Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views United Automobile Workers of America (UAW)
16705 messages, Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 6:56 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
|
Replying to: m4d_cow (Jan 12, 2009 10:32 am) When asked about the upcoming 'Volt" at the Detroit Auto Show, Rick Wagoner constantly emphasized that they (GM) need to bring the cost down in order to make this a viable car. Is that all he can think about? bringing costs down? Isn't that thinking what got him in this mess in the first place? I'd rather hire an illiterate bean counter for a piddly amount if this is what he believes that a CEO should be focusing on when developing a new car. Not that it is not important, but certainly he should not make it a public message. |
|
|
Replying to: yankabilly (Jan 14, 2009 12:45 pm) That is exactly what happened to us in about 1985. The company asked us to open the contract for a wage reduction. It was that or they would have to lay off half the crew. We opened it up and took a $525 per week cut in pay. Five months later they laid off the bottom 4 employees. Cutting the crew in half. There were many Union contracts that got cut worse than ours. The IBEW took a $5 per hour cut in pay. They never did catch up to us. Our cut was hours on our shift. So when things picked up we were back on 10-12 hour days and making good money again. If there is no money something has to give. |
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Jan 13, 2009 12:43 pm) Tell me about it. They actually make bad parts so that they can be called back on OT to make good parts 
|
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Jan 11, 2009 8:54 pm) Did the UAW decide to build the Ciera, and Century, virtually UNCHANGED, from 1982 to 1996 (that's 15, FIFTEEN model years)??? Ah.....nope. Did the UAW dicide the Chevy Astro was OK as is for 20, that's TWENTY model years???? Again.....noooope. Did the UAW decide to leave faulty designed rear calipers in the GM10 bodies for 5 years, leading to a class action suit??? Nope, nope, nope. Did they strike the Fairfax, Ka. (Malibu) plant last year, YES, and shame on them. Shame on them for the 1998 strike as well as striking the Lambda plant last year too. They do have their fair share of the blame, but I would HARDLY say that THEY (alone) are running the Big 3 into the ground, which is what you are insinuating. I think one of the reasons that the Jap 3 aren't as vocal about the bailout as their reps in the Senate are is they know that if you force concessions on the UAW, then the UAW built vehicles become more competitive price-wise. This may force them to try and cut costs (re: wages and bennies, and maybe even lesser quality materials) to maintain their edge, which could have a serious backlash. |
|
|
Replying to: tlong (Jan 12, 2009 9:13 pm) Would you say that ABC, NBC, and CBS have lost market share because they aren't competitive??? I would say cable turned their industry upside down. While I agree that the Big 3 have largely ignored their CARS (not trucks), the fact is that people have more choices today. People tripped all over themselves in the mid '80's to get a Hyundai or a Yugo. Why??? They were CHEAP!!!! That is probably STILL the #1 reason they buy Hyundai's and Kia's today.
|
|
|
Replying to: cooterbfd (Jan 14, 2009 2:55 pm) I think that one thing that the D3 as a whole and GM in particular don't get is that the competitions is on a 5 year cycle for cars while they are going for refreshes that are longer than that. That gave us a Cavalier that lasted through 4 different Civic and/or Corollas.
|
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Jan 13, 2009 5:22 am) WOW!!!!! Who'd have thought that CONGRESS would actually pander to the people who PUT THEM THERE as opposed to overpaid suits who lobby for special interests and other countries. Shame on them. |
|
|
Replying to: fezo (Jan 14, 2009 3:56 pm) I forgot about that one. "G" bodies went 9 yrs ('78-'87). Lemko's Park Ave went from '86-'96. |
|
|
Replying to: cooterbfd (Jan 14, 2009 2:55 pm) That is all I was saying that they have to share in the blame. I have implicated management as much or more than the UAW in the demise of the domestic auto industry. Did the UAW decide to build the Ciera, and Century, virtually UNCHANGED, from 1982 to 1996 I don't know. Did the work rules make it too expensive to upgrade the process for newer better designed models? With 2200 pages of what the workers will and will not do, does present a lot of issues to making changes. Now that GM is trying to get enough money to pay for parts already delivered and health care for retirees, the UAW is attempting to block the bailout with their "no more concessions" protests. I believe the tax payers in this country are not very sympathetic to the UAW cause. From where I sit the UAW would rather take down GM than give up any of their wages or benefits. They keep saying they gave up all they are going to. Well it does not look like the rank and file have given up much of anything. Giving up wages benefits for new hires is pathetic and selfish if you ask me. The few and the proud that are left have given up nothing. The 65,000 UAW workers that are left are willing to take down the whole industry to maintain their lifestyle. You know the 3 million workers the UAW claims will lose their jobs. I got to tell you most of those jobs are going away no matter what the UAW does. I imagine as many as a third are already part of the recession statistics. If the UAW keeps GM from getting the money they will go down in flames with the rest of the domestic workforce. And then my insinuation will be true. PS My original post was to DD who continually avoids the UAW issue by throwing in totally irrelevant information.
|
|
|
Replying to: cooterbfd (Jan 14, 2009 3:59 pm) They also bailed out the banks that give them huge donations. They have not bailed out the working class people that have lost their homes. That is because they are not represented by a Union that get special treatment from the Democrats in Congress. If you feel that catering to special interests is the way our government should be run. Then you should be happy about the bailout for the UAW. The little guy that is not rich enough alone or collectively is left out in the cold by our current Congress.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views United Automobile Workers of America (UAW)
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
