It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Topic: It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30 (Read 18532 times) previous topic - next topic

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #15 – March 30, 2009, 01:59:08 PM

Quote

there are now so many laws and agencies that will protect workers rights nowadays

Then why is it that the county I work for -- which is NOT in a "right to work" state is attempting to lay off 300+ union workers, but has made no mention of laying off any of the 461 NON-UNION politically appointed employees?

Maybe if the politicians followed their own laws would it be safe to not have unions...

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #16 – March 30, 2009, 02:14:33 PM

Quote from: V8Demon;264843

Then why is it that the county I work for -- which is NOT in a "right to work" state is attempting to lay off 300+ union workers, but has made no mention of laying off any of the 461 NON-UNION politically appointed employees?

Maybe if the politicians followed their own laws would it be safe to not have unions...

I can tell you exactly why. Unionized employees are a bigger financial burden, both through higher wages and through higher benefits, so they're the first to go. They price themselves out of work. When the economy recovers and those employees are needed again it'll likely be non-union folks who are hired on to replace 'em. That's also why you see a lot of munilities offload work to private sector - for example around here the provincial road dept used to fix and build roads. The unions got too demanding so the province fired 'em all and started putting the highway work out to tender for private companies to do. That was decades ago.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #17 – March 30, 2009, 02:42:28 PM

These non-union personnel are not an outsource and many of them do in fact get paid holidays/vacation/sick time and medical benefits and on average, earn MORE than the union employees. Like I said political appointees not outsourced labor.

The county executive has 5 deputy county executives appointed by him.....WHY???? BTW, their base salary is 178,000 EACH.

I'll add to that these attempts at layoff come after the official 2009 budget proposal came out in February where it was stated in page 26 of the proposal that there is indeed an extra $130 MILLION. A forensicaudit was performed on the county books as well. Apparently there's a ton of other money hidden as well. The results have not been made public yet, but speculation says up to $50 million more that is unaccounted for...

While I'll agree with you that in most cases the union employees are higher paid, in the situation that many people who work in the county I do are dealing with, this is simply not the case. Add to all this the fact that we gave some concessions concerning our medical benefits that amounts to a $15 million per year savings for the county.

I'm lucky I'm not on the chopping block...

yet.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #18 – March 30, 2009, 02:42:43 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken;264834

GM is actually finally starting to move away from "please the shareholders at all costs", but it just may be too late. Virtually every GM product (certainly the ones released in the last two years) is on par with or better than the competition.

And you can thank Bob Lutz for every one of them. The guy catches a lot of flak because he talks more than he should, but he's the first real and honest car guy GM has seen at the helm of production since 1970. Now that he's retiring, I'm scared for the next generation of mundane we may see.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #19 – March 30, 2009, 03:49:34 PM

I agree with you on the point about the share holders ,they do stifle the companies ability to evolve and adapt to the market.They are only concerned with 1 thing ,the bottom line . I ve was a tech a GM dealer for five years before going back to a private owned shop,as far as the product lines they are putting out the newer stuff isn't any better than the old ,I seen the same old problems with the new as the old ,parts of poor quality ,lack of pride in the assemble of them ,and a lack of wanting to be responsible or correct the problems when pointed out. I left the dealership in 06 ,it was the same every Monday meeting ,a pile new of TSB's and parts shortage notices . If you can't discipline the workers making the products for doing a bad job, or in the case of quality control ,not at all ,then you have no chance making a better product. The unions do add to this problem by protecting some workers that should be fired , in my case it kinda ticks you off when you know you make half as much as the guy who's mistake you're fixing and the cars owner who is understandable irate ,lets you know what he thinks about the situation.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #20 – March 30, 2009, 04:01:10 PM

Ok unions balance out things and balance is good. As for the right to work states they have union and non union employees getting paid the same at just above min. Wage. And those states were always strugling. All I'm sayin is if the unions go the laws that are set up to protect will go to we need the balance.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #21 – March 30, 2009, 04:32:18 PM

Right to work states ,like Iowa ,have wage regulation wich protect union workers as well as non union ,Ican see what your getting at but the unions have done nothing in the last 15 years to advance ,or hell even protect workers rights ,and that is what they were formed to do . They are out dated out of touch with reality.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #22 – March 30, 2009, 04:46:05 PM

GM needs more Howie Long commercials!!

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #23 – March 30, 2009, 04:53:14 PM

When it's YOUR job the union is protecting, perhaps you'll think differently as to whether or not they're outdated....

It's not a matter of outdating. It's a matter of greed -- on BOTH sides of the automotive fence. The problem is that the media in this country is so anti union it's very rare that you hear the union side. Figured I'd show a viewpoint of someone who benefits from them....

BTW my plight isn't even that bad....
Think about NYC teachers/cops/fireman. Sure the NYPD recently got a good contract (about time) but what about all those years where the economy was booming and Bloomberg, the (David ins) and Guiliani shiznit on all 3 of those respective professions?

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #24 – March 30, 2009, 05:09:53 PM

Quote from: V8Demon;264893

When it's YOUR job the union is protecting, perhaps you'll think differently as to whether or not they're outdated....

It's not a matter of outdating. It's a matter of greed -- on BOTH sides of the automotive fence. The problem is that the media in this country is so anti union it's very rare that you hear the union side. Figured I'd show a viewpoint of someone who benefits from them....

BTW my plight isn't even that bad....
Think about NYC teachers/cops/fireman. Sure the NYPD recently got a good contract (about time) but what about all those years where the economy was booming and Bloomberg, the (David ins) and Guiliani shiznit on all 3 of those respective professions?

Ironic that you state that. My wife was one of those shiznit-on professions. (EMT Metro North, NY City, and Rye), and just this morning she mentioned, after hearing of the GM issue, that it was the politicians who should take a 25% pay cut and give it to rescue, fire, and police. But it's all greed in any given slant or another.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #25 – March 30, 2009, 05:21:38 PM

My wife went back to the city as a teacher. Why she has prior time vested and the job market is so dismal in her profession out here on Long Island she decided it was better to be secure than to go job hunting every summer.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #26 – March 30, 2009, 05:46:17 PM

I am union I belong to International Union of Operating Engineers Local#18 and yes I have worked on the non union side at a honda parts factory and got screwed because their Human resouces dept. Didn't care just what worked for the company.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #27 – March 30, 2009, 06:43:44 PM

Quote from: V8Demon;264893

When it's YOUR job the union is protecting, perhaps you'll think differently as to whether or not they're outdated....

It's not a matter of outdating. It's a matter of greed -- on BOTH sides of the automotive fence. The problem is that the media in this country is so anti union it's very rare that you hear the union side. Figured I'd show a viewpoint of someone who benefits from them....

BTW my plight isn't even that bad....
Think about NYC teachers/cops/fireman. Sure the NYPD recently got a good contract (about time) but what about all those years where the economy was booming and Bloomberg, the (David ins) and Guiliani shiznit on all 3 of those respective professions?

All I can say is I've seen how the unions use there influence here ,Iowa Steam and pipe fitters union tying up an ethanol plant project in court when they found out no union contractor had there bids accepted ,the Teachers union trying to force non union teachers to pay dues to the union ,basing the argument that current teacher wages are based on the union pay scale . Unions here operate more like organized crime rather than an oranization for the workers best interest. That being said not all unions are bad but most of your larger and most powerful do not have the peoples best interest at heart.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #28 – March 30, 2009, 07:08:09 PM

I'm a non union member, I do believe some unions may need to be active. specially the way the economics are.

It's do or die for GM, Chrysler: GM given 60 days, Chrysler 30

Reply #29 – March 30, 2009, 08:07:57 PM

Kits kat that's what I was saying we need unions to keep a balance. i know not every union is the same or how they deal with certin issues but they do have employees issues at the front and they also try to keep it fair for the employers so they can keep bidding low and still keep all the union members workin. At least that is how my union does it and the unions do differ from one to the next