Posted on 10/30/2009 9:15:25 AM PDT by mojito
Doubts are growing about whether the Ford pact with the United Auto Workers will be approved after the rank and file at two more plants overwhelmingly rejected it.
Workers at a parts-making plant in Saline, Mich., voted 75 percent against the deal. Research and engineering employees in Dearborn, Mich., were even more negative, with roughly 90 percent voting against the deal.
Ford’s biggest assembly plant, at Claycomo, has already voted 92 percent against the concessions, which Ford says it needs to stay competitive. Chrysler and General Motors got the conessions from the UAW, but they were going through bankruptcy, which Ford has been able to avoid.
At least eight UAW locals representing 12,500 workers have voted down the deal, many overwhelmingly. Only about four locals with a total of 7,000 members have favored the pact.
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
Look at the sweet deal they got from 0 after bankrupting GM.
Crabs in a bucket.
My wish:
Ford Declares bankruptcy, fires and replaces ALL union members. NOBODY is buying cars at the moment anyways and train up people who are more than willing to work at the offered wages.
It’s a shame that the UAW is trying to undermine Ford’s progress. CEO Alan Mulally is a brilliant man and has been doing his best to keep Ford stable and encouraging the development of advanced, competitive products.
I hope Mr. Mulally doesn’t take any of the crap from the UAW! Ford management should do everything possible to prevent the hinderances to progress as a company. If they have to close every single plant in the US to get away from the UAW, so be it!
Of course, they could move to right-to-work states in the southern US....
“What incentive does the UAW have to preserve Ford? “
A complication I didn’t see coming. Might be time to dump my Ford stock.
LOL do you think the Government would ever let them do that?
I would never buy a GM or Chrysler b/c Bush nationalized them. I would never buy a Ford because the scum UAW represents their “workers.” Eff them all.
Answer: less than none. IMHO, the UAW should be de-certified and prohibited in working with any union that Ford employees might choose should they want one in the first place. The UAW has moved into management of a competitor and as we all know, managers cannot be in the union. There is a whole new anti-trust footprint here and it shouldn't be much of a leap to recognize that the UAW is hopelessly conflicted when it comes to Ford. The Ford locals should realize that themselves but a) have locals ever demonstrated an instinct for self-preservation [ref: see Stella-D'oro, Eastern Airlines machinists ...] and b) can they break free of union management control from the top?
It would sure as hell be fun watching the government fight it in front of the American public wouldn’t it?
I wish for very little so when I wish I wish big ;)
Ford may soon be the Eastern Airlines of the auto industry. Destroyed by the union just to show their power as a warning to the other companies and without caring what ends up happening to the workers.
Ford should close the plants and move production to Mexico
How do we know that the UAW is the bad guy here? Maybe Ford is trying to screw the union. Now if I had to bet, my bet would be that UAW is the bad guy, based on past history, but there are no facts in the article to really determine that one way or the other. Why must we always jump on the union until we know what the sticking points are?
parsy, who wonders if anybody knows what the sticking points are?
If Ford declared bankruptcy, Obama would move in and take control of it. UAW could end up owning the thing.
But even in right-to-work states they have to hire union workers. I’m not sure why that is though.
That is so reactionary. Our durn big businesses have already shipped enough jobs overseas.
parsy, the fair and just
UAW workers must be dumb as posts! Have they not been paying attention?
Getting rid of the auto plants no one wants to work at. Good plan! Who needs their damn jobs, anyway?
There are PLENTY of unemployed people who would be glad to have a job.
Greed has no bounds when it comes to money.
Ever.
The unions are just another arm of the socialist takeover of this country. That's all.
LLS
You are correct in all particulars.
Then it would be just another reason to not by another U.S. manufactured car.
“Why must we always jump on the union until we know what the sticking points are?”
I am not a reflexive union basher. I understand the necessity of unions, once upon a time.
But in this case the request was that the union give the SAME concessions to Ford as it did to GM and Chrysler. Not additional concessions, the same. Obviously that’s required to remain competitive.
Now, look at the motivation for the UAW. If they play along, they have nothing at stake. They may help Ford, but the health of Ford isn’t important to the UAW, in fact the opposite is true. If the UAW can bankrupt Ford, then Ford will go the way of GM. Ford would be jointly owned and operated by the UAW and the government. No fear of lost jobs. The UAW surely wants to kill Ford.
Ford closed a plant in southern Atlanta some years back,
and there is an empty GM plant on I285 in Doraville that
just sits there. Georgia is a right to work state with
lots of people who have skills that are unemployeed.
Get down here Ford and take advantage. Kia opens up
a new plant south of here shortly.
Should follow Caterpillar’s lead and break the UAW. Have management work part time on the line, threaten to hire replacement workers, and then do it.
Mulally has to be willing and able to grab the UAW thugs by the balls and keep squeezing until he hears that cracking sound!
It’s not easy, or safe, but it can be done.
Ford will never change the name on top of World Headquarters
to Government Motors. Now we are back to the old days when Union thugs start breaking heads to make their point.
I was considering a Ford Focus, but the UAW cooties on it negated that!
That’s a damn good Idea and it would work.
My understanding is that Ford has asked the UAW for the exact same agreement that the union has made with Chrysler and GM.
As a Ford Retiree (management) I still have Ford Stock and keep buying. I know Ford they are a conservative company Edsel and Billy will bring it back at least I know Edsel will Billy I’m not to sure of.
Right now is a very BAD time for the UAW to play this game. There are THOUSANDS of unemployed people who would be very happy to cross their picket lines and work for Ford.
I pray that Mulally will do just that. Crush 'em, before they take over the company.
The UAW welfare lobby is clearly “hard at work” to get Ford into the GM (”Government Motors”) conglomerate so Ford’s “workers”, too, can join in the feast. Ubama has enough tax dollars (aka, other people’s money) for all the votes he needs to buy!
I hope Ford starts closing down plants ASAP. I will never buy another car that has any UAW involvement in its creation. Got two Hondas in the driveway now (first foreign cars ever in the Lancey Howard household) and the Ford and Dodge are about to get replaced as well.
This way I would shutter the plants and move south. Hell with this BS.
Chevy and Chrysler vehicles are already on my “never buy again” list. I hope the UAW doesn’t make me add Ford to that list. (UAW, be warned, that made-in-Texas Toyota Tundra is looking better all the time.)
I’ve said that for the last two - I live in MI and have family in the unions and I have a Honda CRV and a Toyota Tundra (The awesome 5.7). I will never buy a union made auto again. You should hear the yelling at family get togethers - they all want their share and more - cottages on the lake, boats, someone has to pay for that stuff.....
All great change in America begins at the dinner table. - Ronald Reagan
Not that such a technicality would slow 0bama (ptui) down, but it is a rather stronger legal ownership position than either GM or Chrysler sharecroppers shareholders had.
Workers would get a $1,000 bonus if the deal is ratified, but the proposal also would freeze entry-level wages and require some skilled-trades workers to do more than one job. The union also agreed not to strike Ford if the two sides disagree on wage or benefit increases, although the UAW could still strike over other issues.
IMHO - This seems rather mild, more mild than I had thought it would be. The last point seems to give away the farm, but there must be some sort of time limit on it.
I'm guessing the unions want what the GM unions got (part ownership). If that is the case, Ford's best strategy would be file bankrupcy.
Sounds like a plan. While they are at it, take away retiree health care for all unionized workers and turn the pensions over to PBGC.
Lots of trained replacement former workers available from GM and Chrysler.
I’m a union guy but f*&^ the UAW.
Because unions suck. They are never for the health of the company only their own ass. They are lying, communist organizations that have outlived their usefulness.
great idea. They sure have a lot of people right here in Michigan in which to get a whole new workforce.
We need to have a government that does not discourage economic activity
There's probably over 20% real unemployment in Mich. Using management and non-union workers, they could be cranking in no time. They would need to hire a lot of security and watch for moles in the ranks of replacement workers (derogatorily called "scabs").
I would hate to see more manufacturing leave the states or allow the gov and unions take over another major company.
People are still sitting on their porches in South Bend, Indiana, waiting for Studebaker to return.
Ford should close the plants and move production to Mexico”
Canada...not Mexico.
But even in right-to-work states they have to hire union workers. I’m not sure why that is though.”
I don’t think so if there is NO union contract in effect.
As is the CAW is much better than the UAW
I don’t trust the union numbers anymore than I trust this administrations numbers. Since the leadership counts the votes how do we know what the members wanted? As Joe Stalin said, it doesn’t matter who votes, only who counts the votes.
Absolutely - Security would be needed. It got really nasty here in the Peoria area during the UAW strike in the 90s, and Cat CEO Don Fites had death threats, and had to hire body guards, but he stood firm.
Yup, the UAW members loved screaming at the “scabs” every morning and afternoon, but there wasn’t much sympathy for the union. People were literally lining up to serve as replacement workers.
The UAW is so unethical - One of the things that Cat demanded was the use of direct deposit for all paychecks. The union guys screamed bloody murder. Why, I wondered at the time, is that such an issue? Turns out a number of the union guys didn’t want the little lady at home to know how much money they were pulling down. They would cash their paychecks, go across the street to their favorite pub, spend a bunch on beer, loose a bunch in pokers games, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to pay a visit to their honey on the side.
Cat got their way, and I guess those guys are now nursing a Bud on the coach while the little lady balances the checkbook.
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