General Union

[AssKissinger]

Do y'all have any opinions about the union? http://www.generalunion.org/

[GomiGirl]

I've never been in a union..

but then I have always negotiated my own packages and have always been on good terms with my bosses.. then I became a boss.

My opinion has always been that with any job there is give and take. The bosses are people too with a different set of stresses but they are usually reasonable if they can see that you are actually making an effort for your wages and not just trying to rip off the company they work for. Belive it or not, bosses don't lie awake at night thinking about new ways to screw the staff..

As a boss I am pretty reasonable always trying to make sure that my staff are fulfilled and happy as this is when people work the hardest and give the best loyalty.

Some of my friends who are very left have always had this "them vs us" attitude which doesn't help anything and is just asking for friction. But then signing up to work in a sweat shop is just asking to be exploited.

[AssKissinger]

History has proven this much. Owners want the most and best labor for the cheapest price possible. Just like I try to get the biggest and tastiest hamburger for the cheapest price. That means they will work you as hard as and pay you as little as they can get away with. If you're skilled and times are good that may work out ok for you. If you're unskilled and times are hard you may find yourself chained to a machine. If it wasn't for labor activism that would still be happenning. And in places like China and Indonesia it probably still is. Bosses and owners aren't always the same but they do have something in common. They may not stay awake at night dreaming up new ways to screw the workers but they do stay awake thinking about how to maximize profits. In a lot of cases that boils down to the same thing. That's why labor needs a unified voice, to even the playing field and to up bargaining power. I know that companies need to make a profit to survive but workers need a fair deal to get by and raise a family, too.

[GomiGirl]

Where do you think that the money comes from to pay wages? Profits are used to pay wages, bonuses and expenses. Most small company bosses don't get paid well. I am the lowest paid in my company.

The more understanding that people have about each other's jobs the better relationship within a company and then everybody is happy and productive. Give and take, empathy and communication, not conflict, greed and laziness.

[ramchop]

There's got to be a big difference between a small company and a big company.

In a small company the boss interacts with all the workers and knows what they do. Much more likely to give them what they deserve if the money is there.

In a big company, your manager may go into bat for you, but there's little direct contact between you and the money men. Very very difficult not to develop an us and them mentality in that situation.

[NeoNecroNomiCron]

[quote="&quot"] I am the lowest paid in my company. quote]

Can I come and work for you will I get paid the most? I am good a slacking!

[AssKissinger]

Where do you think that the money comes from to pay wages? Profits are used to pay wages, bonuses and expenses

I already said that I know that companies need to make a profit. BTW, profits are not used to pay wages, bonuses and expenses. Profits are what the company has left after they pay wages, bonuses and expenses. AND, small companies can dick you just as hard as the big guys and sometimes worse!

[GomiGirl]

Of all the companies I know, no-one is deliberately dicking the workers at all.

I think that the assumption that somebody will rip you off just because the own a company is offensive. How about innocent until proven guilty. If you start working for somebody assuming that they will be ripping you off then you really have the wrong attitude and are setting yourself up for an unpleasant and confrontational working environment.

If you are being screwed then by all means then fight for your rights, but all of the business owners I know (including myself) are just regular folks trying to do the best they can and hoping that the staff are interested in coming along for the ride with rewards at the end.

[jingai]

As a former small business owner, I can say that the difference between exploitation and "realistic business practices" can just be a difference in perspective. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I think some of the things I asked my employees to do "on behalf of the team" were simply abusive. I think I did much better as a manager last year- I was in charge of hiring and firing, but the expectations of what needed to be done and when were always clearly laid out.

[American Oyaji]

unions arent necessary until it gets to the point where a company has hundreds of workers and up.

The bigger a company gets, the more out of touch it gets with its workers.
I was anti union and was annoyed that due to the collective bargaining agreement, they got money out of my check each month automatically whether I wanted to or not.

Until I got sick and my company shafted me hard. They went to bat for me in a BIG HUGE way.

In fact, Praise be to God, I got my settlement check today. 1 of 2.

I also had a review board meeting at the union hall to see about getting my job back. Without a union, I would have been bent over a barrel like Marcelis.

[AssKissinger]

unions arent necessary until it gets to the point where a company has hundreds of workers and up.

I can see your point that big companies lose touch with their employees but to think that small companies can't or don't treat their employees unfairly sometimes is a bit naive, isn't? I worked for a small English school in Korea. Now the owner of that place was a the biggest son of bitch scum bag I ever worked for. Here in Hiroshima there's a relatively small school called LANG that fired an employee for demanding his late pay. Check the forums on http://www.gethiroshima.com for details. Big companies need organized labor. That's for sure. But also, workers in general no matter where they work need to stand together to fight exploitation.

[Caustic Saint]

I worked for a small English school in Korea. Now the owner of that place was a the biggest son of bitch scum bag I ever worked for.

Dude, hagwons are a whole other ballgame. I've been there and done that, and got out okay. I'm going back for more in two weeks. Sure, some of the owners are scumbags, but they're not all like that. Every industry has its bad eggs.

[AssKissinger]

I'm going back for more in two weeks

Why on God's green earth would you go back to Korea instead of coming to Japan?

[Caustic Saint]

I'm going back for more in two weeks

Why on God's green earth would you go back to Korea instead of coming to Japan?

I've lived in Korea for 4 of the last 8 years, so it's very familiar territory to me. Plus, I can bank more in Korea than in Japan. I've got a good job lined up with better hours and pay than I had last time. I'm just finishing up a 4-month vacation back in the states and don't have the cash to start up in Japan. A year in Korea will make it much easier for me to get started in Japan.

I've visited Japan and really like it, and intend to be working/living there in a year. I'm thinking long-term here.

[Taro Toporific]

History has proven this much. Owners want the most and best labor for the cheapest price possible.

Televiews / The sport of 'politispeak'
Wm Penn / The Daily Yomiuri / 2003-08-07
...want some bracing discussion of the serious issues that Japan faces--Takeshi no TV Tackle, Mondays at 9 p.m. on TV Asahi network. ... they were in fine form on the evening of July 28 when they took up the issue of just how much the poor, hardworking "salaryman" is willing to put up with from the current administration.

Some panelists wondered why salaried workers did not organize. Beat commented that it has been so long since there was a major strike in Japan that some younger people do not appear to know what the concept meant. But when some salaried workers on the street were interviewed on their way home from a long day at work, much to the shock of the in-studio audience, most of them claimed they could endure even more hardships.