ACTI being Picketed
Sixteen union members gathered outside the Angeles Composite Technologies Inc. plant today. The business representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the union has been trying to negotiate a contract with ACTI for the past sixteen months.
posted by Tom Harper at 8:56 PM
18 Comments:
Being a spouse of an employee, I can say "the union came to our door and promised $4 and $5 per hour wage increases". "A company funded pension plan and free medical insurance"??
All of this was a lie, now they are proposing a $0.40 increase which ironically equals their required dues. wow
We are being sold down the river for union dues
Yes, right. As Mike Rauch says, he wants a contract that is more "realistic" given the current economic conditions. Let's see. The Dow, S&P and NasDaq are at record highs. The contracts Rauch has are for parts for the hugely expensive F-22 and F-35 fighter jets.
Yes Mike, let's get "realistic".
Before I start, I take my hat off to Mike with having to put up with that town for so long. I got out when I had my chance and it paid off immensely.
The problem that underlies everything is that the Union only cares about one thing, and one thing only. MONEY
Just like the first post said, they come promising these outrageous claims such as free medi insurance, and 25% higher wages. Well let me tell you all something, NO company can promise that.
When all the union really wants, is to collect its dues. So we sit here and bash Mike for making 'realistic' business decisions and for providing 100+ jobs for this community for the last 10 years.
And we bash him? Why would the union even be partially interested in ACTI, THEY MAKE MONEY... and THEY WANT THEIR MONEY. And they go about doing this by targeting the people and their families by promising them these outrageous claims... Which anyone with a college degree could tell you that no company can afford that without going bankrupt.
Which leads to me my next and final point. And please take this lightly people of PA; Unions target people with very low education levels. Primarily people working in/on shop floors such as ACTI, Westport, Machine shops etc. etc.
No offense, but those 10-15$ per hour jobs take little to no education... So why not take advantage of those people and con them into thinking they're going to get this crazy deal with the union- when deep down they know they are going to make hundreds of thousands dollars in 'PROFIT' every year.
Again, Mike, keep doing what your're doing. Good things are coming...
amen capitalist
Mike is the best boss I've ever had and anyone that is bashing him or ACTI does not know Mike or the company.
Wages range from $11 per hour to $20, with a matching 401K, almost free medical insurance, free life insurance, free short term disability, and up to 18 days paid time off. There's more to it than people know.
Without Mike we'd have 100+ less jobs in town.
Hang in there Mike, your employees will make the right choice when they learn the truth.
"Hang in there Mike, your employees will make the right choice when they learn the truth."
Uh, you mean they don't know the truth about where they work already?
Wow, what a bunch of lame comments! If I worked there, you guys (or gals) would make me want to sign up with the union lickety split!
So the PDN give us yet another update on the Forks pizza shop burglar, and the guy who stole the car in PA.
What's up with this shit? They totally ignore the local crime scene, except once a year when they interview some in law enf. and he says oh, things are normal here. It's not here, it's over there and that was last year!
Was checking our crime stats the other day. While murder is low (unless you count the MISSING) we are sort of off the charts lately with crime. We have moved from "average" crime rate to high. Yup, we did.
anon 10:41
I meant the truth about union lies
There seems to be a discrepancy in what Anon 7:44 AM and Anon 2:48 PM and other writers here and in the comments to the PDN are saying about the wages and benefits for workers at ACTI.
Do ACTI workers all receive company-paid medical insurance and 401K's paid-for by ACTI?
Are most ACTI workers paid a wage of $11 an hour? If some workers are paid more than $11 hour, who are they?
What compensation packages are the owners and higher company officials receiving?
How much is ACTI paying a certain former councilwoman who does "consulting" for them?
How many of the posts favorable to ACTI are from ACTI officials or their shills?
Typical Port Angeles. Feed the local hillbillies a line that supports the very things that are screwing them, and they go for it, every time.
We heard the same thing with HarborWorks and PenPly. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Support anything that has the word "jobs" pinned to it, somehow, regardless of what the realities are.
Yes, don't question the way we have things set up. Just go away.
$11 an hour? Not much more than a first time job for a teenager at a fast food joint.
Just because Port Angeles is a backwater piece of crap of a town doesn't mean it should be treated like it is in China.
How can Port Angeles move ahead, if businesses pay employees so little?
Remember the walk-out last week of employees at MacDonalds across the country, wanting a *starting* wage of $15 an hour?
The leaders in this town say that more "industry" is the real answer to Port Angeles moving ahead. Not if they pay low wages. No one will be able to pay for anything at those wages, and things will remain as they are.
Anyone know of any connections this company has to any of the slimy corruption in the port, etc.?
A few years ago there were some articles in the PDN feting (sorry!) the company and some real estate deals that had been done.
A new company in a new industry, in a place like this, with so many airborne toxic buggers in this industry, I'd say run (if you still can without passing out) don't walk, to the golden arches.
7:52 - Unions are not Santa Claus.
You think they are liars, huh? The liars are Fox News, Republicans, teabaggers...
Pick any issue, the right wing is all over the place now. Liars - good one.
Keep believing them while they fuck up the country. Teabagger state legislatures have been taking away the right to organize in a few states, they have been restricting voting rights, they have been rolling back environmental regulations in really toxic industries such as this one, and they have been empowering tools like George Zimmerman. The tide is turning, but no one here really cares about PA. It like fucking Serbia. There is no debate. Liberals, progressives, people who like to work in a collective fashion, we are all liars!
No more than 6 people are getting paid the entry level $11/hour at ACTI. The company matches up to 4% of the 401k contributions made by the employee, the company pays 100% of the premiums for short term disability and $25,000 in life insurance for every employee, the company pays the majority of health care premiums, offers tuition reimbursement, paid holidays and up to 18 days paid time off per year.
The union knocked on my door at home offering incredible pay raises and benefits that were and still are simply unrealistic. ACTI is a small business, not a large corporation or government entity. With that in mind, the benefits offered are extremely fair.
Unions suck ass
I'm not completely for or against unions, it's just a struggle against the rich that want cheaper labor here and those that want more, which also makes them as greedy as the employers.
Guess that is the way it has to be being as everyone wants so much and isn't willing to make things more equal.
While murder is low (unless you count the MISSING)
Well, we have a pretty deep sound.
"people who like to work in a collective fashion" Oh God! The Port Angeles "collective"... loosely translated: a bunch of self-elected "geniuses" who think everyone needs to orbit around their shining star. They constantly have their hands out. They gather yes-men and doormat to do all their work for them. No compensation because that's not "community". Of course, some pigs get to spend a little more time at the trough than others. The geniuses get all the credit and all the rewards while the "community" gets shafted. This town is full of these geniuses, on every level. And try saying "no" to them. They'll throw a fit like you wouldn't believe. I'm probably an "asshole teabagger" because of this, but I've had enough of slaving for the "community". "Community". Jesus. If you're so smart do your own damn work or at least arrange a partnership instead of a dictatorship.
Anon 4:34
thanks for the info, I suspect the 6 people making $11.00 per hour know exactly why they have not seen an increase yet? time of service, performance, attendance, etc.
I think Port Angeles should set up "Free Trade Industrial Parks" like they have in North Korea, and used to have set up in South Africa before apartheid was abolished.
These fenced in areas are/were exempt of the rules and regulations that applied for the rest of the country. Special tax incentives are set up to encourage foriegn corporations to build factories, to take advantage of the virtual slave labor these countries offer.
I see China is considering these, currently.
Hurry up, Port Angeles, and get in on this opportunity.
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