Uaw

[OLDSPUD]

What are these union guys smoking. There lucky to be employed.

Spud

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Uaw

I was union for many years, but I have to agree, enough is enough..

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Uaw

Yep, the workers at GM walked out today. First time in 30 years.

 

[Wotknot]

Re: Uaw

Thanks to NAFTA, among other things, the world's global economy and competitivness, I think GM's doing/done all it can do in financing their employees..........The American people better wake up and realize that the days of the big bux / bennies are beginning to be over. In a few more years, there's not hardly gonna be anything manufactured in the USA....(ok, time to get off my soapbox before this thread turns into controversy)

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Uaw

What is it that they are wanting (demanding?)....hopefully not the ol' job security angle.
I thing the era of labor unions in North American seems to be heading for a giant adjustment and re-zeroing.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Uaw

The media is not helping by stating every domestic vehicle has $1700 going towards the UAW to cover union cost. Car dealerships do not make 1700 per vehicle! They are lucky to have the jobs...... do I remember the last UAW stike getting nasty?

 

[aspeck]

Re: Uaw

Man, the domestic car industry just doesn't need that! Dealership profits down, domestic sales continually loosing ground to imports, they will be loosing jobs to other countries for sure with this one if they don't wise up. Cut the union costs out of the car and you have a more affordable car and could do a better job with the pay package also.

Sometimes unions are needed, but sometimes they just don't get the times ...

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Uaw

The American people better wake up and realize that the days of the big bux / bennies are beginning to be over. In a few more years, there's not hardly gonna be anything manufactured in the USA

I remember a time in the early 90's when the company for which I worked was going through a TQM process. Part of that process was an address by a "forward thinking visionary". I remember him saying that right now (early 90's) we were 80% manufacturing and 20% service industry nation; and that by 2010 (15-20 years later) we would be 20% manufacturing and 80% service industry nation. I guess he knew what he was talking about after all.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: Uaw

Sadly the unions just wont wake up. Like it or not, the world has changed. They need to wake up, or they will be out of a job. Just ask the South Koreans how effective their "job security" strike was against Daewoo. The company went bankrupt and then NO ONE had a job.

FYI, I am going to make a forward looking predicition and say that manufacturing jobs will be heading back to the USA in 20-30 years. Oil prices (shipping costs) and labor cost increases in China will cause that.

Ken

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Uaw

GM has found some footing in China for its products. ????? Tough to get my arms around that one, but true none the less. Do these unions understand how tenuous GM and Fords financial positions are at this very time? This is tatamount to walking on November ice with a sledgehammer. The two issues as I understand it are, job security (which they are destroying by their strike) and legacy benefits. They want the retired employees to pay a portion of their healthcare out of their pockets. GM is currently paying for over 300,000 peoples healthcare who don't even work for them. I wonder how they will fare when none of them has any healthcare?

The legacy costs to a GM vehicle was $2300 (Ford might be $1700) per vehicle the last report I checked on about a year ago. Toyota's = $0. Honda = $0, BMW = $0, Hyundai = $0. How they can compete at all is amazing to me. I understand the union looking after their membership, but shooting holes in a sinking boat would have me questioning their stewardship. This also explains why larger vehicles like trucks are domestic mfg'rs bread and butter and the small cars are not. It is easier to hide that legacy cost in a bigger dollar item.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Uaw

It would be wise if you guys did some reading on the negotiations that have been going on.
This time around it was the union that said "enough is enough".
So what happened so far?
Over the past few months the GM management together with the union has been working to save GM. The labor force has given up lots of benefits,including lots of health benefit perks in order to help save their source of income.
In working together with the union GM was able to save billions of dollars already.
The strike was called because GM wanted to start cutting back on the benefits of people who had already retired.This basically constitutes a breach of contract and the union refused to sign off on this clearly illegal act.
It would be shortsighted to lay all the blame on the labor force for the trouble that US auto makers are in.
Some factors like the stubborn continuation of production of less than perfect gas guzzlers and the management giving itself raises and bonuses at an unprecedented rate may have something to do with it as well.
One last question.
Why is it that Americans prefer to buy the more expensive but obviously better Japanese cars and trucks??
These vehicles,when made in Japan,are made by employees who have cradle to grave benefits much better than the ones the UAW get here.So the argument of union culpability is obviously limping.

 

[Wotknot]

Re: Uaw

It would be wise if you guys did some reading on the negotiations that have been going on.
This time around it was the union that said "enough is enough".
So what happened so far?
Over the past few months the GM management together with the union has been working to save GM. The labor force has given up lots of benefits,including lots of health benefit perks in order to help save their source of income.
In working together with the union GM was able to save billions of dollars already.
The strike was called because GM wanted to start cutting back on the benefits of people who had already retired.This basically constitutes a breach of contract and the union refused to sign off on this clearly illegal act.
It would be shortsighted to lay all the blame on the labor force for the trouble that US auto makers are in.
Some factors like the stubborn continuation of production of less than perfect gas guzzlers and the management giving itself raises and bonuses at an unprecedented rate may have something to do with it as well.
One last question.
Why is it that Americans prefer to buy the more expensive but obviously better Japanese cars and trucks??
These vehicles,when made in Japan,are made by employees who have cradle to grave benefits much better than the ones the UAW get here.So the argument of union culpability is obviously limping.

Just asking outta curiousity....... where'd ya get this info?

 

[rolmops]

Re: Uaw

It is a well known fact that the Japanese factory worker usually works his entire career for one and the same company.The worker dedicates his life to the company and the company rewards the worker with great efforts towards the well being of these workers and their families.
It is part of the Japanese tradition of dedicating oneself to the local nobility.
Companies have taken the place of nobility,but the tradition is alive and well.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Uaw

We have a GM plant here. I was talking to one worker and what he explained to me that GM was wanting the UAW help foot the costs of the health care of the retired employees.

They don't want to pay out to health care, but they can go on strike an use up their cash cow for the strike. Go figure? Good Luck to them, it will effect this town if things go south and other to. Sorta shamfull if you ask me.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Uaw

It is a well known fact that the Japanese factory worker usually works his entire career for one and the same company.The worker dedicates his life to the company and the company rewards the worker with great efforts towards the well being of these workers and their families.
It is part of the Japanese tradition of dedicating oneself to the local nobility.
Companies have taken the place of nobility,but the tradition is alive and well.

The "New Japanese" worker no longer carries the old school traditional values. They have become more Westernized in the past few decades. The cradle to grave employment is no longer a given in Japan. At least with the companies and employees I've associated with.

 

[JB]

Re: Uaw

I congratulate you all on keeping this thread civil.

That, of course, doesn't mean we aren't watching.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Uaw

HMMMMMMM......
I think Rolmops makes some good points.....
I'm glad that......
I know when to stop my post........​

 

[treedancer]

Re: Uaw

We have a GM plant in our area, according to the local news the main hang up is shipping work off shore and there asking for a pay cut, plus pay for there own health insurance for the retirees.

Past contracts was negotiated with the idea that pay that normally would have been given in hourly wage increase?s would go for retiree heath insurance, now GM is trying to wiggle out of that.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Uaw

You know that BIG....
Must stop now......​

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Uaw

No doubt, they should stick to their guns. And when GM legally files bankrupt, they can kiss their entire package goodbye. Thems the rules boys. I noticed that nobody mentioned the BMW plant in SC or the Hyundai plant in I believe Mississippi, or the Honda plant in Ohio, or the Mazda plant in Michigan, or the several different toyota plants all over the USA. No unions there. No cradle to grave giveaways from the government either. Noticed nobody brought up the Subaru plants in Indiana? A vast majority of the these so called Import cars are manufactured here in the states. And they are not crying for a Union either. I can't understand why? But yes I can.

The realities of today and the bad deals negotiated by brainless managements of the past will drive the manufacturing out. And this should not come as a surprise to anyone. I feel terrible that one day this may happen to me, but to insist on some free giveaway negotiated in 1989 for my retirement in 2032 is difficult for me to not understand. For me to insist on enforcement of the old deal at the peril of those who are currently, but not likely to stay, employed, for a company on the brink of insolvency is selfishness and silly. It is still even money whether ford makes it or not. I would gladly pay 20% of a healthcare bill when the alternative is to pay 100%. Thats just doing my part. And if you think that government healthcare will be a better deal, you just don't get it. See Social Security...