PJ TV article on “The Smallest Minority”

Posted by Greybeard on Jan 3rd, 2010 in Days of Old, Political | Comments Off

This video at the Smallest Minority caught my attention 

Couldn’t agree more,  and I’ve seen the same thing happenning to Flint, Michigan,  but one thing about it bothered me a little bit.  I tried to post a comment and it wouldn’t take,  so I’ve posted the comment below.

As a  GM skilltrades retiree,  (retired for the past 10 years),

I agree with 99% of the PJTV video,  with a few minor exceptions:

In 30 years at GM,   I went from $1.95 per hour as a janitor,  up to $23.15 an hour as a

Journeyman Machinist/Machine Repairman.  Over the years the UAW declined offered pay raises to increase our health benifits and vacation time.   The MOST paid yearly vacation time I ever received was 2 weeks.  Yes, in  the 30 years I worked there, I got approximately 220 vacation days.   Our health coverage got progressively worse over the last 10 years I worked,  and have gotten to be almost non existant now that I’ve retired.   A typical doctors office call costs me $160,  and the 4 prescriptons I currently take to stay alive,  cost me $250 every three months.  We do not have eye or dental care!  

An odd thing about not having eye and dental care is,  it cost me very little more out of pocket, now that I pay the “real” bill. (un-edited by the insurance companies)

I haven’t been a “Union man” for 25 years,  and agree with everything the article said about the unions.   

I’m not interested in arguing these facts, because I lived them.    I just hate to see shop workers,  (many who were forced into the UAW),  lumped in with the UAW crowd.  It’s hard to quietly accept the exagerations about shop workers.   Especially, since my second career was in the public school system.  I saw first hand how the school employees downrated shop workers for their supposedly extravagent pay and benefits,  even though most of the school employee’s,  (myself at that time,  included),  got better benefits, vacations,  and pay than the shop workers.

I’ve made this type of argument before,  and it brought some angry responses from some friends who didn’t live through those GM years with me.  With that in mind,  I will not likely be approving any comments on this post so don’t bother.  It’s history.  Just remember,  Propaganda is a powerful tool and is cruelly wielded!



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