Premium wage? No. Liveable wage w/benefits? Yes.
OSHA? are they still around? I thought they were like the Consumer Protection Agency and others that have been underfunded for years are now ineffective at best. We all can't be CEO's , someone has to haul away the garbage, on time and correctly. Follow the money is all I'm saying. Peace

You said that we are more productive than 20 years ago? In what way does this effect a trash hauling company? Secondly the companies "employee associated expenses" have risen greatly in the last 20 years. These expenses are Workmans comp insurance, Osha compliance equipment upgrades, unimployment insurance, health insurance, payroll taxes (When social security and medicare taxes are deducted from your paychech that amount has to be matched by the employer). Secondly when a company hits wall street that maens that it is know a PUBLIC COMPANY and there profitablility is under constant scrutiny by the shareholders. Most of these shareholders are large investment firms which hold your 401K's and mutual funds. Finally if you work for a company that will not compensate you for what you feel your worth, get a different job. Employee training is very expensive, this said jobs that require lots of training pay better because the company wants to recoop it's investment. The notion that companies are unwilling to compensate there employee's is redickulas. You cannot expect a company to pay you a premium wage for work that is sold to the public at a minimum cost.

Crasher, most comapanies are not willing to compensate employess, it's all about profit and shareholders. As soon as a company goes Wall Street it is over for the employees. Fair Wage= Liveable Wage, as food, gas, education and taxes continue to rise. Productivity is a given, and we are way more productive now than 20 years ago but are not getting COMPENSATED for it..jmo...peace

What is a fair wage? I here allot of union people and also nonskilled and lazy people complaining about the wage they are making. As far as I'm concerned if you don't like the wage scale for your particular job THEN GET A DIFFERENT JOB! If you work for a company and others around you make more money then you do, this usualy means that you fall into the unskilled or lazy catigory. Most companies are here to make a profit and are more than willing to compensate employees for what there work performance adds to the bottom line of the company. Last time I checked we have a free market economy and because of such we are the richest country in the world.

The Drivers in WI are amongest the lowest paid in the area. Drivers in IL are making WAY more.
Why shouldn't they be paid fairly and equally. The company is making money and raises the prices for pick up every year. Now I have read they want to take away the pensions as well.

I don't think they are whining, I think they are just sick of being screwed.

And no, I do not work for WM.

Hey, they've been without a contract since the end of April. I back the strikers and I've never belonged to a union. On another note, any updates on the Woodman's union issue?

That's what GM told us...just be glad you have a job....look at the CEO's pay and shut the heck up...why can't everyone make a decent wage...

Glad I dumped them months ago ;)