Tom's trouble with plumbers union.

[Fogbuster]

US auto makers are going down the tubes because foriegn car makers don't have to pay ludicrious wages like they do in Detroit and apparently for Boston plumbers. $60/hr what a joke.

And then the liberal egg-head professor types "wonder" why the middle class is running from the cities. All you've got left are people who don't care and will pay $100 / hour to a toilet seat fixed, and those who don't use toilet seats. Those who feast or those who famine.


//

 

[Danny Boy®]

How can the union be upset over Tom using common sense? It's stupid. Would they pay $100 for something when they could get the same thing somewhere else for $5?

I dont think Tom did it that way to save money, I think he hired a contractor and or architect that was highly recommended and they hired the subs....the Union usually doesnt go after residential projects but they found out it was Tom Brady and they jumped all over it.

 

[sdaniels7114]

As someone who's worked construction in private homes from one end of Beacon street to the other all I can say is I'm surprised there's a union crew doing the electrical. My guess is that the sparkys are doing the job for a loss just for the prestige/publicity of working for Brady. I doubt very much that they'll turn a profit on that job.

Union guys rarely work in private homes. Ask a union plumber to hook up 30 urinals in some airport bathroom, and he'll be finished and on his way to the bar by 3; but send him in to a private home and they'll be a lot of 'what's this f'n thing for?' Excuse the cursing; but I'm trying to be realistic. There's lots of cursing on construction job sites

Oh and anyone who spends $20.00 to have a commode hooked up better pray there's nothing valuable underneath it. Like a floor joist that'll cost 5 grand to replace if it rots away because water splashes on it every time the commode is flushed.

 

[Patjew]

Oh and anyone who spends $20.00 to have a commode hooked up better pray there's nothing valuable underneath it. Like a floor joist that'll cost 5 grand to replace if it rots away because water splashes on it every time the commode is flushed.

"Commode" sounds classy. Though I still prefer "crapper".

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Your kidding right? You have never installed a toilet? Believe me it is not hard. I am remodeling a house built in 1960 (which is a real old house here in AZ) I have redone the entire plumbing/water system. I am not making $61.00 an hour and would laugh my A** off if someone tried to charge me that to do it. Heck I'll fly to Boston and do Tom's job for half of that if he throws in a kiss from his girlfriend.

Ask people in Detroit how the unions are...of course you can't talk to the ones that don't have jobs anymore since they were getting paid $40+ an hour for tightening a bolt and priced themselves out of the market. US auto makers are going down the tubes because foriegn car makers don't have to pay ludicrious wages like they do in Detroit and apparently for Boston plumbers. $60/hr what a joke.

Ummm no, I've never installed a toilet, and somehow I wear that as a badge of honor.

I see people's issues with unions. I also know I don't trust the average corporate stiff to treat workers fairly.

The anti union folks such as yourself can cite unions as one reason the US auto industry is in the toilet as long as you also cite poor products and a complete lack of will to innovate as another component in its failure. There's no question that has also played a role. Driven a Pontiac lately? Honda and Toyota simply make better cars and I fail to see where that is even debatable.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Yeah, multiply $60*a 40 hour week * 50 weeks and you get $120K + benefits with 2 weeks vacation and that's before any special high rates for emergencies.

Most jobs that require a 4 year degree don't make that much money - I know mine doesn't.

True. But then again, you're probably not dealing with other people's feces on a daily basis either.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

First of all, I agree with the Posters who have pointed out that this should be the contractor's problem, not TB's.

That said, I'm going to go against the CW out here and defend the Union's right to protect its interests. None of us know all the facts in the case, and I would like to be assured that the Union first tried to work this out quietly before they made a public scene. Otherwise, stuff like this comes with the turf of TB's fame, not to mention of his fortune. IMO, he should instruct his contractor to hire these guys and move on.

I'm no bleeding heart, but Unions have helped a lot of people who were otherwise powerless earn a decent living. Sure there are abuses and $61 an hour for turning a wrench is an easy target to shoot at, but it's a lot better than a CEO who takes tens of millions for flushing his company down the toilet (just to keep the Plumber theme going).

Well said. I'm amazed at the anti union folks who seem so willing to hand over absolute trust to their corporate masters who would out-source their asses at the drop of the hat if they thought they could save 25 cents. The bottom line is some union's serve a purpose. Others do not. Some corporate CEOs are real life versions of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons while others are fair and generous. There are no absolutes.

 

[QuiGon]

And then the liberal egg-head professor types "wonder" why the middle class is running from the cities. All you've got left are people who don't care and will pay $100 / hour to a toilet seat fixed, and those who don't use toilet seats. Those who feast or those who famine.

Except the liberal egg-head professors don't hire union either. When it's their money being spent, they quickly abandon their own principles to save. Don't even get me started on Noam Chomsky (or, for that matter, Michael Moore who doesn't hire union labor when he doesn't have to either)...

 

[Danny Boy®]

"Commode" sounds classy. Though I still prefer "crapper".

Everyone does know that the toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper, right?

'tis a fact.

 

[BelichickFan]

True. But then again, you're probably not dealing with other people's feces on a daily basis either.

I would for $60 an hour + benefits + overtime.

 

[pats-blue]

Ummm no, I've never installed a toilet, and somehow I wear that as a badge of honor.

I see people's issues with unions. I also know I don't trust the average corporate stiff to treat workers fairly.

The anti union folks such as yourself can cite unions as one reason the US auto industry is in the toilet as long as you also cite poor products and a complete lack of will to innovate as another component in its failure. There's no question that has also played a role. Driven a Pontiac lately? Honda and Toyota simply make better cars and I fail to see where that is even debatable.

First thing you "wear it as a badge of honor you haven't installed a toilet"...ok, good for you, but my post was in response to yours where you said, "I wouldn't call plumbers unskilled. I sure as hell couldn't put in a toilet and I'll go out on a limb and say you couldn't either. One would think there is a fair amount of skill involved in quality plumbing." Now you change and say you wear it as a badge of honor rather than YOU COULDN'T install one. Well I let it be known that it is not hard to do. I have installed water heaters and replaced all my old galvanized plumbing with copper...again not hard. My take is that it does not take some magic skill to be a plumber...certainly not $60.00+/hr for one. paying a plumber less than that certainly is not "failing to pay a living wage" like these ******s said.

I am not anti union I am anti GREED. And that is what unions have become. Do you know why toyotas are better? I am sure much of it has to do with that fact by paying assembly workers $50/hr to tighten a bolt or push a button you end up spending so much on labor you don't have enough profit to put more money into the product, innovation, better materials ect.....I don't see where that is debatable.

 

[pats-blue]

I would for $60 an hour + benefits + overtime.

I know what you mean....I DO deal with people face to face all daylong, sometimes they even attack me and on occassion have shot at me or tried to run me over yet I don't get paid anywhere near $60/hour.

 

[upstater1]

First thing you "wear it as a badge of honor you haven't installed a toilet"...ok, good for you, but my post was in response to yours where you said, "I wouldn't call plumbers unskilled. I sure as hell couldn't put in a toilet and I'll go out on a limb and say you couldn't either. One would think there is a fair amount of skill involved in quality plumbing." Now you change and say you wear it as a badge of honor rather than YOU COULDN'T install one. Well I let it be known that it is not hard to do. I have installed water heaters and replaced all my old galvanized plumbing with copper...again not hard. My take is that it does not take some magic skill to be a plumber...certainly not $60.00+/hr for one. paying a plumber less than that certainly is not "failing to pay a living wage" like these ******s said.

I am not anti union I am anti GREED. And that is what unions have become. Do you know why toyotas are better? I am sure much of it has to do with that fact by paying assembly workers $50/hr to tighten a bolt or push a button you end up spending so much on labor you don't have enough profit to put more money into the product, innovation, better materials ect.....I don't see where that is debatable.

A lot of other factors as well. One of the big ones is that the major oil guys are tied up with investments in autos as well. That takes care of your innovation for you right there. Another factor is that we're getting beat by nations that provide more social services. Japanese carmakers hate coming to America and, 1. paying for their employees health care, and 2. paying to train their employees in some basic skillsets. They'd rather go to Canada where there are better educated workforces, and they get to skirt by on health care. The irony is that they pay higher taxes in Canada, but they seem to pay them gladly rather than mess with the dysfunctional US.

 

[upstater1]

I know what you mean....I DO deal with people face to face all daylong, sometimes they even attack me and on occassion have shot at me or tried to run me over yet I don't get paid anywhere near $60/hour.

Hmmm, I assume you're in law enforcement?

$60 an hour, assuming a 40 hour workweek (which, I'm not sure if plumbers count their travel ad downtime as billable hours), would be $2400 a week. That's about $120,000 a year. Up here in Buffalo, there are quite a few cops that earn in that range (though I believe they work more than 40 hours).

 

[mojocaster.com]

You know, a guy should be allowed to hire whomever he wants without some Union idiots picketing in front of his damn house... give me a break.

 

[upstater1]

Except the liberal egg-head professors don't hire union either. When it's their money being spent, they quickly abandon their own principles to save. Don't even get me started on Noam Chomsky (or, for that matter, Michael Moore who doesn't hire union labor when he doesn't have to either)...

Sounds like you bought somebody's horsedung. I've been hearing about these liberal professors, and the recent Carnegie foundation study (a conservative foundation) showed that professors are liberal to the tune of 55% as opposed to 45% conservative. Maybe you're talking about English Professors? Yes, they are overwhelmingly liberal.

I fail to see what they have to do with this discussion.

 

[upstater1]

And then the liberal egg-head professor types "wonder" why the middle class is running from the cities. All you've got left are people who don't care and will pay $100 / hour to a toilet seat fixed, and those who don't use toilet seats. Those who feast or those who famine.


//

Any other sacred cows you want to throw into that sentence? Let's try this:

Liberal egghead professors wonder why the middle class is running from cities in which Jane Fonda is prayed to on a daily basis by Marx worhippers weearing CXhe Guevara tshirts. What does this have to do with Brady's toilet? I dunno.

 

[BelichickFan]

$60 an hour, assuming a 40 hour workweek (which, I'm not sure if plumbers count their travel ad downtime as billable hours), would be $2400 a week. That's about $120,000 a year. Up here in Buffalo, there are quite a few cops that earn in that range (though I believe they work more than 40 hours).

Well I'm not going to pay a f*cking plummer at a $120K rate and I don't want my house to be picketed over not over paying someone. A handyman at 1/3 that rate will do just fine, thanks. If they want to price themselves out of my market then so be it.

 

[Danny Boy®]

Well I'm not going to pay a f*cking plummer at a $120K rate and I don't want my house to be picketed over not over paying someone. A handyman at 1/3 that rate will do just fine, thanks. If they want to price themselves out of my market then so be it.

A handyman? You know what a handyman is? A guy that knows very little about everything.

Any plumbing done in MA is suppose to be done by a licensed plumber...not a handyman.

 

[BelichickFan]

A handyman? You know what a handyman is? A guy that knows very little about everything.

Any plumbing done in MA is suppose to be done by a licensed plumber...not a handyman.

Supposed to be done by . . . says who ? The plumbing police ?