The person making 30+$ per hour is the target consumer for most marketing efforts.

How much fewer goods and services will he consume making, say, $10/hr?

Unless I miss my guess, his consumption is going down 66.666%. I doubt that too many $10/hr people will buy CTDs, Harleys, boats, etc.

 

I think you are probably right. I also would suggest there are two types of people that buy CTD. One would be the guy that went his hole life with some old beater and retired and got one. The other would be the people that make more then your target marketing amount. And of the two groups, 60% leased them because they really couldn't afford the truck.

 

From the Farmington New Mexico newspaper.............

Headlines
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Electrical worker bucks union order
By Jim Snyder/The Daily Times
Jan 27, 2004, 10:50 am

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SHIPROCK — Daniel Benally, a unionized electrical worker, said Monday he would continue to work for a non-union contractor despite being ordered by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 611 of Albuquerque, to leave his job.

Adolph Chavez, a 611 organizer, said the union only wants to protect and fight for the rights of its workers to have good wages, no-cost health care and other benefits. He added other union job sites are opening at the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry south of Farmington, in Naschitti, Dulce and Albuquerque.

“They’re needing manpower,” Chavez said.

A Navajo labor compliance officer added it was too soon to tell if any Navajo Preference Laws have been violated by the union.

Benally is doing the electrical work at an expansion and renovation construction site on the north side of the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock.

He began his job last year working for Southwest Technical Inc. a unionized electrical subcontractor. The company declared bankruptcy last fall. Its owners then started Solero Contracting, a non-unionized electrical subcontractor. They continued to employ Benally.

That is where Benally and his union clashed.

Ruben Romero, a business manager with Local 611, ordered Benally and co-worker Don Clark to immediately pull themselves off the job site Jan. 15. Clark, also a union electrician, quit Thursday. But Benally vowed to remain.

Benally said quitting would be “financial suicide” because it would cost him $60,000 in lost wages in the next six months. He added if he quits on his own he would not be eligible for federal unemployment.

“I’m at the crossroads between the union and non-union about what’s happening,” Benally said.

“I’ve been a union man for the last 30 years. ... To me, I’m doing fine with a non-union contractor. We believe we started this job and have a right to finish it and see it though.”

Benally faces possible charges by the union, Chavez said. He added, however, claims by Benally and Clark that the union had threatened their pensions and annuities if they remained on the job are completely false.

“We don’t have any control of pensions. Those pensions are theirs.”

Workers pensions nationwide are vested at five years under federal law and cannot be touched.

Benally and Clark added it was not right for a non-Navajo union to order Navajo workers off a Navajo reservation job site being paid by federal funds.

“The union wants me to come off the job on my own Navajo Nation,” Benally said. “I wish the Navajo Nation would do something about trying to promote conduct or ethics by organized labor.”

Navajo Office of Labor Relations officer John Wilson said Monday it was too early to decide if a course of action against the union is warranted because there was no documentation threatening the workers’ pensions.

“It’s kind of premature,” said Wilson, a labor compliance officer in Shiprock. He added the Navajo Preference in Employment Act addressing harassment by an employer may or may not apply in the case of Benally and Clark.

Wilson cited the following in Section B, Paragraph 9 of the act: All employers shall maintain a safe and clean working environment and provide employment conditions which are free of prejudice, intimidation and harassment.

“I would think that would be applicable. But I don’t know if it would be applied,” Wilson said. He added, “I feel if they had another job for them that would be different.”

Chavez said Southwest Technical owed thousands of dollars in benefits to his union workers.

“When they went bankrupt they (allegedly) tried to get out of benefits,” he said. “We’ve been trying to get them into court. They’re like a slippery fish.”

Chavez added the union filed to get Southwest Technical’s certified payroll stubs under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Benally admitted in a separate interview there were problems.

“They (Southwest Technical) were union when they got this job. The funds were so low they couldn’t pay benefits. They came back as Salero. ... (But) they are doing a good job supplying Navajo boys with work.”

Clark added he wants his union to come through for him now that he quit the non-union job.

“I’m in a survival mode. ... The bottom line is I want to work.”

 

While this last article was interesting, it is not indicative of the norm. This was a guy that was unionize only a year ago. He did not go Thur the normal union process, which would include training and the serving of a 4-5 year apprenticeship coarse. He did not have to work for his spot in the union fancily, nor did he have to go Thur the normal riggers of coming up Thur the system. Instead he was simply "taken in" as one in a large number of employees that voted to go union. While your article told one side of the story, it negated to tell the whole story. This company had a vote, it's workers after a long hard campaign of examining all the pluses and minus;s of union or non-union labor, took a vote. The majority of them voted to go with union represented labor and all that comes along with this. The health and welfare packages, the over time polices, the pension plans, the annuity plans, arbitration, the right to a safe workplace policies, the right to vote on your next contract, the training and apprenticeship programs, the socialization and yes even the union dues. At the time of this switch over, know one reported on the higher wages the workers were to receive. No one mentioned the heath and welfare packages that were put in place. Nor did any of the other benefits each and every worker received, make headlines or make it in to your article. This worker didn't refuse to accept the higher pay when they switched over? He didn't pass on the medical plan. In fact he didn't pass on anything, he held his hand out and took all he could get. Then when the company goes bankrupt, which was just a ploy to ditch the union labor that had been voted in, he switches to the other side. I have no hard feeling what so ever, I say go were you want or must, and be happy. I find it somewhat amazing that articles like this continue to make it into print. Why do they? They make it to print, because it serves someones purpose, and that is to try and show the union as something bad or evil. To me it is a nothing issue, on any other day who would care that a guy choose to stay with his scummy company? Truth is it happens all the time, every day and will continue to happen. The real story in your article, was left out. The fact that a work force exercised it right to put the union vs non-union issue to a vote, and go with what ever the outcome brought is the story. The fact that the work force voted and had there say as to what the future should be, and then after that vote, the company folded to avoid going union was completely, and conveniently left un-mentioned. Instead they focused on one man, one individual that hadn't been in the union long enough to matter, and wrote there story to spot light him. Truth is the story was already written, the plot determined and they just needed the subject with a name to inject in all the blank spaces. They forgot to mention all the other people that worked at that plant, and how they had families and children with hopes and dreams. How the underhanded owners of the plant cut into all those dreams, how they will survive without the health plan that was just voted in. How the parents will do with there lower rates, and fewer benefits. I am always amazed how people get so polarized on the subject of unions. They are for or against, it is cut and dry with know middle ground. Why? We all have to work, that is just the cold reality of life. We all have bills, a family to feed, house to pay for, trucks to buy, dreams to live and a future to look forward to, so why the split? We all have the classification of Worker as a common bond, we all depend on a combination of intelligence, reliability, strength, and production to get us buy. Seems that there would be more people wanting the most out of life that they could get. It also seems like there should not be such a rift between the two sides, in many cases we do the same jobs, work the same hours and have to put up with the same crap, so what is up with this?? This article was simply one man that wanted it both way, he took and never had anything to give back, old news, nothing new, just written with a slant of favoritism toward the owners. It's ashame that so many families have to struggle and live Friday to Friday, yet don't that there is strength in numbers, that when a group of people get together they become a force. It is the same with these forums, alone we go un-heard and un-recognized. But here we are a group of 9,000? or so individuals that has joined together to form a group, we are a force. By doing so we demand attention and have the ability to change things, inform the un-informed, educate, work together. All over the United States there are small groups of us the get together, share there experiences and help one another. Weather you like it or not, we are doing the same exact thing that a Union would do. Organize a bunch of small groups into a large force, educate, look-out for each other, be heard. They are no different, think about it.

 

y-knot...paragraph breaks man, paragraph breaks! My eyes hurt now.

 

I'm not taking sides with anyone. I posted this because I thought it was interesting that the Union told him to quit his job. I would think that Mr. Benally, are any other man, would know and do what he thinks is beast for him and his family.

I understand the power of numbers, especially in the workplace, but I also believe in the individuals rights.

Lastly, I got the impression that he had belonged to the Union for more then a year:
“I’ve been a union man for the last 30 years. ... To me, I’m doing fine with a non-union contractor. We believe we started this job and have a right to finish it and see it though.”

CR

 

I normally try to stay out of this type of thread but....

I have worked non-union and union, and of course I prefer the latter. There are lazy people in my local that don't deserve the protection that my union affords them. But, in the non-union shops I've worked at (at half the pay), there are also lazy people(with no self respect) who get away with it cause they kiss the boss' ***.

If I wanted the stress and insecurity of owning my own buisness I would go that route, and possibly make more money. But instead I make a fair wage that allows me to raise a family without any social assistance(saves your tax money), put plenty of money back into the economy(saves your job), and pay plenty of taxes(saves your roads, schools, etc. etc.). I can afford to put my children through college so they don't have to join a union to make a living wage.

I suggest anyone on the fence on these issues(I know the anti-labor guys won't research it, they've got to work late tonight ) do a little searching, and see what we take for granted that is a direct result of the labor movement in this country(social security, minimum wage, job safety laws, employer paid health insurance ect.).

BTW-My dream team for the next white house:
John Kerry President
Gen. Wesly Clark VP
Two REAL(not A.W.O.L.) veterans to take care of our troops!

 

Iwant1,

You many excellent points - and have my full agreement

 

Dream Team...............

There was a news article on the radio today about Kerry's actions after Viet Nam. I don't know if it's true, but it was about him hanging around Miss Viet Nam, Jane Fonda after he got back. If it's true, too bad he had to ruin a good military record............he went A.W.O.L. when he got back.

 

You may want to mention the radio show, believe it or not, some of these radio shows have a political agenda. If he was disgusted with the Vietnam war AFTER serving, then I guess he has that right.

 

If I wanted the stress and insecurity of owning my own buisness I would go that route

STRESS, YES, insecurity NO. The day I quit my job and went out on my own, I thought I was going to have a heart attack, that's no BS, my wife almost took me to the hospital, I felt like I had stepped off of a 10000 foot clif and was on my way down to the bottom, but guess what, I sprouted wings and learned how to fly, worked 6-7 days a week, 16-20 hours a day at first, but we where able to atleast pay bills and buy groceries, and later we started adding machinery, and more and more. After only 3 1/2 years in business, we finally cracked the 7 seven figure mark last year, only by a few, but we did it. One thing I learned back in the 80's during the recession, service and repair work goes thru the roof and new product orders go down, so for now, we are working our butts off and putting our company in a postion with the extra money that it's making to bring in more new pumps and parts for when the economy "turns around", which it already has and both sides of the business have been very good so far. I LOVE working for myself, I have no one to blame it does bad but ME, I don't have to listen to some butt head boss complain because I'm not producing enough to make him look good, and if I want to shut the shop down at lunch and go fishing, I CAN. Naw, I ain't getting rich, just HAPPIER everyday knowing that I can do it on my OWN. You never know until you try, and I didn't want to be 100 years old and say " I wish I'd had the gonads to do that".

 

Your right, a lot of us were pretty disgusted. But, most of us did not disrespect the guys while they were over there and when they came back.

The Democrates didn't handle that one very well.

 

I applaud your ambition and success! But all I want to do is make a decent living and support my family-while earning my employer enough that he can afford to keep paying me a good wage with safe working conditions(which my union bargains for and my employer bargains too). This allows me to provide for my family while paying taxes to keep this country up.
But I am grateful for people like you who provide the opportunity for people like me to do these things. I just want a livable wage while doing so. As long as I do my job to the best of my ability I don't have to worry about where my next paycheck is coming from. This is what I get from my union.

 

Well said Iwant1.

I felt the same as you, except I done it non-union. I'm happy.... your happy...... that's all that counts!

CR

 

Thanks crobtex! Now I'm gonna get back to dreamin about my new truck!