T, the reason many companies are heading offshore is due to restrictive health, safety, and pollution laws which they feel unfair. Add in investors unrealistic demans for high return on investments drives companies to cut cost. Our wages have never meet or exceeded the cost of living, even with quarterly raises (or deductions should the cost of living factor subside). What you see when we negotiate a new contract is the flexible COL rate, which were recieving at that point of time, being rolled into our base wage.



As far as health and safety, have you seen the media reports of all the chineese factory workers being injured as of late? Their using our old tech machines to produce products, machines that OSHA wouldn't allow to be used here.



Boggy, MI is not a right to work state. If employees of a certian company are represented by a union, all people that hire in are required to join the union. Some may gripe, but you are offered a job, it's your choice to accept or reject the job offer. You know where you stand going in. It's kind of a fallacy that I "let someone else do my talking". The only time a committie man is calles is after an issue has been discussed with management and I couldn't resolve the issue to my satisfaction. I've filed 2 grievances in the past 5 years, and won both.



To those whom take issue with equal pay no matter what your ability level, hey not everyone is capable of accomplishing the same task in a given time. It's human nature, so get over it. We don't coddle the inept, their shown the door, if they ever make it in.