UAW

Wagner · #1 09-24-2007, 06:38 AM

What a POS.

Let's see if we can kill American Automotive Manf's all together.....

http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/23/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes

motordavid · #2 09-24-2007, 08:59 AM

They, the UAW "leadership" have lost their minds,imo.
It's a very stupid and very serious game of chicken.
It is all about negotiating ego and delusion entitlement
on the part of the rank&file "mgmt".

I feel very fortunate to have escaped from that life back in
the early '70s...

blondboinsd · #3 09-24-2007, 11:40 AM

*shakes Head* The Union's have really lost their way, I feel they we're once needed but now? Sorry

Eric5273 · #4 09-24-2007, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondboinsd

*shakes Head* The Union's have really lost their way, I feel they we're once needed but now? Sorry

Of course unions are not needed. We all know how wages are at their highest ever today compared to cost of living.

CGSTL · #5 09-24-2007, 01:03 PM

It seems simple to me - maybe too simple because I've never been in a union. The more you pack on the back of the mule, the slower he goes. Pretty soon he'll be unable to compete and will eventually fall down and die. We're seeing that slow death now.

It sounds like each round of negotions ratchets up the amount in the UAW package that the automaker has to carry, and it's not just salary.

Successful large companies don't carry huge labor package burdens such as lifetime pension payments and retiree healthcare benefits. Instead, the employees contribute to their 401K's and do other saving/investment options.

Why can't the unions see that this old-school model no longer enables big companies to compete globally?

I apologize if i offended any union folks - but IMO, the path the UAW has been on for decades will do nothing but seal the bankrupt fate of the US automakers. The pack gets heavier and heavier....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric5273

Of course unions are not needed. We all know how wages are at their highest ever today compared to cost of living.

blondboinsd · #6 09-24-2007, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CGSTL

It seems simple to me - maybe too simple because I've never been in a union. The more you pack on the back of the mule, the slower he goes. Pretty soon he'll be unable to compete and will eventually fall down and die. We're seeing that slow death now.

It sounds like each round of negotions ratchets up the amount in the UAW package that the automaker has to carry, and it's not just salary.

Successful large companies don't carry huge labor package burdens such as lifetime pension payments and retiree healthcare benefits. Instead, the employees contribute to their 401K's and do other saving/investment options.

Why can't the unions see that this old-school model no longer enables big companies to compete globally?

I apologize if i offended any union folks - but IMO, the path the UAW has been on for decades will do nothing but seal the bankrupt fate of the US automakers. The pack gets heavier and heavier....

AzNMpower32 · #7 09-24-2007, 01:49 PM

. Unions are outdated and they're part of the problem, not the solution. I mean, its not like the non-union workers at say, Nissan or Honda are treated in sweatshop conditions anyway.

Eric5273 · #8 09-24-2007, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CGSTL

Successful large companies don't carry huge labor package burdens such as lifetime pension payments and retiree healthcare benefits. Instead, the employees contribute to their 401K's and do other saving/investment options.

Why can't the unions see that this old-school model no longer enables big companies to compete globally?

You are correct, but 401K's are not the answer either. Companies in Europe and Asia do not have to worry about pension plans or healthcare benefits at all, because the government in those countries takes care of these things. American companies are never going to be able to compete until the system changes. Even healthcare benefits for current workers are bankrupting these companies.

rebound · #9 09-25-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CGSTL

It seems simple to me - maybe too simple because I've never been in a union. The more you pack on the back of the mule, the slower he goes. Pretty soon he'll be unable to compete and will eventually fall down and die. We're seeing that slow death now.

It sounds like each round of negotions ratchets up the amount in the UAW package that the automaker has to carry, and it's not just salary.

Successful large companies don't carry huge labor package burdens such as lifetime pension payments and retiree healthcare benefits. Instead, the employees contribute to their 401K's and do other saving/investment options.

Why can't the unions see that this old-school model no longer enables big companies to compete globally?

I apologize if i offended any union folks - but IMO, the path the UAW has been on for decades will do nothing but seal the bankrupt fate of the US automakers. The pack gets heavier and heavier....

You're spot on.

It was the years of union demands for "cradle to grave" healthcare (sound familiar, Eric?) and the expectation of jobs for generations of families that truly broke the companies' backs. Of course, they bear some of the responsibility, as they didn't say "boo" to the unions when times were good, they just kept agreeing to their ridiculous demands for more and more in the new contracts.

Now the Big Three are reaping what they've sown (with the unions' help).

CGSTL · #10 09-25-2007, 01:59 PM

Stat of the day: For every 1 worker currently employed at GM there are 7 who are retired and supported with pension payments and healthcare.

Wow...