keep for years.

I bought some survival food, but not much, mostly I bought spices and ammunition, cases of it. Give me the right seasoning I can make Muskrats edible. It's all loaded in the camper and ready to bug out at a moments notice. My daughter and son in-law also bought a Suburban and the trailer with the racing fuel and extra gear will be pulled by them. We'll be able to get all 3 families in the 2 trucks (12 people total). We also bought water purification equipment, can process mud puddles into potable water, about 30 gallons a day.

We had a familt meeting this last spring where we made firm plans for a bugout if needed. We have 3 routes planned out for different scenarios, maps are marked with turn by turn directions.

One plan is to go to the northern border of Montana where there is a family rustic cabin, another to the gulf coast where my brother in-law has a rather large sailboat, the 3rd is to go way south, as far into Mexico as the fuel will take us, Panama being the ultimate goal.

I don't tell many people about our plans because I just get the "look" but the guy who customized my Suburban said I was not alone. He said for every pimp job he gets one like mine, no fancy rims or useless stereo equipment. Just skid plates, extra tanks, winch, roof racks and lights.

edit on 19-12-2011 by AGWskeptic because: (no reason given)

glad you got it some what planned out. My dad is doing the same thing with his branco, with extra tanks, so we can get to our bug out location once there we will be good but the problem is getting there and knowing when to leave.

I truely fear we are months away from the first stages of collapse. Ones Europe goes, there will be no stopping it!

My life is well, doing good i suppose.
I have a decent job, i make 31k a year (i live in canada btw), about $16.14, i get 3 weeks of vacation this coming year, as well as a raise come march or so, and a bonus in jan or feb.
I love my job,
Could i use more money? You're damn right i could.
I had to apply for repayment assistance on my student loans because i cannot afford to pay the full amount, and still manage to pay my bill and rent and to cover other things we need
My girlfriend is working part time right now, she's going to college for a career i fear will not yield any results for her.. But i could be wrong.
After taxes/other deductions i pull in $905 every two weeks.
If i could opt out of federal taxes i would, because i dont want to pay taxes when i know where it goes, that would free up 150 or so on my pay.
This years tax return should be pretty big and put me and the girlfriend ahead, im suspecting it will be near the 5000 dollars range, since i payed in a lot, and i have a lot to claim as well. (ill probably use some of it for some bug-out supplies too)

I hope i do.. It would stop my bills from accruing, and we could have rent payments for 3 months, and still have money to pay off all our pertinent bills.
We will be running into some money (both of us) between jan and march.

My company just had to downsize a group in another province, so my group hired those 7 people.. We were told we were going to hire more than that, and hopefully some in my office, i have a friend that needs a real break to get ahead. To have a good job. And im hoping to get him hired out of that hellhole he's in now (he works for sobeys, doing night shift stocking for min wage, single father living with his own father, childs mother is a deadbeat and doesnt work and relies on child bonuses to get things. Epitome of laziness.)

Could be better, could be worse. Im not complaining, i have a place to live. But the bills are climbing.

And as for a bug out location, my parents house. Its about 30km away from any major highway, lots of farms, its on a main road though, but its the only road out that way. But it is out there. No guns. Dad doesnt own any, neither do i. He is also under the delusion that things will be okay and that even if the economy does crash again, we'll pull out of it.

Sadly, i dont think that is the case this time.

We just bought a 4x4 and we do have a basement full of supplies here.
The only thing we can't control here is the fuel, gas goes bad that is a fact but we do have a few cans stored in the garage.
My health insurance won't let me stock up on my meds and that will be my undoing for sure here.
They only allow 90 days a prescription and no more.
We do have 7 face cords of wood all hardwood so we are good there.
Regards, Iwinder

Denver area here. Work for a company that makes products for construction.

Like Saved, we're still here but it's been tough. We're at about 30% of where we were in '06 - '08. Most of the people that we had to lay off are still out of work. We've lost a lot of customers and the customers we have are smaller than they used to be. When the downturn started, our biggest concern was payroll and trying to reduce it fast enough. Then, came the debt service. Now that we've paid a significant portion of that, it's taxes, insurance and regulations, which seem to increase daily.

Infrastructure construction still going on but slowing. Production residential, very slow. High end residential, still some activity but seems to be more seasonal than it was and commercial, still some going on but not nearly enough. On the flip side of that coin though - I know of 3 individuals trying to find a reasonably priced home. There is nothing out there that doesn't get snatched up within days.

The construction that is going on is heavily bid and some subs are going in at, or just over cost leaving other subs out in the cold. If you do get the work, there are no margins and everyone is slow pay. Customers that were always prompt to 30 days are running 45 to 60 days and you really have to ride the ones that were already a little slow. The high end customers that do have money to spend have become unreasonably demanding.

From the conversations I've had with people, I would definitely say there is an awakening occurring. Three and a half years ago, when I would talk to people about what was going on, I would get "yeah, I know, but..." Between a year and a half ago to two years ago, people started asking for more information. In the last year to year and a half, I encounter more and more people that are highly cognizant of what is going on and more and more people that are preparing.

One of the most telling anecdotes I have. I was giving an employment reference on a previous employee to his potential new employer, a security company that installs iron bars on doors, windows, etc. He said he was busier than he's ever been and most of it was doctors and lawyers and his comment, "you wouldn't believe the stories they tell me about what to expect in the future."

Another thing I forgot to post above is people are not taking the economy seriously. When I say that people need to pay attention and to watch what is going on they look at me like an alarmist. I took micro & macro economics and even without those courses I still could figure out that the economy is going to get worse. People blindly think, it could never happen to me. I got into a discussion today regarding the economy and the person responded that I need to believe in America. I responded that I do believe in America but not in the economy, they are separate things yet linked. I fear that people are not waking up fast enough and it will be to late.