they walked away from a paying job, how many people would love to have what they decided to leave. Every time I see a photo of the picket line I see BBQ pits tended by well fed people. I have no sympathy, much less any empathy for those people.

I second your coment Ralph

You know who I have no sympathy for? The top management of Caterpillar who racked in record profits but don't care enough to take care of their workers. Let's see the salaries of those who run Caterpillar versus what these laborers received. I'm just going to take a stab in the dark here and say that top management gets paid disproportionately more than the laborers - I would venture to guess more than 10x over what these guys make. You aren't going to keep good workers if you don't value them and allow them to share in the good times of your business. It's not only because of management that the company is doing so well - it's because of the back breaking work these laborers do day in and day out, too. To have management sit on their high horse and think they deserve a disproportionate amount of share in the company over those who just as equally contributed to its success is asking for your workers to walk out on you.
Not that my experience is universal, but I can say that when management lets employees share in the increase of business and treats its workers like they matter, you won't have this happen. I won't say where I work, but it's a manufacturer that's been in business over 70 years and never once have the workers tried to unionize or strike - and it is NOT because of management trying to pressure them against it. It's because we all receive profit sharing bonuses and fair treatment by management.

Here's a little reality check: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/business/profitable-caterpillar-pushes-workers-for-steep-cuts.html?_r=1
"Despite earning a record $4.9 billion profit last year and projecting even better results for 2012, the company is insisting on a six-year wage freeze and a pension freeze for most of the 780 production workers at its factory here."
"Caterpillar, which has significantly raised its executives’ compensation because of its strong profits, defended its demands"
So, executives take significant compensation increases while demanding significant compensation cuts to its laborers in the face of record profits. And you have no sympathy for the laborers? Might be safe to say you have no empathy, period, then.

My experience, Caterpillar is a great company to work for.

Anyone going to post the salaries of the union big shots who thought going on strike in this economy was a good idea? The company is going to replace the striking workers over time and life will go on. I don't know when or how it became something where people/employees thought they had a right to examine their employers earnings and demand more for themselves. It's their company for gods sake! My company makes a profit every year. None of us has had a raise in three years, our medical has gone up, our profit sharing froze, our 401k match done away with. We were told these things were neccessary to maintain profitability. Yes! They expect to make a profit. Those evil bloodsucking 1 percenters! Well guess what, while I may not be happy about it I decided I'd stay and take care of my family and not walk away from a good paying job in the worst economy since the great depression. If something better comes along then I can make a decision to leave. But to simply walk away from a good paying job because I think the owners make too much money. I think that was stupid on the unions part and would be stupi on my part if I were to do it, Sorry folks it's capitalism, it may not be a perfect system but it's better than communism. In my opinion the union and it's members made a serious mistake in this economy. No one owes you a living no matter how much they make. Try and get your union leaders to share their salaries with you. See how far that gets you.

Well, Ray, no one here is going to stop you from voting against your own best interests. You keep right on chugging with your false dichotomies of capitalism vs. communism. Ain't nobody here gonna shatter your fantasies with our realities - clearly even if we tried.
It does make me sad that there are people so bought into this system that they think being treated like crap is OK and just a cost of doing business in our economy. So glad I don't buy into that, and insist on being treated like a valued employee. Of course, that's probably why I make above-average earnings at a company that highly respects its employees instead of feeling like I should stay in a situation that crappy. Btw, this company has not had a SINGLE losing quarter in the entire 70 years they've been in business. Maybe you should get out more, Ray - profits don't actually require executives to treat their employees poorly. That decision, my friend, has nothing to do with capitalism.

I don't know who Trixy is, but assuming you were referencing me (sillyrabbittrix), your comment is pretty irrelevant to the topic at hand. If everyone could work for my company, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You basically proved my point: that these union strikers are doing the best thing they can by fighting for better working conditions at their place of employment; as, if you read the news regularly, you know that what Cat is doing is par for the course these days among major corporations. More workplaces SHOULD operate like the company I'm employed at. That is the point, so thank you for supporting it.

Oh yes, poor record profit-making company doesn't want to come to Illinois where workers still have rights. That is such a sad story. You are so correct, Local Schlub - we should definitely write off worker's rights so we can compete with Indian, China, Taiwan, and Mexico. I mean, don't we all want to live like those people and workers live over there? Dream come true. Can't wait for the day when we have all those jobs back and can live on corporate compounds and be called to work any time of day or night, for 80+ hours a week on slave wages. Totally what we should be aiming for here - be competitive, be be competitive!

I'm sorry but I have to agree with Ralph on this one....they HAVE jobs and chose to walk off. They are paid well - I know because a family member has been employed there. Many people make it just fine without unions- unions sometimes scr#w over their members. I have no sympathy for them.

I hate my job but still go to work each day. Will my donation be turned away?

If you don't like how much more management makes than the people on the line, why don't you apply for management jobs? If I am the one taking risks with my money on operating a business, and that business ends up doing well, I do not owe anyone anything else. If I said I was going to pay you a certain amount to work for me, all I owe you is what I promised you. Because my business plan worked does not mean I now have to give you more. Start your own business if you don't like it. Make sure you pay everyone the same wage you think you should be getting right now. I'm not a fan of letting anyone go hungry just because I do not believe in their cause, but you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, you teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime, and I believe you have a pretty good pond to go fishing in. The attitude in this country is awful. We're never content and always want more.
You have the right to strike, but I'm afraid you're going to strike yourselves out of a job. Probably just in time for Christmas.

Adam, you are wrong in one thing. These days in the large corporations like Caterpillar, upper management does whatever they want and no shareholder or employee can do anything about it. They write their own rule and define how much they should compensate themselves. It's a private club where they just can rip off shareholders and employees. If you watch CNBC or any other news network covering business issues you know how difficult it is for even major shareholders to keep management in check.
It's a broken system that needs fixing and I do not have the solution for it.
But your simplistic way of bashing organized labor is certainly not the answer either. Following your logic, workers would still be working 16 hours a day like in the beginning of the 20th century with no rights just because in those days there were also a lot of people without a job and desperate.
There are minimum standards that separate this country from china and other 3rd world places.

I agree with Ralph about walking away from a paying job. Caterpillar in the State of Illinois has closed several plants and laid off thousands of employees, but if these selfish employees wish to walk away from a job shame on them. Instead of a food drive for Poor Old Selfish Caterpillar employees why don't we have a food drive for unemployed people who did not choose to walk away from a job because their feelings got hurt. I know a lot of Cat employees and these people have had it very good for a very long time and yes their execs are making big $$$. But you know what Cat dug themselves out of a substantial hole without the governments help and they are making money. The fact they want employees to kick in more for benefits isn't Cat's doing its Obama's doing. Why is it the union workers cry the most but compared to the majority of workers, they have it pretty darn good. Why don't they go ask the teachers union for some food?

When a person goes on strike, he'd better have another source of income. It is NOT our responsibility to feed him. And these folks surely should not be served by the food pantries and churches!

I am not sure why this simple fact is evading everyone. If people do not stand up / hold out for a fair wage people would all be making minimum wage. Skilled Tradesmen should be able to support a family, and earn a decent living, and if most companies had thier way they would be making McDonald wages. People do not seem to see that the middle class is being abolished, soon there will only be the super rich and just above poverty level. Sure there are some companies that treat employees fair. But without some rules most people / companies would gladly cut from the bottom to fatten thier wallets. If workers will not stand up, we all will pay the price.

@ sillyrabbit. You read what you wanted to read from my post and resorted to veiled name calling because you're defending the indefensible. I never said I didn't make good money I merely pointed out my company and myself are in a similar situation as Cat and its employees and rather than walking off a good paying job I stayed until I can find something else. I think the Cat folks should do the same. Because I stayed doesn't mean I like being treated "like crap." What it means is I'm going to swallow my pride and stick it out until I find something else so that I can support my family instead of taking charity from the government or strangers. I'm really surprised you find that type of work ethic such a horrible thing. The bottom line is if you don't like your job or how you're treated, leave. Once you have something else! What is so hard about that concept for you, some others in this thread, and union workers to grasp? I don't need the folks at Cat to save me from the evil capitalists. What I/we need is a strong economy with lots of job growth where we can go someplace else if we’re treated badly. Eventually the people/companies who don't take care of their people will go out of business. It’s as inevitable as liberals and tree huggers such as yourself.

@ M&M, apparently you didn't read my very next comment for those facts you were looking for.
@ Ray: you are correct, based on the fact that you said you were "sticking it out" in a job until something better came along, I assumed that to mean that you didn't really want to stay, didn't really feel like that was a good working environment for you. I reacted to your choice of words; I apologize if those words misled me.
It's very easy for me to understand what YOU want to do, Ray. You can do whatever the heck you want - doesn't really affect me. What I CAN'T understand is how you are so against other people's different choices and different points of view. You and others on this thread. Others DON'T believe that it is right/fair/just that after working years and years at a place of employment, they get benefits and wages stripped when the company is doing WELL, making record profits, and their bosses are getting RAISES. What don't YOU understand about that? I'm really surprised you find that type of business decision on your trained and experienced workers an acceptable thing. The bottom line is, this is becoming standard practice in the corporate world, so where are these workers going to leave to? Another position that pays them even less, at minimum wage? Eventually all laborers in this country will be making minimum wage (read: less than a livable wage) if conservatives and regressives like you have their way.

In No State Is a 40-Hour, Minimum Wage Work Week Enough to Afford a Two-Bedroom Apartment:
http://wepartypatriots.com/wp/2012/05/29/wow-in-no-state-is-a-40-hour-minimum-wage-work-week-enough-to-afford-a-two-bedroom-apartment/

Huh? So why the food drive exactly? Who is it for? Who is benefiting from this? Call me stupid, but something just doesn't sound right and 'just' about this....

What is the average starting pay per hour?