But the reason they're not 'good paying" is because that is what the market has determined the value of that job to be. If it requires little skill (I have several friends that used to do construction and none have described any of the equipment as difficult) then more people can do it. A higher supply of able workers means it will offer less money. By unionizing the industry and artificially inflating the value of those jobs, all you do is increase the final cost of the product.

Unions are beneficial only to those that are in them. Everyone else gets hosed.

Heavy equipment operator is skilled. Teachers and nurses are skilled. There are also the firefighters and the police officers and more.

Look. TV makers are skilled. Does it honestly make you want to pay the price higher than the market determines?

Double post. Wired, this site does it. If you click on "post" exactly when the page refreshes, - you're doubled!

You refresh the page at the same time that you post?

I want the friend that I know that is a heavy equipment operator to make maybe $20/hr. with benefits to use a crane instead of the $12/hr. he makes now with no benefits.

slightly more? it is 400 a month more and my cost of liveing in Ohio is far cheaper than yours. Somehow my company does verry well with its highly paid highly motivated work force. Gee I wish I didnt have to work in the union I could make less money and pay more for insurance. I just waste that 400 anyhow on clothes, tires on my daughters car, braces for the kids. Vet bills for the family pet, dumb stuff like that

The pension is not too shabby either.

i used to be a union employee...teamsters...
drove one of them durn forktrucks and was number one in senority when i quit.


that being said I cant imagine nursing ever being a union controlled profession. I think it would be chaotic

http://www.uannurse.org/

i dont want to be union. I negotiated my own pay using my years and level of experiance, and flexability in scheduling.

I found being a part of a union a buncha crock....the place i worked at took none of those tihngs into consideration. it was entirely based on senority.

benefits rocked...and that was the only thing I liked. benefits (not pay per hour)is what is causing the auto industry to suffer right now. PLUS demand for new vehicles has decreased (affordability perhaps??)

speaking of the auto industry mostly right now..........or else the increase of costs for new cars will keep going up till its utterly ridiculous.

What part of "make no law respecting an establishment of religion" do you not understand? You can believe whatever nonsensical poppycock you want. But you can't legislate those beliefs. Because you believe an imaginary skydaddy says it's a no no is not a basis for any law. Given the history of Christianity and the hate, death and destruction it has always brought it's vitally important that we not allow it to infect our government.

Those who can succeed in life on their own merits,do... those who can't, join unions. It is my belief that REAL men don't need to hide behind the apron strings of a "mommy" figure (union leadership) to take care them (job protection). "Mommy" negotiates your allowance (pay and benefits) but charges a monthly fee to do so. "Mommy" tells you what to do in regards to your responsibilities at work and when to throw a temper tantrum in public for attention (strike or picket). "Mommy" protects you when screw up (intentionally or unintentionally). If you don't do what "mommy" says, she punishes you. If you have to make a decision at work and not sure what to do, you have to ask "mommy". If your feelings are hurt when you see a REAL man not part of the family doing your job and making you look like a wimp, you go running and crying to "mommy". One doesn't need to be a licensed psychologist to see union "males" have some form of an "Edopus complex" (with "mommy") coupled with abandonment issues and are afraid to move out of "mommy's" basement. I speculate union boys/adolescents are naturally submissive and have made a consensual and cognitive decision to be controlled/dominated by "mommy". "Mommy" will give you everything you need to survive in life, except your employment manhood. Those who can do, those who won't/can't, become union eunuchs.

For you female union types, just exchange "mommy" for "daddy" with an "Electra Complex".

Come talk to me when your getting old and they need to downsize and get ride of people with accured vacation time and they have some fresh hot young nurse waiting to take your place........

i work with plenty of nurse who have 20 to 30 years in the organization I currently work with.

with age comes experiance. I am not hired becasue of how i look.

and again....you do know my benefits arent nothing to brag about......and at my current postion i do not receive any vacation time. because of the job position i took.

i WOULD hate to have some nurse who had been there a month longer than me...come BID on my job...and force me to choose another job and actually take a staff position for a unit.

Well I have dated many nurses and I know the stories well. The Largest hospital in cleveland is Union some of the smaller ones are non union. most of the non union nurses I know wish they were union. I know of one Dr who saw Obama bumper stickers on his nurses cars and he told them if Obama is elected he would let two of them go. I hope you never face something like that but if your not union you would have to listen to it.

i am quite happy with my current type of employment.

again without a union.

Cat,

You don't have vacation time? I thought that was unusual for most jobs.

i am resource staff...i am required to work 24 hours per week.

my rate of pay is very high compared to if I took a regular staff position on one of the floors between the two hospitals I work for.

I am unbenefited...and I dont accumulate paid time off....although I pick the two days I work every week...and I think that I can request some unpaid time of if I wanted to.

that being said my hourly rate is quite a bit higher than if I took a staff postion. and I could chose to take a benefited position now...but I dont want to pay the benefits.

does that make any sense??

Yes, it makes sense. You're part-time. Part-time doesn't get benefits or vacation or sick time. Yes, I can see that you could make more money per hour in your field.

I would find it difficult to work 12 hours straight.