I was an engineer, and started off many years ago fresh out of college working for a small company that designed industrial conveyor belts.
Back then, I made $3.10 per hour, and being a woman, I was grateful, as I finally got my foot into the door.
One of my college professors called me, since I excelled at math, and was a math major until that professor talked me into changing my major to mechanical engineering.
He told me that there was an opening at a major corporation - Rockwell International - and this was in Detroit and back then, Rockwell was not only into space exploration, but in Detroit, they were into truck axles. Big rigs, not normal pickups.
I was leery about applying, since it had taken me so long to find an engineering job, but he assured me that I already had the job, so I went for it.
(I'm blessed and I know it)
My wage went from the $3.10 per hour, to $7.10 and I had something called - the cost of living raise or COLA, and that was sweet, so very sweet.
But it didn't last long.
I witnessed corporations rewarding loyalty to every man for himself.
I worked for Rockwell for 2 and 1/2 years and then I was laid off and I know how much that hurts.
There were 18 people in my department and they laid off 12 of us and by seniority and I was number 11.
I did receive severance pay, and it was for 2 and a half months, plus I also collected unemployment and back in them days, it was $56.00 per week.
I looked for work, but places were not even handing out applications and the unemployment office didn't even bother asking if I looked for work.
I wasn't unemployed for long, even though back then it seemed like an eternity, but I found a job as a job-shopper, or sub-contract with GM in a sub-contract house after 3 months.
Sub-contract work meant no benefits whatsoever, but I did buy their health care thing very cheaply, and 55 hour weeks were mandatory, and I did get time and a half for anything over 40 hours.
I started off making $7.00 per hour and worked my way up to $12.00 per hour in 3 years.
Then I got a line on a job for direct at Chrysler and I took it, because working direct for one of the BIG 3 was always a goal.
The benefits!
Well, Chrysler, unlike Ford or GM, made their engineers join the UAW.
Highland Park, which was Chrysler's headquarters way back then, was not exactly the best place of Detroit to drive to work everyday.
Back then, the cleaning people and cafeteria people were Chrysler employees, and they were union.
I remember union reps coming into where I was working, and they'd ask if the broken tile out in the hallway was a dangerous thing, and the engineers that I worked with would say - "Hell yeah, I almost tripped on it" - and then the union rep would file a complaint.
Then I remember when the cleaning people and cafeteria workers were going out on strike, and it meant that I'd have to go on strike and I voiced that I didn't want to strike, because it meant that I'd have stop being paid, except for $60.00 per week and I'd've had to walk the line for 2 hours in one of the worst parts of Detroit to collect my union pay.
Management loved me, but my coworkers threatened my life.
I was told by coworkers that if I dared to cross the picket line that I'd be a scab, and violence would happen upon my person.
I was 27 years old, and had a car payment and I lived in a nice mobile home back then and had a loan on that mobile home.
Unions blew it back then by filing unnecessary complaints and the UAW in Detroit used to shut the assembly lines down and stopped production of cars in their tracks.
In my very, very humble opinion, the unions from back then, caused the automotive companies to outsource manufacturing.
I am a union supporter, believe it or not, but I'm old enough, and witnessed the out-of-control-unions that I can understand the reasons that they outsourced.
The thing now, is that we need unions, as it's history repeating itself.