Documentary on working class Americans
- Thread starter stinkynuts
- Start date
There is 1 story on that video I don't understand. The lady who had a union job installing water sprinklers was laid off from her job. She said she had 8 years in the union, still pays dues but was never called back. Every union I know of calls back employees based on seniority. Highest seniority first then so on. Have a hard time why understanding why she was never called back.
Even union halls work by seniority.
Even union halls work by seniority.
Most likely she was a poor worker, no pun intended.
The class difference in America is so profound, from bottom to top
The marginalized:
The homeless who have zero, living on streets. Drug addicts. Criminals in prison.
The working poor/lowest income:
People on disability, those in subsidized housing in bad neighborhoods, those working two minimum wage jobs, take the bus, or live in their car but still work.
The lower to upper middle class:
Those who have two people bringing in income. They live in apartments or own their own home. They make anywhere from $40-150,000 a year. Janitor to teacher to dentist fall in this wide category. They are living comfortably, but sacrifice a lot.
The upper class:
Over $200,000 a year. Good paying jobs, $500,000 plus houses, new cas such as Teslas and BMWs. They eat out, order Uber Eats multiple times a week, send their kids to private school, go on expensive vacations overseas. Doctors, senior executives, lawyers, politicians, business owners.
The top 1-5%:
Over $1 million a year in income. They live in the most exclusive neighborhoods, drive Bentleys or are chauffured in their Rollys Royces. They have multiple mansions throughout the world. They have connections to the elite. They own yachts, their own jets. They eat at the most exclusive restaurants, hire multiple staff, and enjoy expensive vacations. Typically owners or relatives of large corporations, businesses, or descendants of elite familes. Celebrities such as actors, athletes. Ties to royal families or those at the very top of the political world (such as the Kennedys, Obamas, Clintons, Bushes, etc.)
In Canada, I don't really see this degree of difference. At the bottom are mostly new immigrants who are just starting out but are still doing fine. Most of the very lowest in Canada are helped by strong social programs such as free or subsidized housing and everyone has free healthcare. Student loans or grants are easily accessible to anyone, so they can get a good education. Almost everyone is lower to upper middle class, living fairly comfortable lives. I don't see many ultra wealthy either, but they are usually concentrated in Toronto and Vancouver.
In Canada and the U.S., the highly skilled and women are much better off than 45 years ago. For men, and lower skilled men in particular, the point in time in which you started working was crucial to your lifetime earnings and workplace pension coverage(not to mention retirement health benefits). But to your point about the exteme poor, less of that in Canada, I agree.
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Being from Montreal, a man (or sometimes woman) would get hired by Angus Shops out of high school and be able to raise a family and own a house. Those days are gone.
CPR Angus Shops - Montreal, Quebec, Canada - World War II Sites on Waymarking.com
CPR Angus Shops - Montreal, Quebec, Canada - World War II Sites on Waymarking.com
ROFL
A $500K house in a vast number of American cities is just some neighborhood eyesore.
The average price for a home in BC is even $900K
There's an Al Jazera documentary with that same woman. She says she had drug and drink problems. I've seen unions here in Canada do a lot for some lazy people I personally know (guys who pretend they're injured because they want to take the summers off, always turning up late for work, doing dogs body jobs for $30 per hour and still complaining foreigners take all the 'good jobs' while they're not qualified to do anything but sweep floors and the unions help them keep their jobs preventing another hard working and willing person doing that job) but sometimes there's a limit to what unions can do for a person
*updated for a spelling correction
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I suspected something was up with her. If she were a good employee, no way would she still be unemployed. Employers are having a difficult time finding good workers.
This is true in California, Hawaii, New York, etc. But in many states such as those in the south and midwest, a half million dollar house is still an upper class house. Usually what a $2 million dollar house is in Toronto.
Oh I agree. I worked for 30 years in a unionized plant. Half the people their should have been fired.
I sympathize a bit but not a lot. I think one of the people in that doc said they regret their decisions....even the Latin girl has hooked up with married man with a kid and no or low paid job because 'he was hot'...he may be a pretty boy but is isn't a great provider or achiever..she made her choice so she better live with it. So they are all struggling financially and are not rich financially but they're probably rich in memories from when they were young and f*cking around when all of the working rich/high earners were studying, learning their craft, saving money etc. People need to look at themselves and not keep blaming other stuff for them being in a poor situation...works both ways - I spent way too much of my youth studying, working and saving and am not rich in memories (unless you count with hookers!), have no family, no kids, live a boring life etc. but am financially secure and earn 10 times minimum wage
Someone who is a member of a Union, and is laid off or voluntarily terminates their employment, should always apply for a Withdrawal Card. When I was a Teamster 40 years ago, the withdrawal card cost fifty cents. I left the job to go back to school full-time for a year.
Without a withdrawal card, if an employee returns to a job which has the same Union, they would be considered a probationary employee a second time, they would have to pay the initiation fee a second time, and they would be at the bottom of the seniority list. They also would take a pay cut, if they had earned raises during their previous stint in the Union; it's back to starting wage.
If anyone here joins a Union shop, I highly recommend that they read the Employee booklet and the Collective Bargaining Agreement in detail, and then look for an opportunity to apply for the position of Shop Steward. Shop Steward is not a job, it's usually an unpaid additional duty. Chances are good that the current Shop Steward is an older, tenured Employee who would be more than happy to give up the position.
The reason why you would want to do this is that the Shop Steward is considered 2nd on the seniority list for the purpose of layoffs, regardless of how long they have been a member of the Union, (they are NOT 2nd in line for the choice of jobs, nor for overtime). At least, that's how it works or worked with the Teamsters.
Mostly the Steward handles minor grievances between Employees and Management, like accounting errors which result in a paycheck being short, or situations where an Employee may be in danger because of faulty equipment, and similar. The Steward doesn't deal with issues between Employee and Employee,
It seems like if you've got lots of money, lots of education and a great job, the US is probably the best country a person can hope to live in.
If you don't have these things, you're kinda fucked. That country will eat you alive.
If you don't have these things, you're kinda fucked. That country will eat you alive.
Kinda like every other country.
Not anymore.
Try to take a public bus at night in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia... You will shit your pants!
San Diego, San Antonio, Austin... They need to water the street every day to remove the smell of piss.
The ones who have money are moving to gated community where a Karen will freak out if a Uber black driver attempts to make a delivery.
Near DC I was told by hotel clerk not to go east of the hotel as I would enter an area where I probably wont' come out without my phone, money and maybe my shoes and coat. Last time I was warn like this was when I spent a night in Belize City many years ago...
with taxation worse than Canada. All though we aren't too far off.
