Comments on: Must Read: The Real Story on UAW Pay Levels

By: Lya

Lya — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:31:45 +0000

Keith K. The UAW workers have let the UAW put them out of jobs because they get paid just as much to stay home!!!!!!!!!!! The job banks and other plans set the workers up to have not so much job security as wage security. These workers sit home collecting the same pay as before they were laid off. Try getting that gig. And oll of this with barely a high school diploma. Nice work if you can get it, but this counrty cannot afford it anymore. The BIG 3 have been bailed out before. Don’t give them the chance to screw it up again.

By: Lya

Lya — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:23:50 +0000

Having lived in the Detroit area for the last 15 years, I have seen the toll that the UAW and its greed have taken in this new economy. UAW workers laid off, sit home collecting paychecks long after unemployemnt runs out. Retired workers aged 50, collect benefits that are nearly equal to their full pay. They pay nothing for health care, and abuse the system seeking specialists, and using ER visits for routine care. They may have similar take home pay to other workers, but they benefit with lower “overhead” than their counterparts. Another side to this story that no one wants to talk about is that it is union workers that have greatly impacted the housing market in the Detroit area. Union workers seeing their overtime dry up are defaulting on loans that should never have been made. These workers live beyond thier means, and then stick it to us when the well goes dry. The retirees live like kings, the laid off workers sit home collecting money to do nothing, and the ones who work, rely so heavily on overtime to live in fancy homes, and drive gas guzzling SUV’s that never see any “sport” but bowling. They say “I need space”. FIne, drive a minivan that gets 30 MPG. The big 3 can survive bankruptcy the hard way like Kmart did, and the UAW can learn to live like the rest of us.

By: Gale

Gale — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:13:21 +0000

Could someone answer the question…..What is the real cost of a vehicle (out the back door of the factory)? What is the profit write-up to my dealer versus that cost? Wouldn’t it be fair to say that AFTER breaking the ridiculous UAW contracts, that “the big 3″ could lower the profit margin, pass that lower price to the consumer, and make it possible to buy a new vehicle for less that the cost of my home! That still gives people jobs, and the “domino companies” would still be giving jobs & service, AND maybe
just maybe the “fat cats” would then see that multi-million dollar salaries,
multi-million bonuses, and golden parachutes ARE NOT necessary to be successful. In my business, if there is an item I’m having trouble moving, I lower the price, which in turn lowers my profit, BUT I get it sold, and
through volume I end up making about the same amount, while my manufacture
partners are trying to stay up with demand with providing More Jobs to others.

By: Lorin

Lorin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:01:45 +0000

I think now is the most important time in recent history to think about loyalty to OUR country and the products that we create. Granted some will still buy “foreign” cars for whatever reason and that is a shame. This would be the perfect oppertunity for the Big Three to give the UAW the boot. There are a lot of non union people in need of a job right now and I’m sure a lot of union people would jump ship if it ment keeping their job.

By: Leo Wells

Leo Wells — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:16:52 +0000

Brian-
I appreciate your thoughtful articles. Hope to see you after the first of the year.
Have a blessed Christmas.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:50:12 +0000

I am so thankful for the Senate! They had enough sense to look the UAW and the Big 3 in the eye and say NO! America is not going to help companies that will not help themselves. As a business person, we must operate with a budget and stick to it. Why can’t these guys in Washington figure that out? I would take a big pay cut if I could keep my job. All i have heard is that “no one is going to take a pay cut”. Oh yeah, the millionaire CEO’s are going to work for $1. The leaders of Delphi (Supplier for GM) did the same thing and where are they at…..Still in bankruptcy. The same place these companies are going. Then we will see how the UAW does in those negotiations!

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:11:47 +0000

If the UAW was really interested in keeping their workers employed, then wouldn’t it make sense to reduce some of the burden on the Big 3, like lower pay. These guys have no problem going on strike for higher wages better working conditions, etc. These are tough times, and we need to pull together to keep all of our workers employed. UAW should make a concession until the economy gets better, or let the Big 3 go belly up, and re-tool!

By: Michael Everett

Michael Everett — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:43:44 +0000

GM has 60b plus dollars of debt. There are limited ways to reduce that so that they
can have some chance of survival. Sen. Corker of Tenn. has it just right. Unfortunately the UAW wants to ignore the real world. Wage and benefit cuts are
a part of the overall solution. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE – UAW……

GM should just go ahead and file Chapter 11 and be done with all of this tap
dancing. It’s juts costing them additonal funds that can not afford to spend on
this political theater……

By: KeithK.

KeithK. — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:37:22 +0000

GM, Ford, and Chrysler can survive, as they do have some good products. They just need to eliminate the ones that have proven to be slow sellers. But wait…the UAW won’t let them. The workers have allowed themselves, through the UAW, to put themselves out of a job. How smart is that? Anyone who has followed the technology and market over the past years has been able to see this coming. You cannot build cars by committee and survive. If they had designed a diesel hybrid, or brought diesel technology to the US a few years ago, they could have pretty much taken over the automobile market in the US. Now what do we see, the French as the first country about ready to bring one to market. GM has a world beater in the CTS-V, Corvette, and now Camaro, and Ford great cars in Europe. Chrysler benefited greatly from its (former) relationship with Daimler. Let’s see them start working for the US market, or is it too late? We are about to find out…And, if you are an auto worker in the US, don’t be too disheartened if they fold, you can always get a job with a foreign manufacturer building cars in the US. After all, they won’t have competition from our three so they will build more, and therefore hire more. Unless, they allow the UAW in, and then look out AGAIN!

By: Adrian Popescu

Adrian Popescu — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:16:43 +0000

Guys !!! Guys !!!

Wake up!!! All of you are bashing out the Big 3, without looking into the real felons!!!! What has Congress done for years ??? How did both parties – but especially the Dems – got in bed with the UAW and other special interest groups and created all this mess??? Are you blind???? Deluded??? Or just plainly STUPID??? As for myself, an immigrant and a former big fan of european cars – I loved Audi’s – now I’m driving my second Lincoln!!! And let me tell you something, I wouldn’t buy anymore an Audi not even if someone would pay me to do it, and if I wouldn’t do that the hell I wouldn’t spend my money on a Lexus!!!!! If you think Ford at least is the same old quality problems ridden car, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
BTW, I have no connection whatsoever with auto-industry, and I really didn’t like Ford’s!!!!
But if these guys really want to do something and really deserve to be bashed for, they need to:
1. Put UAW in it’s place
2. Migrate out of Detroit towards states that are really business friendly – is there any question why MI, and CA are in the gutter??? Dems in control, big taxes, big governments, and BIG UNIONS !!!!
2. Stop the nonsense policy of outsourcing and off-shoring which ultimately makes cars more expensive and prolounges the time a new car can be put out on the market
3. Invest heavily in R&D
4. Break the monopoly and clout the energy companies have and put NEW TECHNOLOGIES out on the market that do not rely on fossils (whoever thinks energy companies are not having in this their own share of misdeeds in this, is not living on this planet… How do you think Shell would react if say an electric distribution company would open-up a chain of Electric Charging Stations ????)

And by the way in all this bashing nonsense how come no one speaks about Ford Escape HYBRID which is the best SUV in it’s class in terms of mileage???? Hello???? It’s FORD, not HONDA, TOYOTA or any other tin-can crap!!!!