- Joined
- Jun 9, 2024
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Micro opinion on just one small piece of how we got where we are as a country: Labor won huge gains in the 50s through early 80s. Strong, bargained wages saw many families having one wage earner with one parent taking care of the home and rising the kids. Then we got sold on BS trickle down theories and gov't began a continuous squeeze on worker rights. For the last 40yrs the wage gap has skyrocketed, nearly every family now needs two wage earners (often working multiple jobs) to make ends meet, Insurance premiums have increase while the benefit level has decreased... I don't see things improving unless people take the power back. We were built to self-govern, but don't.
Things could get interesting for the trades, soon. We're not seeing many young people interested in becoming welders, pipefitters, millwrights, carpenters, etc. It looks like electricians and instrumentation may be proving to be slightly more attractive careers, but there's still more demand than there are qualified journeymen. Some places that abandoned apprenticeships in the 90s are bringing them back because they can't hire enough journeymen off of the street. I think the trades will see some gains in wages and benefits as employers try to attract young people into these fields. Labor has some leverage, now. If Congress would ever pass the PRO Act and empower workers to bargain better working conditions, we might slow down that wage gap.
On a lighter note, here's some of my youngest daughter's whacky art. I love it when she rips faces off of teddy bears and gives them a new look, lol:





Things could get interesting for the trades, soon. We're not seeing many young people interested in becoming welders, pipefitters, millwrights, carpenters, etc. It looks like electricians and instrumentation may be proving to be slightly more attractive careers, but there's still more demand than there are qualified journeymen. Some places that abandoned apprenticeships in the 90s are bringing them back because they can't hire enough journeymen off of the street. I think the trades will see some gains in wages and benefits as employers try to attract young people into these fields. Labor has some leverage, now. If Congress would ever pass the PRO Act and empower workers to bargain better working conditions, we might slow down that wage gap.
On a lighter note, here's some of my youngest daughter's whacky art. I love it when she rips faces off of teddy bears and gives them a new look, lol:














