Are unions alienating themselves from the workplace or do workers see no value in them?

 If there ever was an opportune time to organize a union, now is the perfect time.  More and more companies are hiring temporary workers to avoid having to pay employee benefits.  They work them for short periods of time and then lay them off and hire a new round of temps to replace them. Numerous wage and safety violations occur every day in practically every industry because there are no employee advocates to protect them. The problem is most unions in the public and private sectors are complacent and are only concerned about holding onto their current membership.  Union membership in the private sector declined from 35.7% in 1935 to 6.6% in 2012. Part of the reason is that they have done very little to increase their presence within the work place where they have collective bargaining agreements.   In addition, where public employee unions are concerned, they make very little effort to instill political awareness within its membership rank and file.  In addition, they fail to create effective community awareness on issues that concern them most; job security and contracting out of public services.

While it’s true unions spend billions of dollars on political campaigns supporting candidates, they have done very little to align themselves with other community groups, such as churches, seniors, minority groups, and civic organizations.  During the heyday of union activity in the 1930s-1970s unions were effective in winning many bread and butter issues like limiting the work day to eight hours, overtime pay, sick leave, vacation, holidays, workplace safety, and other important causes. The point is, they didn’t do it alone. They had the community behind them.

Hubert Humphrey once said, “The history of the labor movement needs to be taught in every school in this land . . . America is a living testimonial to what free men and women, organized in free democratic trade unions can do to make a better life . . We ought to be proud of it!”

Recently, the City of Fresno’s blue collar unit represented by the Operating Engineers, Local 39 fought the city and won. This was a classic case of a Mayor and a city council majority who supported the idea of privatizing the city’s solid waste division to help balance its deficit ridden budget. In order to do this, they targeted areas where there was least resistance. Had it not been for an effective political campaign by Local 39 and its ally employee associations representing the city’s white collar workers and the police force, over 170 solid waste employees would have eventually become unemployed.  However, this whole dilemma could have been avoided if the union had a strong presence in the workplace. This wasn’t the first time the contracting out of city services had been proposed in Fresno, and it won’t be the last. Without a strong union presence in the workplace, decisions to contract out union services are inevitable.

Over 200 Arrested

Fresno Municipal Strike 1974

In 1974, the City of Fresno had a strong city manager form of government.  There existed a great animosity between the union and management. At that time, the city’s same blue collar workers were represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2051. The relationship between the union and then City Manager Ralph Handley was immature to say the least. It took a municipal strike of over 500 city blue-collar employees from the city’s solid waste division, sanitation, street, parks, mechanic shops, and other departments to come to terms in contract negotiations over wages, hours, and working conditions.  Over 207 city workers, friends, and family members were arrested on the 3^rd day of the strike and hauled away to jail in municipal buses. There weren’t enough paddy wagons to transport them all. Community support from members of La Raza Unida, the United Farm Workers, and other groups supported the union during the strike. The strike lasted seven days and arrests were made every day. Although the city did recognize the union as the representative of its blue collar workers, it did not take

them seriously until the after the strike. In the end, the union won wage increases, job security, and most of all respect. The relationship between the City of Fresno and the union matured in the years following the strike. In July of 1979, the same union went on a week-long strike in the City of Clovis and won wage increases, increased contributions toward employee health premiums, and job security. The city had proposed contracting out its solid waste division as well.

Organized labor should stop taking the easy approach to organizing new workers and go back to the basics. They seem to forget that workers must actually want to be represented by a union, not be drafted into one. That means they must take the necessary steps to approach these workers on a one-on-one basis or have meetings with them to assess their priorities.  In addition, they should help them develop an effective shop steward system at their places of employment. Such an approach only enhances the relationship between the union and its members.  Union members must take ownership of their union and participate in solving its own problems. Taking legal action or boycotting companies that are not already unionized only has a tendency to alienate workers like a new stepfather does to children in a broken marriage.

 It’s not true that workers simply do not want to join a union if they had the choice.  Workers have plenty of reasons to join a union in today’s economic environment.  Companies are placing more emphasis on profits and the gap between the rich and the poor has practically eliminated the middle class.

As more states are adopting right to work legislation that allow workers to opt out of mandatory unionization, its time organized labor re-create itself into the type of organization that workers were once able to control.  They've given up huge concessions to management both in wages and benefits only to see the political tides falling against them.  Have they forgotten that there’s strength in numbers?

Is Now the Right Time for Home Buyers or Sellers?

Now is not the time to straddle the fence if you are thinking about buying a home or investment property in Fresno. Why? Because home prices are starting to increase and home buyers are bidding on desirable homes in nice neighborhoods. Listing agents are receiving 3 – 6 offers per property due to the demand for nice homes. The longer you wait, the more expensive it will be later. Also, interest rates are still low, but they too will begin to rise as the market gets into full swing. 

If you are waiting for home prices to bottom out, well you’re too late. Home prices bottomed out over a year ago and are not expected to be as low for anytime in the foreseeable future. If you don’t know the condition of your credit, you better get on the ball and start taking a close look at what corrections you need to make to increase your credit score so you can qualify for a home loan. I used to originate loans for home buyers and I know what needs to be done to increase credit scores. I do this for free as a courtesy for my clients before they begin making offers. I just want to make sure there are no surprises during the close of escrow.

We are definitely in a Seller’s Market as there are fewer and fewer homes for sale and home prices are on the rise. If you are thinking about selling your home, now is the BEST TIME to list it. Don’t waste your time trying to sell it yourself. There are too many potential problems you may run into. Due to recent changes in the law, sellers can be sued for any variety of problems where disclosures were required, but buyers were not provided the correct disclosure forms identifying issues involving the property they just purchased. Doing it yourself is ok for small fix-ups but selling your home is for a professional, a Realtor, who knows what he/she is doing. It’s not worth the risk. Realtors are professionals at buying and selling homes. If you want more information, visit my website:  www.ListingsFresno.com 

Understanding Divorce and Protecting Your Interests

Filing for divorce is never easy to go through, but it is possible to end a marriage peacefully with very little difficulty. However, this is not always the case in many divorce proceedings.

The divorce lawyers are usually the only ones that truly win big in the long run. A long drawn out divorce proceeding can be extremely overwhelming for both the parties, emotionally and financially. The longer it takes to settle a divorce, the longer the conflict continues. This can create huge legal fees for both sides. However, it doesn’t have to be this way if you obtain the assistance of a qualified legal document assistant or paralegal.

Most often, both parties will agree on the settlement and other pertinent matters without an attorney and the final dissolution can take place fairly quickly. It is possible this can all happen before the mandated waiting period is up and both parties can agree on what is fair.

There can be many questions about the divorce procedure and they need to be addressed. The procedure usually starts with a divorce petition that is initiated by one spouse (the Petitioner) and served on the other (the Respondent). The petition, which includes detailed information about the marriage, is also filed with the clerk of court in the county where you live. The petition includes many facts about your marriage including the names of the husband and wife, the date and place of marriage, names of any children resulting from your marriage, separate or community property held by you or your spouse, child custody, child support, spousal support, and any other issued that needs to be addressed before dissolution of the marriage is finalized. A properly filed divorce requires that the respondent spouse be given reasonable notice that the divorce petition has been filed, either in person or by a process server. The respondent then has a given amount of time to answer or file a counter-claim if one is necessary. If both parties agree on the terms of a settlement, a court hearing is not required and the divorce will be final.

The American Dream, Myth or Reality?

The great American Dream has always revolved around owning a home। Sure, having the 2.3 kids, the cushy corporate job and the stylish car to drive to work everyday are part of the myth, but nothing quite summed up Americana quite like the white picket fence. But now that the housing bubble has finally burst, it is becoming, once again, much easier for first time home buyers to experience the American dream.

This is may be a piece of good fortune for first-time buyers who were recently priced out of housing markets all across the country. In addition, housing experts point to the drop in home prices in the last 2 years, as well as lower interest rates, as incentives buy now before rates go back up. However, stagnant wages during this period have remained the same।

According to data released by the United States Census Bureau, an increasing number of homeowners are spending a much larger share of their incomes on housing than in previous years। In 49 out of 50 states, people reported an increase in the amount of their incomes spent on housing. The only state that didn’t, Alaska, spent the same amount. The report showed that people are spending around 31 percent on their housing needs, up from 19 percent in 1999.

The current recession has had a huge impact on household incomes. The Census Bureau report showed that income has actually dropped, not risen, over the past 10 years, down 2.8 percent.

Maybe the worst news in the report was the percentage of people who allot more than 31% of their income for housing। National guidelines suggest that more than 31% of household income for housing is excessive and not financially healthy.

Things appear to be the worst in California। Not only do they have the most expensive real estate in the nation, 48 percent of California homeowners spend more than 31% of their income on housing related costs. Coupled with purchasing homes with risky loans, its no surprise California is within the top 5 states with the highest number of foreclosures.

Regardless of the bad economy, the opportunity to purchase a beautiful home at a reasonable price is now! It makes no sense to rent when the cost of owning a home is affordable right now. So, go find yourself a realtor experienced in REO (real estate owned) and short sale properties and start your home purchase journey.

Buying Your First Home: Myth or Reality?

The idea of owning your own home, just like your parents did, is something many young couples dream of. For many young adults the affordability of owning a home is much better now than it was five years ago. Property values are starting to bottom out now and monthly payments are down to the lowest levels in several years. In addition, interest rates are low and the availability of homes is high. But there are still some obstacles to buying a home. These obstacles can be overcome if you have the right realtor working for you.

Ever since the housing crisis began, several banks have tightened up on financing home mortgages. They’ve made it difficult for first time homeowners to get loans. In addition, Congress has passed several new laws, one of them changing the method in which houses are appraised, making it difficult to get a true value on homes which are located in declining market areas. Practically every neighborhood is in a declining market area. Many would-be buyers are often thrown out of the market when their offers to purchase bank owned properties are rejected because of low values, which sometimes fall lower than the agreed purchase price.

Even though the Obama administration has bailed out many of the major banks with government issued stimulus funds, these same financial institutions are making it very hard for first time home buyers to get loans. Even with excellent credit histories, these same home buyers are finding it difficult close escrow and get their house keys handed to them for the first time. For instance, if a home buyer has been pre-qualified by a lending institution of their choice, he/she may still have to get approved by the bank that owns the property. Even though they might have qualified with the first lender, they may not with the 2nd lender. These days practically 90% of all home sales are properties owned by banks.
While buying your first home is never easy, things may be a bit harder if you don't have an experienced realtor working at your side. But bargains do still exist, and if you’re patient, a first home can still become a reality with the right realtor.

The Politics of Gas

As gas prices have become more tolerable, most motorists are still holding back on travel due to a poor economy. Some folks are still clinging to their beliefs of a conspiracy by middleast oil moguls and Texas oilmen. A recent poll of Americans showed that a staggering 42 percent of respondents believe that prior to the November 2008 election, George W. Bush and the ruling Republican administration in Washington lowered gas prices in an attempt to benefit the Republican ticket. While this may or may not be the case, the real time impact on the price of oil was caused by various stock markets around the world and how it ultimately affected the price of gasoline.

However, the most logical reason for the lowering of gas prices might actually have been Mother Nature. Many investors on Wall Street and around the world invested heavily in gas and oil futures, anticipating that another direct hit by a Katrina-like storm directly on gas and oil pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico would send prices through the roof. But hurricane forecasters around the world downgraded the threat of the recent hurricane season and caused the price of oil to plummet. This caused hundreds of investors who bought futures to lose a ton of money on their investments. This also caused consumers to smile at the gas pump.

But it wasn’t just the hurricanes that did it. The announcement coincided with the end of the summer season for drivers. As demand for oil shrank, so did the price of oil. It doesn’t take long for a drop in oil prices to be felt at the pump.

This huge shift in oil and gas prices over such a short amount of time left many investors in deep financial trouble. At least one mutual fund that invested heavily in oil and gas futures went belly up due to the dramatic drop in prices. At the same time, there were other funds that did quite well despite the huge drop in oil prices.

While it may seem logical to think that global politics do play a part in the world’s commodity markets, it is naïve to think that the sole reason for the massive drop in oil prices was due to who would be the next president. The number of variables that play on the world’s stocks, bonds and commodities are too incalculable to even think that prices were solely influenced by on one country’s election.

Flipping a House – Is it Right for You?

Most of the reality shows related to buying a fixer-upper house and selling it for a profit, make it seem easy, but is it really? Most people think they know what all is involved, but they don’t. Its unbelievable how easy it is to get into trouble if you don’t know what to look for in finding the right house to buy and knowing how much money it will take to make it marketable so you can find the right buyer and unload it quickly. Can the process really be that easy? Let’s take a closer look.

The first step is analysing your finances to see if you can afford to take on your new monthly mortgage payment and still have the funds remodel it. You should have an idea as to how much your total budget is going to be and factor in closing costs and other related issues that my pop up such as; inaccurate contractor estimates, the time it will take to complete the project, and additional money required for mistakes and other losses, as well.

Once you’ve got an iron-clad budget, the next step is to find a home that you think is marketable. Most people go into these projects with a property already in mind, but for some, searching for a the right house that is within their budget and, at the same time, will be sellable can be extremely difficult. There are many people out there looking to fixer-upper houses that they can flip, so finding the right one can be difficult.

Once you’ve picked your property, you have to go through the buying process. Expect delays, especially if it is a short sale, and make sure you have the property appraised correctly. Most banks will send out their own appraisers to determine the current value. However, due to the current housing crisis, an independent appraiser is a necessity. Also, be aware that closing costs can fluctuate dramatically.

Once the house is all yours. Now what? The best thing to do is to bring in an expert to help you see everything that needs to be done. From electrical to plumbing to interior design, flipping a house the right way is a huge job, and you have to be prepared to spend the money.

Once renovations have started, be prepared to dedicate as much time as needed to the project. You don’t want someone else making decisions just because you were not there. The repairs that you can do yourself will save you money, but don’t be afraid to call in an expert for the big jobs.

Once the property looks like it should, have it reappraised, don’t be afraid to embrace non-traditional methods of selling it, like the Internet or out-of-town newspapers. If after a few weeks you don’t find a buyer, find a realtor you can work with to list it for you. You need as many eyes on your newly renovated house so you can unload it as quickly as possible and stop making payments on it. The longer the property sits there, the less successful your house flip will be, so be creative.

House-flipping has become one of the most fashionable ways to make money for hard working people. But be prepared to go into your investment with your eyes, and your wallet, wide open.