[Mad_as_heck]

I worked at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren, MI about five years ago (as a contract employee) and my Dad worked for GM for about 25 years before that. "clueless" doesn't even begin to explain the sense of unreality and denial that permeates the management culture at that company. My department had 100+ people in it. After 3-4 years our projects were farther from completion then when we started.

If East Germany was a car company it would be GM. The company has been on a slow death spiral since about 1970. Every five years there is a new top-to-bottom reorganization that is supposed to fix things. Nothing ever changes. There is never a sense of urgency.

It takes something as big as GM a long time to die but I don't know it if has much of chance.

(And don't even get me started on the UAW- the rats and MSM have my blood pressure high enough already today.)

[TWohlford]

"No mention of the real problem--the fact that the UAW has tied management's hands."

and

"If East Germany was a car company it would be GM."

My GM credentials - Born in Marion IN (Fisher Body). Graduated from Anderson (Indiana) HS when the unemployment rate was 22% due to GM layoffs. Worked as a contractor for EDS (miserable!) at GM facilities for 6 months.

The truth is that both are right, but since labor problems are ALWAYS a management problem (as are quality problems) I'm laying the blame on management.

If you've ever had the chance to work for a GM exec (or Ford exec for that matter) you'll know why the workers have a union. The nastiest people I've ever met were Big 3 execs and management. I don't like the UAW but there IS a reason why they exist, and why those contracts are like they are.

THE REAL ISSUE is that fewer cars are needed for the current market, since cars routinely last 3 times longer than they used to. And, since it takes far fewer workers to make the cars that are needed, it means far fewer employees. Finally, leasing has leveled out the boom and bust cycles, which means that you don't need massive factories (and employee numbers) for those boom cycles.


Tim