Do this for 350 EX employees

[1FASTLASER]

Until last Friday I worked for the worlds largesrt playood and paper manufactuerer. Due to the union's decision and the union members descicion to strike if not offered a FAIR contract to settle on the sorry SOB's laid off 350 employees. I urge you to PLEASE if you have to buy plwood or paper products PLEASE do NOT BUY Georgia-Pacific products. The offer for a contract was a .94 per hour wage increase AND change insurance plans that would cost 1.87 per hour to keep. You do the math. We are supposed to gain ground not loose it. By the way did I mentuion the insurance they wanted us to take is Georgia-Pacific insurance.

[JB]

laser,
this will make you sick, our company has its own insurance co. and the weekly premium is 3 bucks a week, 12 bucks a month, complete with 90% medical, 2000 out of pocket max, and scripts for 10 bucks...but, they only give 25 cent raises after you hit the 15 bucks an hour mark.

[flbassman]

I'll try to boycott Gp. It's hard here, we're right in the middle of the gp belt, but I'll do what I can.

[Bo Dale James Jr.]

Insurance for my family through the company costs me 120.00 every two weeks.
And it is 15.00 every paycheck for Long term disability, Dental and vision 12.00 more per two weeks.
Short term disability is 14.00 per. So I pay 322.00 each month for those benefits.
That adds up to just over 2.00 per hour. Typical of todays business model.
Too bad they gave you the shaft in December of all months...I hope it works out.

Up until about two years ago I didn't pay for any of the addditional (LTD-STD) and the
typical insurance cost was below 50% of todays figure. I've been told
Katrina had a lot to do with companies passing on insurance costs to the employees.

[ToPwAt'R GuY]

Man that sucks.

[JB]

what really sucks is the years profits all insurance companies post and also
gasoline companies.....two items that have sky high rates

[zooker]

Originally Posted by JB

what really sucks is the years profits all insurance companies post and also
gasoline companies.....two items that have sky high rates

i pay $11.50 a week for my insurance..
and they are continuing to go up..they sure as hell aint coming down..


zooker

[CreekGeek22]

If your kids are still young enough, (and bright enough--sorry zooker) steer them toward the medical field for employment! Talk about the land of milk and honey....

[1FASTLASER]

Funny thing is I have told both my boys they will NOT follow in my steps. My profession as a journeyman and pro wrench is honest but just to unstable in this day and age. Both of them are hard in the books. I dont care if they are puter geeks as long as they dont have to contend with these situations. The sad thing is there is a major shortage of journeyman in this feild but as soon as the job is over your done.

[FlyRod]

OK, here it is...the truth revealed!!!

Since 1972 I have been a licensed Life and Health Insurance agent, an independent since 1982. Why an Independent? Well, I wanted to work solely for the client, not a "quota" system-driven career agent for one company.
Now, re health insurance costs: Don't be so eager to blame the insurance companies and please know that it's not necessarily your boss's fault either.
The problem is rooted in two distinct areas, with a third coming on strong.
One: Whereas hospitals were once locally owned and operated, with the main mission being providing health care for the community, they are (in the vast majority) now stockholder owned, and stockholders want PROFITS! When profits drive the system, rather than the old system where it was hoped that hospitals would at least be self-sustaining, fees, charges, etc, and thus insurance premiums, must and do rise.
Two: The people who actually give care; Doctors, Nurses, Technicians, etc, so well as the hospitals themselves, are in constant fear of being accused of error...malpractice, to use the catch-all term.
Greedy patients, and the scumsucking bottom feeders that comprise a large percentage of the legal profession, have caused malpractice insurance premiums to skyrocket beyond belief. This is especially true for OB/GYN and some other specialized practitioners. Ergo, when malpractice premium rates go up, fees must follow suit. When fees go up, premiums for health insurance go up.
Why do you think the ER performed all manner of seemingly (or actually) non-essential tests when you went in for a hangnail? Well, if an hour later, you keeled over from a case of the dreaded Sudden Dandruff Syndrome, when all you had complained of was the hangnail, then it won't be ten minutes before your grieving spouse is rooting around in the Yellow Pages seeking some shyster to make her a wealthy widow.
Well, all those tests cost money and it's also true that many unnecessary tests are performed simply in order to inflate the tab. Tab goes up=premiums go up.
Now, for those that are unaware...Hospitals on the border, and increasingly in the interior states, are being driven into bankruptcy, many even having to close, because illegal immigrant vermin, so well as idigenous welfare bums of all races, are taxing their resources, without payment.
Here in Texas you will wait for hours in the ER because Eusebio, Conchita, and friends, either here illegally or just plain bums, clog the system. In the Rio Grande Valley, the overbreeding beetches actually sneak over de reever and go into labor on the hospital lawn. Of course, by law, the hospital MUST provide care. Who pays? YOU DO; in the form of higher taxes and insurance premiums. The extra slam is that little Alfredo Tomaso Vicente Garcia III is now an American citizen by virtue of being it-shayed into this world on US soil...greeeeaaaat! Can you say..."Jurrah! Now we can all come over and suck on de welfare teettie!"
Even the der reech wans come over on a "pass" so their offspring is a US citizen...makes it easier to establish drug cartels and become corrupt sheriffs, politicians, judges (See: Texas Democrats of Hispanic Origin)
Now, the next time you wanna cuss your boss for raising your share of the premiums, remember that he, too, is in a bind. HE doesn't set the overall rate, the *&%^! insurance companies do. But WAIT! They need to control cost v. earnings or THEY go under. Then what? "Well *&%^!" (I hear you say.) "The hospitals and doctors charge too *%^$~! much!" Yeah, but why?
Remember the stockholders? Remember the lawyers? You do?
Now, above all...REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

If I've offended anyone....GOOD!

FlyRod
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
Speaker of Truth
President, "Crocs 'n Claymores For the Rio Grande" Project

[Bo Dale James Jr.]

Well I for one agree with Fly Rustler. He has made some salient points in his post.
Due to the fact he is involved in organized crime..errr the insurance business.
He has information we don't have access to, so thanks Fly!