Posted on 12/06/2008 4:49:01 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
Only a professor, preferably a sociology professor, one with way too much time on his hands, could have come up with this one. His solution to the Detroit crisis that has the Big Three automakers on the brink of bye-bye? Unionize their foreign competitors manufacturing in the USA!
Now why didn't we think of that? Because we're not Jonathan Cutler, associate professor of sociology at Wesleyan University. His solution in a nutshell, contained in his Los Angeles Times column of today [emphasis added]:
"[N]ot to tear down the historic and heroic gains won by prior generations of UAW workers. If there is hope long term -- for the unionized Big Three companies and for the UAW -- it rests in dealing with the unfinished business of the 1980s: unionizing the unorganized transplants."
Let's count the ways that won't work:
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...
Unbelievable idiocy.
And this is an example of what is ‘teaching’ our children.
Be afraid. Be VERY afraid! Their graduating classes are what is already starting to run this country.
bump
This is pretty predictable. The Big Three can’t compete with the non-unionized foreign manufacturers when it costs them so much more to manufacture a car. The Obama Administration and the UAW are not going to let the Big Three void the union contracts if they can help it. Thus, the only solution is to unionize the American plants of the foreign manufacturers.
Dumb beyond belief.
The rats also want to eliminate the provision in federal labor law that allows right to work states. With right to work status, the union will be weak. Eliminating right to work will allow a militant union to ruin the industry.
Then the rats will impose tariffs. The rats will make a truce with the foreign auto makers. The rats will force them to substantially increase labor costs. The rats will provide assurance that the foreign auto makers can pass the additional costs to the consumer.
Reminds me of the comment from the worker in the old Soviet Union “Sytem good. We pretend work. They pretend pay us”. What does one expect from a sociology perfesser?
“If the unions manage to unionize American Toyota plants, there will just be no American Toyota plants.”
How very true! And then the big 3 and congress would wonder why Americans are still buying and possibly paying more for foreign made vehicles. Then the government would impose some idiotic regulation barring import of foreign made vehicles. Of course, neither the companies nor the government, realizing the foreign made vehicles’ product and customer service are far superior
I don’t think anyone wants to replicate the Soviet Union, do they? Either they are stupid, or they have no idea how it actually worked. One had “a job”, a government job of course - but it was assigned - it might mean a commute - and, one couldn’t quit either, nor transfer, etc. “We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us.”
Unions are in some ways a victim of their own success. Weekends, for one example, are now pretty much standard fare in the US. This isn’t the natural order of things or the default. 80+ hour workweeks used to be standard at some factories. Minimum wages, paid holidays, etc, many of the fought for work conditions have been folded into federal and state laws for all employers whether unionized or not.
How revealing. This is the ultimate goal of Communists. Destroy all non communist businesses.
Democrats are right on the same page.
Then Toyota and others will all move to Mexico (NAFTA tariff free zone) and make 100% of America’s cars and trucks. Another American industry bites the dust!
Bring back the Trabbie!
This was socialized transportation at it’s finest. First, it was a three-cylinder (gotta mix gas and oil, like a lawnmower) 2-cycle engine, droppped in the finest body, though not by Fisher, constructed of compressed wool and cardboard. The waiting list (yes... there was a waiting list) was long enough for inter-generational strategery. Usually when a child was born it was a good time to apply. Some years later, word would come down “pick up your car”; payment was due in full which usually meant borrowing from friends and family because the car would be sold to another party without fast payment.
Auto insurance was unknown as well if not illegal. I’m not sure how that worked out. It’s always been a mystery to me on the near complete absence of anti-communists/socialists/collectivists (from countries who know better now) in the popular culture and news media. Reagan once said something like “A socialist is someone who has read Marx, a capitalist is somebody who has read, and understands, Marx...”
You'd better PRAY that is the outcome. Because if they get their bail out money, this country is finished.
While we are waiting, buy extra staples to build up your emergency food stocks every time you go shopping.
Many may be thinking that things are bad now, but will get better. They are fooling themselves. This is only the beginning. The real depression will start to show itself around the same time "the big 3" come back to beg for another bail out, which will be when the big 3 have to cough up another 51 billion that they owe the retirement health care plan, which is due next December. Of course, that will also be when the bail out money which kept them open for the 2008 fiscal year runs out as well. They will be looking for another 100 billion at the very least, and more land to park all the cars they are building to keep union workers employed that nobody can afford to buy.
Perhaps the government should bail out the consumer instead. give US trillions of dollars so we can buy a new car, as well as other things.
Then the next time free money runs out, at least we'll all have new cars to drive around looking for jobs in.
Here’s a much simpler plan:
Require the foreign makers to leave one wheel off each car they build. That will boost sales for Detroit.
Sounds good, but somehow I suspect that within a couple years Toyota would be building a hot new tricycle that would garner about a 20% market share ;-)
My brother-in-law, who worked for GM for 25 years, said the same thing. He said that if the Big 3 couldn’t get the unions off of their backs, they’d accept leveling the playing field by going in the other direction, namely, hanging the UAW around Toyota and Honda’s necks. And, of course, the UAW would be all for it.
He was white collar, and said the unions were so oppressive that he couldn’t empty his own wastebasket without running afoul of someone complaining about work rules.
Captain! There’s a passenger overboard....he’s drowning!
THROW THE OTHERS OVERBOARD IMMEDIATELY!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.