GM forced to close 4 truck plants

[bjcsc]

Not as much as you think. They still get 90% of their pay, while essentially being on vacation, without it counting against their vacation time. If I could make 90% of my normal wage and stay home, I'd not have to think about that very long. But unfortunetly for me I am just a local small business man and not a UAW worker.

Yeah, me either. No empathy from me.

The United Auto Workers said the strike had begun at 12:01 ET on Tuesday. Talks broke off Monday with major issues unresolved, including demands for wage cuts of up to $14 per hour, the union said.

Elimination of future retiree health care and defined benefit pensions were also issues, the UAW said. The union also said American Axle failed to provide the UAW with information it needed to evaluate the proposed cuts.

The UAW has a 菟roven record of working with companies, 巴ut cooperation does not mean capitulation, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement.

American Axle said its ability to maintain production at those locations or compete for future business would be in 琶mmediate jeopardy without sweeping union concessions.

The UAW contract covers facilities in Detroit and Three Rivers, Michigan; Tonawanda and Cheektowaga, New York; and a Buffalo, New York, plant idled in late 2007. The UAW also represents American Axle workers at other facilities covered under a different agreement that did not expire.

In a statement, the Detroit-based company said the union had 都ingled out the supplier by refusing to allow it to cut hourly labor costs that are three times higher than its rivals at over $70 per hour(emphasis added).

So stellar benefit packages and ~$112,000 per year after a $14/hr reduction isn't enough for assembly line work? Are you kidding me?

When all their jobs go overseas they'll have no one to blame but themselves...

 

[Z-Michigan]

The $70/hr probably includes benefit costs. But, still, it's an incredibly, amazingly high pay rate regardless. Both of my parents have college degrees, my mom a Ph.D., and neither of them comes close to $70/hr with their full-time, professional jobs. I have lived most of my life in Michigan and I still find the concept of high school dropouts making >$100k/year doing factory work just bizarre.

Recent story in Detroit News said that the Big 3 and their suppliers are having no problems whatsoever finding people to take jobs at the new, drastically lowered pay scale starting at $14/hr.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Thats what happened in my town. We had a GM plant that employed over 20,000 in a town of 120,000. Well they got greedy and it left completely. Within a year other business closed right and left and the housing values went to crap.

Two years ago Honda wanted to put a plant in Indiana, the chose Greensburg Indiana even though our town was willing to pay to get them here. Not to mention, free land, buildings, and tax breaks. Honda said no way they were coming to a town with a strong union background. Many feel they have ruined this area for good and we will never get a big company here again.

Chris

 

[Builder]

I hope GM holds tough and lets these greedy pigs just die off. The fact that they succombed to these gorillas and gave them everything they wanted 20-30 years ago is the reason the big 3 are teetering on bankruptcy today. I blame the big 3 for that, but who knows what size gun was held to their heads.

I wish the big 3 could just clean house and start over. Then we could get better trucks for less money and compete directly with the Japanese who have moved plants here.

 

[75H2]

+1 here.

The union brothers killed the golden goose in my home town. I have no problem with anyone trying to make a living. But, unskilled labor can't expect to be paid the same as someone who has invested years of their life and tens of thousands of dollars to learn their profession. But, what do I know. I'm just a greedy corporate fat cat as the comrads like to refer to people like me

 

[Builder]

Seems like to me it's gonna be a matter of who can outlast who.

Can GM/Ford/Chrysler outlast the UAW?

Probably a simplistic observation/question, but why can't the UAW see that their past negotiations will ultimately kill their very employer? Like a cancer will ultimately kill the host body that it invades?

 

[johnk]

Amen Brother,

If you want to pay bottom dollar for something, don't complain when it doesn't work or breaks. Buy Chinese...I don't even want to get into it. Take a look at your lifelong politicians. Never worked a day in their lives but claim they will change the world. Don't even have a clue to what it is to work out in the working mans world.People are fickle and believe anything with hope. Coorperate greed is a reality. I"ve been getting up every morning and working for 40 years and paid a lot of bills for people that never got up and never will. i get to do my job and the people that buy drugs an get my benefits don't have to get tested and get my money as a reward. Sorry if I ranted but it felt great. I am a union worker and still have to work so maybe my job wasn't as prosperous as all the other union workers jobs. Life goes on. If you work you are a US person I admire. if you watch as the US citizen goes to work shame on you. I am a proud union worker and hopefully will be able to retire when i'm 62. If not I'll keep pluggin away as most of you will. Don't bash unions or private sector. We are all trying to make a living.

 

[AGRIMAN]

Well put Builder! Couldn't agree more.

I have never been part of a union nor do I ever want to, but I have butted heads with a few while visiting/working at some union plants. I always seem to get at least one grievance filed against me for some foolish reason ever time.

America is full of hard working people that are making quality products and a good living for a honest wage.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I was feed on union dollars growing up but enough is enough. My home town of 25,000 and the town I live in now of 120,000 have been torn apart by the UAW. Wearing a UAW cap or jacket in my neck of the woods is not a proud thing anymore and at 11pm on a Friday night it will start a fight at most bars or even the Wal Mart.

My family has always worked in manufacturing until me. The company my father works for had been union for years until the mid 90's when it was either shut the doors or get rid of the union. They got rid of the union with a lot of bitching and moaning but things are better now then they ever were. The company can actually reward the hard workers and kick the lazy ones in the *** all the way out the door.

I am a corporate pilot, own a small marine business, and to light construction/ tractor related jobs on the side. My main job has me flying a private jet 3-4 days a week. Do you think if I were a sub par employee or lazy I would still have a job or be alive. We all need to be accountable.

Chris

 

[Builder]

Good stuff guys.

I'm not anti-union as long as it's fair. My wife is a union teacher, and despite what you might think, her teachers union is relatively weak compared to the likes of the UAW. Think of it, my wife with 2 master's degrees and given the important job of educating kids makes less than a guy installing fenders on a car.

Bankrupting major US corporations so their employees can make $80 grand installing trunk lids with benefits a prince of a small island nation would admire is not fair to GM.

Once we get these overpaid workers retired and replaced with reasonable waged employees, then work on these jackazzes that run our government, maybe there's a slight chance we can compete with the rest of the world once again.