Posted on 11/15/2008 3:11:50 PM PST by pleikumud
I hope someone comes along in the thread that knows something about Unions and can give me an idiots synopsis of this.
What are my rights as the owner of a business? Do the rights of these Unions trump the rights of the Business owner? I never understood why owners didn’t just boot Unions to the curb.
IS the only course of a Union to walk out or go on strike? I understand that much, but think there must be much more. If they want to walk out, fine. I am sure there are people who can do the job as well that would be more than willing to take the job.
When you have broom pushers making 70K a year, I think it’s time the unions give up something instead of the consumer and taxpayer.
As if! Back in the 70's I met a couple who both worked in the auto industry - they wre union. They BRAGGED about the high dollars they made, even though they really didn't have to work. This is the abridged version, of course...
Goodbye, Detroit.
Don’t forget to turn the lights out on your way down south.
We can’t bailout businesses who make bad choices.
Americans have the freedom to succeed AND the freedom to fail. So be it.
Giving the Big 3 a bailout is akin to putting a bandaid on a severed carotid artery.
They’re history. There is no amount of taxpayer dollars that can wipe out their debts, present and future and no amount of taxpayer dollars that can make people want to buy their product.
Hands up here, I agree 100%.
The UAW gave the Obama champagne 4 hundred million dollars to get him elected. That was 4 hundred million too much. The UAW, in my opinion are not good stewards with the union money. I don't cuss—that may change if I hear the UAW beg for money.
The UAW is probably bearing down so hard on Pelosi and Reid that they are beginning to fear them.
Members of my family have been members of the UAW since 1954. You could put all my respect for the UAW in a small pinhead with a hole in the bottom.
The Big Three should have closed shop years ago. Call your Congressman, tell them if one red cent is given to the Big Three or the UAW your vote is gone and you will work door to door against anyone that supports the UAW or Big Three.
You could give them 25 billion a month, they will still need more. Good management is the only thing that can help them, after 50 to 60 years of bad management, it is probably too late.
Reading this clown’s words reminds me of the protests of the neighbor bully just before he gets his just due.
I live in the Metro Detroit area, and the worst decision made has been not challenging the UAW years ago, not having the backbone to say no. The union doesn’t care about the Big 3, they never have, the leadership is filled with socialist. If the Big 3 had backbone, they would file for chapter 11 and work to void the unrealistic UAW contract, and start over.
My knee jerk reaction is to agree with you. But I keep thinking about the ripple effect — all the ancillary businesses and suppliers that depend on them for a living, etc. This is going to hurt a lot of people who have nothing to do with the Big 3 unions and that’s a shame. It will be very painful for a lot of people who didn’t make the big bucks the union employees made.
My take: Let them die. The market will sort things out.
I heard Rush talking about the studies of how much it costs to build an American car using UAW labor versus non-American manufacturers building cars in the U.S. $75/hr to build a UAW car and $28/hr for the competition.
The UAW president is simply trying to create unrealistic alarm over the possible effects of the “Big Three” sliding into bankruptcy because the big loser, if they do, is the unions. The most likely scenario is a Chapter 11 restructuring which would allow the companies to renegotiate their ridiculous union contracts and to emerge a whole lot more competitive than they are now. To suggest they would go into Chapter 7 is absurd.
I truly believe that is happening. That's why the clarion call is to excuse debtors, in the vain hope that the props remain. Too many are ignorant of economic cycles (von Mises should be taught in more business schools) and deflation is long overdue.
I worked for Chrysler UAW at an auto plant in metro Detroit from about 1993 -2003 as a Reading-Writing-Computer instructor for those who, on their own time, sought to improve their basic skills. Although many were foreign born.most had U.S. education, many drop outs. I assisted those with sometimes beginning reading skills to skilled tradesmen and some who were working on college English classes. I had a janitor who was a fine man, but in the beginning to read category and he earned, with overtime in about 2003, $130,000. in addition to health benefits that were better than the white collar workers at the auto industry at the time. At that time, I was earning $37,500 with health benefits from a University that supplied the program. My other students, especially the skilled tradesmen earned more than what the janitor earned.
Cordio
That's the hell of it. For the cost of what they are talking about for this bailout, you could buy those companies three times over. There's something seriously out of whack here.
I say let them go bankrupt. The bankruptcy laws for businesses are there for a reason. If they were really serious about being competitive in the automotive manufacturing business again, they have to realize that the old paradigm isn't working. They need to look towards a new business model. Foreign companies operating here have been making profits. Look to them as an example. They've located their plants in business-friendly states, they have a good, loyal workforce that turns out quality products, their managers evidently are able to operate their plants well enough to come out ahead, they control legacy costs. If the American automakers reorganize under some kind of Chapter 11 plan, they should look at all of these options. The main one being get the heck out of places like MI and OH and PA and head to a business-friendly southern state that would welcome them rather than treating them some kind of enemy.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
Think about this, not all but many of the suppliers to the Big 3 also do work for the other car makers as well. I know this is not good, but the longer the Big 3 have to pay unrealistic labor cost, $1,500 per car vs. Toyota and others paying $115.00 per car; they can’t compete. I driven many American cars, the last 3 never went to the dealership for any repairs at all.
First, it makes no sense to make more cars than demanded. Second, it makes no sense to pay more people than you need to do the work. Third, it makes no sense to have a defined benefit retirement program when you have fewer workers contributing to more and more retirees. Finally, there are a lot of successful care makers in the U.S. that are not part of the big three or UAW controlled. People will still buy cars and the remaining car makers will need parts.
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