UAW refuses pay cut

Slickery · 12-11-08, 09:59

UAW refuses pay cut

WASHINGTON -- A $14 billion emergency bailout for U.S. automakers collapsed in the Senate tonight after the United Auto Workers refused to accede to Republican demands for swift wage cuts.

Good, why should the American tax payer sacrifice and the overpaid workers shouldn't? When they are jobless, I bet they wished they would have made a different choice.

rydawg · 12-11-08, 10:18

Us american tax payers pay enough as it is, we do not need to add to it because of greedy people.

Unfortunately, they will all get laid off and collect checks.

Mark77 · 12-11-08, 10:39

It's funny how the unions never understand the whole picture. Here in Finland we have the same problem with the paper Industry.
Is it better for their members to be unemployed than to have their jobs and get payed a bit less? People are always fast at criticizing the stock owners and bosses to be greedy, but usually it's the unions that should be blamed.

howareb · 12-11-08, 11:07

I understand being competitve. With America entering the global market, the american worker got the short end of the stick. Our way of life in this country, which has been well established for many years, was well above those of poorer nations. By entering the global market we are essentially lowering the lifestyle of the American worker, which is parlty why our economy is slowly dwindling.

I agree that the workers should have a competitve pay grade for what the market calls for. However when you have excutives flying to DC in a corporate jet asking for handouts, I would say that it is time to cut the executives. That alone will put millions back into the company. Unions are not always right, but they are there and where create to protect the workers from tactics such as this. I was surprised about this outcome, but it is only right to question it. By the big three collapsing, more than the workers are going to suffer, so I think this move was to try to weaken the UAW and to blame them for the congressional loans not being recieved b the big 3.

The workers pay is only but a small part of the problem with the big three. Their lack of focus and direction towards thier markets is where their problem is.

BigAl3 · 12-11-08, 11:17

what is this world coming to?

Slickery · 12-11-08, 11:27

maybe it isnt 70 per hour

This was an interesting read. Most of the benefits are going to retires. Maybe they aren't over payed. Confusing information.

CARWAX · 12-12-08, 01:43

Funny how congress did not insist on anyone from the banks or mortgage industry accept ANY paycuts at all! Hmmmm.

Bunky · 12-12-08, 04:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by howareb

The workers pay is only but a small part of the problem with the big three. Their lack of focus and direction towards thier markets is where their problem is.

The worker's salaries and benefits including retirees is a large part and equally as responsible as the management ineptness is another large part. The union leadership has to justify their existence and like the bailout bill they probably decided to balk to show unity and expect a better deal later. This is not likely the last vote...maybe just in this session of Congress.

The problems with situations like this is it affects us all despite being able to show that they do not really deserve and both (mgmt and unions) show little remorse. Now we know why the Big 3 are in trouble.

VR8 · 12-12-08, 05:07

I listened to a radio show the other night that spoke of union auto workers with a "green apron". This employee, who gets to wear a mavalous green apron at work, has the task of carrying around a clipboard all day and make sure the union benefits are adhered to. No auto industry work at all! Just making sure the union benefits are in tact. What makes it even worse, the "green apron" workers are every fifth employee!

Sounds outlandish!

Danase · 12-12-08, 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR8

I listened to a radio show the other night that spoke of union auto workers with a "green apron". This employee, who gets to wear a mavalous green apron at work, has the task of carrying around a clipboard all day and make sure the union benefits are adhered to. No auto industry work at all! Just making sure the union benefits are in tact. What makes it even worse, the "green apron" workers are every fifth employee!

Sounds outlandish!

You guys believe everything you hear/read. New UAW workers make $14 an hour, have no pension, and are lucky to see health care after retirement. I made $14 just out of high school working part time in college! I can promise you there are not 20 guys with clipboards walking around every shift making sure benies are adhered to. That doesn't even make sense.

I also love how people consider ALL union workers lazy or slackers. I'll guarantee most of those people are online at work instead of doing actual work.

I just don't understand how people can never of set foot in a factory but be experts about it. I worked in a non-union factory on an assembly line making custom boat trailers and you could not pay me enough to do that repetitive work for more than the 3 years I did it. I won't even get into the daily hazards and amount of accidents I saw. I'd never go back to doing something like that again. At the end of the day you feel like a truck slammed into you and you just want to go home and lay down.

That's just my two cents on the whole thing.

howareb · 12-12-08, 06:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunky

The worker's salaries and benefits including retirees is a large part and equally as responsible as the management ineptness is another large part. The union leadership has to justify their existence and like the bailout bill they probably decided to balk to show unity and expect a better deal later. This is not likely the last vote...maybe just in this session of Congress.

The problems with situations like this is it affects us all despite being able to show that they do not really deserve and both (mgmt and unions) show little remorse. Now we know why the Big 3 are in trouble.

While I do understand what you are talking about, remeber that "the past history" of these companies are why they are in the shape they are in now. By not designing better vehicles in the past and holding on to market share, they are now unable to meet their future obligations such as UAW agreements. Ford was the best of the three that tried to adapt to a changing market, but I think that they did it too late. So when I say that mismanagment is the main reason for their issues, I am not negating the employee's wages as part of the problem. However I think (and feel free to disagree) that cutting their wages also sets a different expecation across the American labor force.

Let's face it, our social-economical lifestyle averages higher than most of the world, but our companies have to stay competitive with foregin makers. I am not sure of what the cut would be in order to bring the American auto workers in line with the Japanese, but if it is too large I think that it may send to wrong signal to other american manufacturing companies.

Picus · 12-12-08, 06:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danase

You guys believe everything you hear/read. New UAW workers make $14 an hour, have no pension, and are lucky to see health care after retirement. I made $14 just out of high school working part time in college! I can promise you there are not 20 guys with clipboards walking around every shift making sure benies are adhered to. That doesn't even make sense.

I also love how people consider ALL union workers lazy or slackers. I'll guarantee most of those people are online at work instead of doing actual work.

I just don't understand how people can never of set foot in a factory but be experts about it. I worked in a non-union factory on an assembly line making custom boat trailers and you could not pay me enough to do that repetitive work for more than the 3 years I did it. I won't even get into the daily hazards and amount of accidents I saw. I'd never go back to doing something like that again. At the end of the day you feel like a truck slammed into you and you just want to go home and lay down.

That's just my two cents on the whole thing.

I agree. There is too much talk about lazy union workers. Most of the people here don't even have a choice, you have to join the union. I don't see how that instantly turns them lazy. The people I worked with as a teenager sure weren't.

I will say this, though. A lot of retired auto workers here still make 80%+ of their pay while retired, which is just crazy. I know it's a tough job, but that right there is a big part of why domestics are losing $2k a car.