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Automotive News & Views United Automobile Workers of America (UAW)
16726 messages, Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 10:01 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: dave8697 (Dec 13, 2008 6:34 pm) As retired UAW worker I kinda doubt half you jerks know how long a grind it is for a blue collar in a factory hs to pick crap with the chickens before he/she gets to a UAW factory job that pays that "$23-28" an hr. And how many times they have had to stand the picket lines in blizzards/blistering heat to get a contract that will provide a good living for their families, pay taxs so less fortunate can have a roof and a jar pf peanut butter. When these figures are thrown around consider the fact that most is derived from incentive workers busting butt, whistle to whistle, 8-10-12 hrs a shift. Think you could do it for 30 years on concrete???? Some come out of there like busted up football players and you think they should not have a decent retirement pension and insurance ? Believe it, by far, it's not a FREE LUNCH JOB. I gave up many hourly pay raises for retaining the insurance, pension benifits that I have today. I live in a mobile home and our nuwest car is a 2003 BUICK, 98 Linc.TC, 92 Jeep, 90 Olds...GET IT! See any foriegn names there.
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Replying to: chikoo (Dec 13, 2008 7:24 pm) I don't think so. I think "three little words" Senator Corker (TN) has it in for the unions and would have come up with a couple of more words if Gettelfinger had agreed to a date certain. Like "drop dead." And Sen. Shelby (AL) would be right there singing in the chorus.
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If they're raking in $100K, then they must be working TONS of OT I am sure they are. There base is closer to $65k. It would only take about 15 hours per week OT to break $100k. I worked 70+ hours per week the last 25 years on the job. 15 hours per week is nothing. I used the combined Honda, Toyo, and Nissan I added all the Japanese and miscalculated. It was only 290k. The bottom line. 746k vehicle sold and only 332k were domestic. That is about 44% for the home team. A 50% reduction in the Big Three's domestic operations, for instance, would result in 2.5 million people losing their jobs, according to the Center for Automotive Research. Last article from that group said if all three went down we would lose 2.5 - 3.0 million jobs. Now if operations are cut in half we lose 2.5 million jobs. Well sales are off close to 40% so we are already screwed according to their calculations. There is nothing on the horizon to make US believe we will gain back that percentage in the next few years if ever. Even if only GM, the most troubled of the automakers, shut down, 914,000 jobs would be lost nationwide We have already lost 800k auto related jobs. So if only GM liquidates that is only 114,000 more job losses. Ever get the idea none of these experts have a clue as to what will happen if GM shuts down? |
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 13, 2008 8:45 pm) There was NO sense of conceding to a call for lower wage package in return for the bailout. Gettlefinger wants to string the tax payers along with regular bailouts. He is trying to hold the Federal Government hostage just as he and the UAW have done with the Big 3 for the last 70 years. The time has come to call their bluff. We need a Ronald Reagan with some guts to tell them enough is enough. A line worker at the Big 3 should NOT make as much as an engineer at the Big 3. EVER.... |
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Replying to: gagrice (Dec 13, 2008 9:19 pm) Well, alive anyway. They have to compete with NATCA. I doubt that members of either union will be going on strike anytime soon, assuming it's still illegal for them to do so, but the unions are still organizing controllers.
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 13, 2008 9:33 pm)
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Replying to: rexy44 (Dec 13, 2008 8:43 pm) Welcome to the Forum it is good to have first hand accounts. How long was the wage progression when you went to work in the UAW? I am sure we all have stories of how difficult our job was or is. I can recall splicing cable in the Arctic at -40 degrees with wind chill at minus 115 degrees. And the oil company bosses hanging around in their heated PU trucks wanting to know how long it was going to take to get them back in service. We were outside NO heated tent. I also gave up raises to have a better pension. Then after 20 some years of paying in we were told that not only the age requirement for retirement went from 45 to 57 years old, we were not going to get paid health care after we retired. The truth is the retirement fund would be broke if we had pushed for that benefit. Just the same as GM is broke trying to keep up an unsustainable health care program for the retirees. So when I retired I paid my own health care until I was eligible for Medicare. Just part of life. I worked the last 25 years in the Arctic on Ice 8 months of the year. My schedule was 21 days straight 10+ hours per day. Our outside work was mostly in the winter when some trainee front end loader operator would cut one of our telephone cables. I would not like your job and you would probably not like mine. |
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Replying to: gagrice (Dec 13, 2008 9:19 pm) Here in Tokyo, I watched today a couple of very popular televised debates on a Japanese version of the same theme ("should government provide some kind of safety net for workers that are being made redundant"). It is fast becoming a debate between protectionist/socialists vs. free market capitalists - and belonging to the latter group, I am alarmed to see that the former is now citing US as the example why their case is stronger ("If it is not working out in the US, then why should Japan continue to push for that?"). I worry that large scale bail outs continuing in the US are going to trigger similar moves in other large economies, and we know where that is going to lead us - an unraveling of the global free markets, leading to a lower standard of living all around.... It would be very unfortunate if that is how it turned out to be. While there might be a lot of different opinions about what ails the B3, there cannot be any doubt that competition provided the consumer the best choice - everyone today drives a much better car because of that. Not sure if we will be able to say this five years from now.....
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Replying to: cooterbfd (Dec 13, 2008 5:38 pm)
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Replying to: manegi (Dec 14, 2008 12:39 am) Customer walks onto Toyota dealer's lot. Salesman, "Yo, whatchoo lookin' at? You gonna buy a car or not, deadbeat?" Customer, "Uh...I was just looking." Salesman, "Yo, loser! Why don'tcha just take a picture it'll longer! Why you wastin' my time?" Customer, "Well, I was thinking of trading in my 6 year-old H...." Salesman, "Gimme dem keys to dat hooptie!" (Tosses keys onto roof of dealership) Now you ain't goin' nowhere sucker!" Customer, "That does it! I'm calling the police!" Salesman, "What cops, fool? There ain't no tax base left to pay the po-po! You is stuck, man!" Customer, "Oh, man! Uh, what's the MSRP on the base Corolla?" Saleman, "The stripper Corolla in 'Flat Puke Green' primer is $45,000! You get no radio, no heater, no turn signals, but since you're such a great guy, I'll throw in a reverse gear for only $2,500!" Customer, "Uh, I think I'll catch the bus and look elsewhere!" Salesman, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout? There ain't no buses left 'round here no more! No money to pay the drivers, fool! And don't be thinkin' 'bout going to Honda, Nissan, or Hyundai! We all part of the same dealership group. That Fit is $47,000, the Versa is $50K, and the Elantra is $46 grand! This strippo Corolla is your best deal! Take or or leave it!" Customer, "What about financing?" Salesman, "We got an easy payment plan! You pay me $850 a month for eight years at 25% or I break your face! You can't argue, dere's no easier payment plan den dat!"
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