Class Warfare

[Hopeful]

Let me ask all the pro company, anti unions folks here something:
DO EXECUTIVES RECEIVE PALTRY RAISES LIKE THIS?

And before you answer with the "Market Rate" mantra, let me remind you that the Fat Cats at the top have their "Market Rate" detemined by the Board of Directors, who in turn, are Fat Cats at other companies, who have their "Market Rate" determined by their Board Of Directors, who in turn are Fat Cats at other compainies, who have their "Market Rate" determined by their Board Of Directors, who in turn are Fat Cats at other companies who have their "Market Rate" determined by.........Well you know the rest!

And, also, leave out the fact that thes Fat Cats are Better than the rest of us because we've heard it all before!


AP
Wages Up by Smallest Amount in Nine Years
Tuesday January 31, 8:34 am ET
By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer
Wages and Benefits Paid to Civilian Workers Rise by the Smallest Amount in Nine Years


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Wages and benefits paid to civilian workers rose last year by the smallest amount in nine years, the government reported Tuesday.
The Labor Department said that employee compensation was up 3.1 percent in 2005, an increase that was slower than the 3.7 percent rise in 2004. The slowdown reflected a big drop in benefit costs -- items such as health insurance and pensions -- which rose by 4.5 percent last year after jumping by 6.9 percent in 2004.

The new Employment Compensation Index should ease concerns at the Federal Reserve that improving labor markets could be starting to push up wage pressures. Wages and salaries rose by 2.6 percent last year, only slightly higher than a 2.4 percent increase in 200

 

[777 fixer]

People seem to wonder why CEO pay in this country is at such a high level. Or why even when a CEO proves to be an incompetant hack they still walk away with millions. You hit the nail on the head when you point out the fact that the BOD's of companies are populated with executives from other companies. You watch, somone on this thread will come out and defend these clowns.

 

[eolesen]

Yet it's not at all out of the question for Mack Brown to get $2.5M just to coach a college football program (University of Texas)?

By the way, I believe that's more than the salary of the top three or four executives at AMR combined.

 

[DFWCC]

Yet it's not at all out of the question for Mack Brown to get $2.5M just to coach a college football program (University of Texas)?

By the way, I believe that's more than the salary of the top three or four executives at AMR combined.

MB football program is profitable and they are #1.

 

[Hopeful]

Yet it's not at all out of the question for Mack Brown to get $2.5M just to coach a college football program (University of Texas)?

By the way, I believe that's more than the salary of the top three or four executives at AMR combined.

Who said it is allright for anyone to make an obscene amount of money?
Mack Brown's position is comparable to a top exec. So he is in the same network of good old boys saying "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours!"

The bottom line is the Fat Cats take care of themsleves while keeping the rest of us surpressed!

 

[Dea Certe]

Hopeful,

It's the old crony system. That's how they get away with it. I don't begrudge anyone their fair due, but when Corporate Executives make millions for running companies into the ground, it's not right.

What I don't understand is how BK courts will allow such large pay-outs to the people who leave corporations in sorry states.

And I certainly don't understand how pensions for the workers, many who have put far more time into a company than the management, can be stripped away. Yet, the Executives get retirement plans and bonuses!

It's like The Mad Hatter's Tea Party! Nothing makes sense!

Dea

 

[eolesen]

Every time I hear the term "fat cat" I keep thinking of a scene in "Roger and Me" where one of the more senior GM workers (complete with a scarf over her hair and outdated glasses even for 1986) was speaking out about Roger Smith and the Fat Cats, and how she'd say what she really thought of them but after all, she was a still lady...

 

[Oneflyer]

Who said it is allright for anyone to make an obscene amount of money?
Mack Brown's position is comparable to a top exec. So he is in the same network of good old boys saying "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours!"

The bottom line is the Fat Cats take care of themsleves while keeping the rest of us surpressed!

Hopeful, maybe you should move to Cuba!

Mack Brown has increased donations and revenue to the athletic program, several time over during his 8-9 years as head coach. UT had to give away tickets to sell out 10 years ago and now even after a stadium expantion every game is sold out before the year even starts. UT has made millions off of the work of Mack Brown, why should he not benefit from his hard work? Why would he put up with the extreme pressure and scrutiny if he weren't well compensated?

I can understand being pissed about executives getting bonuses when their company is losing money, but not compensating someone that is one or the 2 or 3 most successful people in an industry is absurd.

 

[Hopeful]

Hopeful, maybe you should move to Cuba!

Mack Brown has increased donations and revenue to the athletic program, several time over during his 8-9 years as head coach. UT had to give away tickets to sell out 10 years ago and now even after a stadium expantion every game is sold out before the year even starts. UT has made millions off of the work of Mack Brown, why should he not benefit from his hard work? Why would he put up with the extreme pressure and scrutiny if he weren't well compensated?

I can understand being pissed about executives getting bonuses when their company is losing money, but not compensating someone that is one or the 2 or 3 most successful people in an industry is absurd.

Maybe you should move to China, Oneflyer where the average worker gets $.25 an hour.

One, two or three successful people?

Where do airline executives fit in this equation?
We have seen executives at UAL, USAIR, NWA, ask a bankruptcy judge to tear up labor agreements and in the next breath ask that judge for increased compensation for the elite excutives. This is not about Mack Brown. I did not bring Mack Brown up. This is about greedy executives taking care of each other and creating the "market rate" that they all share in. But they are same ones that dictate "market rate" for us lowly union workers by knocking us down further and further.

These executives expect increased compensation because they cut heads and layoff thousands and thousands of people to be profitable. Do you really need an MBA from the Wharton School of Business to run a company these days? All you have to do is get rid of thousands of your workers and slash the benefits of the remaining ones. I wonder how many millions in bonus pay the CEOs of GM and Ford are going to get because they made the "Tough" choice to ruin thousands of people's lives.

But hey, Oneflyer, its the unions fault according to you!

 

[aafsc]

Hopeful, you are right; Oneflyer would fit right in in China. That way he/she can blame those Chinese for being non-productive even though they make 25 cents an hour, work 16 hours a day 6 days a week. Thank God that he/she left AA.

 

[goingboeing]

Yet it's not at all out of the question for Mack Brown to get $2.5M just to coach a college football program (University of Texas)?

By the way, I believe that's more than the salary of the top three or four executives at AMR combined.

Athelets and coaches are compensated for the amount of money[profit]they bring to a program or a team owner and not by how much they "are worth".
Why should a group of people who has allowed AA to lose 7.5 BILLION DOLLARS over the last 4 years be rewarded with bonuses?
This provides them an incentive to lose even more money over the next 4 years for even larger bonuses.
More Losses=Larger Bonuses

 

[Bob Owens]

why should he not benefit from his hard work? Why would he put up with the extreme pressure and scrutiny if he weren't well compensated?

I can understand being pissed about executives getting bonuses when their company is losing money, but not compensating someone that is one or the 2 or 3 most successful people in an industry is absurd.

Why shouldnt everyone benifit from their "Hard work"? (By the way how long is the football season?)

AA often says they have the best employees in the industry. If so then why dont they pay them the best?

It seems you have two standards here. People on the lower rungs should be happy for the crumbs they recieve, even if they work hard, are the best and have to put up with extreme pressure and scrutiny but those at the top should be richly rewarded if any of the above apply.

Do you really believe that with the hundreds of thousands of MBAs out there that "the market" demands that those at the top are paid much much more than those in the same positions, with the same qualifications, even when inflation is figured in, were paid a few decades ago?

 

[Hopeful]

Why shouldnt everyone benifit from their "Hard work"? (By the way how long is the football season?)

AA often says they have the best employees in the industry. If so then why dont they pay them the best?

It seems you have two standards here. People on the lower rungs should be happy for the crumbs they recieve, even if they work hard, are the best and have to put up with extreme pressure and scrutiny but those at the top should be richly rewarded if any of the above apply.

Do you really believe that with the hundreds of thousands of MBAs out there that "the market" demands that those at the top are paid much much more than those in the same positions, with the same qualifications, even when inflation is figured in, were paid a few decades ago?

Just remember that MBA's determine "market" rate. They can't possibly lose!

 

[KCFlyer]

I can understand being pissed about executives getting bonuses when their company is losing money, but not compensating someone that is one or the 2 or 3 most successful people in an industry is absurd.

I always have to ask myself, how hard would a guy like that have to work if he didn't have a low level labor group that took cuts in pay and benefits to perform the actual "work"? Sorry...but if profits come at the expense of cuts from the lower level, I feel that any "bonus" should go first to those who made it possible...not the overseer.

 

[Hopeful]

I always have to ask myself, how hard would a guy like that have to work if he didn't have a low level labor group that took cuts in pay and benefits to perform the actual "work"? Sorry...but if profits come at the expense of cuts from the lower level, I feel that any "bonus" should go first to those who made it possible...not the overseer.

I agree. What oneflyer and the rest of the pro company, anti-union types are saying is that they are worth more than the lowly union worker who only drinks coffee and smokes cigarettes. They feel that the CEO is worth millions because he slashed wages and laid off thousands.

They actually receive miilions in bonus and stock because they did this..