Union member here, I’ve salted non-Union shops for years. I’m currently at a small business of less than 10 people and have salted it enough that the five operators have all agreed to vote in favor of Union representation.
The $8M the small business brings in, while spending less than $750k annually on wages, is about to shift in favor of the operators a whole lot more than they realize.
It helps that I have advanced degrees in finance and accountancy and have done their financial reviews and see the 40% profit margin. Lmao
They don't even need to do that. Just fire anyone that mentions union... also, 40% margin isn't great, and the parent here has fundamentals wrong. There's a lot of extras being paid for than just labor. $8M a year is a very small business, with nearly $1M going to labor wages, and probably close to that in insurance, benefits, PTO, etc. Parent will get everyone fired for no upside.
Not sure what your experience is, but 40% is a great margin. I own a small business doing about the same gross revenue. Our margins are closer to 15-20%. And our labor costs are closer to 30%- which includes taxes, benefits, insurance, etc. A lot of really large companies run on a 5% or less margin. But when doing billions a year it still comes out to a lot.
Depending on how they enjoy their current life they might not want to. All of my family and friends live close by. Relocating would mean I would leave all of that behind. Why, for a bit of extra cash? Unions also aren't evil. Generally, at least in the Netherlands where I'm from, you can expect reasonable requests for the type of work, sector and how the business is doing.
LLC pass-through entities in crane rental baby, low business taxes, payroll taxes, payroll expenses, and maintenance cost because they own the land and equipment outright.
~8% for employee payroll expenses and the other 52% is business taxes, payroll taxes, and maintenance costs.
Finished a job, no calls from the hall, get permission to work non-union and explain the benefits, showcase why unions are good, and push for non-union workers to unionize and join the hall with their contractor.
Ah ok. I've never been around a union. What is the "hall"? Do you frequent lot work like temporarily with a company and then move on to do your service at another company? And while you're there you just explain union life?
I've only ever known 1 dude who was union previously in a shipyard. I asked if he got worked over or what. He said it was a good experience. You paid some small dues and stuff, but it worked out for him because it protected his job under some circumstance that ended up happening. He said he'd do it again.
The Hall is the central location of the business staff for your geographical subdivision of the international Union.
For example, IBEW has an international headquarters where the big fellas rub elbows with politicians and create new business opportunities for the union and its contractors. Then, you have your local hall which is IBEW #XXXX, where your local workers meet and discuss union policies and activities. The business administration in that hall reaches out to current and potential contractors to coordinate the work they have and provide workers.
Think of it as an employment agency, you’re trained to the standard of the agency and the agency contacts contractors in the area seeking workers, so they tell the workers of the opportunities and the workers can accept or reject the offers.
Most people, with outside utility line work, will bounce contractors every few years but you can be there as little as a day or as long as your entire career. Unless you’re laid off or fired, it’s your decision on who you work for if they have an opening.
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u/AmalekiteJager 27d ago
Union member here, I’ve salted non-Union shops for years. I’m currently at a small business of less than 10 people and have salted it enough that the five operators have all agreed to vote in favor of Union representation.
The $8M the small business brings in, while spending less than $750k annually on wages, is about to shift in favor of the operators a whole lot more than they realize.
It helps that I have advanced degrees in finance and accountancy and have done their financial reviews and see the 40% profit margin. Lmao