My Blog
Republican Anti-Union Ideologues Kill Auto Loan (Not Bail-Out) Package For Now
Thu, December 11, 2008 - 10:23 PM
loan package today by demanding the UAW take further wage cuts. This line of thinking is based on flawed thinking (surprise?)
Why aren't they as vocal when it comes to demanding executive pay cuts and bonuses, especially within the failed financial sector?
All Republicans must be sent on cruise boats through Somali waters..NOW!
Here's the "real story" from Keith Olbermann:
www.uaw.org/auto/12_01_08auto1.cfm
Thu, December 11, 2008 - 10:23 PM -
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6 Comments
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Fri, December 12, 2008 - 2:06 AM
you are basing this on a biased news commentator, who in turn doesnt supply any relevant industry knowledge or numbers... who is refuting something that is based on relevant labor and industry research numbers?
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Fri, December 12, 2008 - 9:46 AM
I like him, but I agree Olberman can be biased. That is his act after all. But I haven’t heard any of the members who bowed up on the deal say anything at all about executive pay cuts. If the company was mismanaged then maybe the cuts should start at the management first.
And another observation... None of this, however, talks about the other part of this equation that is to blame… the consumers who purchased the large gas hogs like mad and got the Big Three in a tizzy of making fistfuls of dollars. |
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Fri, December 12, 2008 - 10:28 AM
mediamatters.org/columns/200811250012It would seem like the senate Republicans are engineering the Auto Loan Bailout failure to fall on the UAW's backs. If you believe their nonsense then you might as well believe that Obama will take all your guns away. |
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Fri, December 12, 2008 - 11:31 AM
thanks for the link CA: I've heard Rachel Maddow talk about this but had not gotten the full story. makes sense. More class warfare.
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Fri, December 12, 2008 - 4:17 PM
even in that comment linked article you should note "What that $70 figure (or $73) actually represents is what it costs GM in total labor expenses, on an hourly basis, to manufacture autos." which is where all the confusion is stemming from the hourly wage debate. yet that doesnt detract from what has been researched extensively, the point is TOTAL LABOR COST per hour. if you were to analyze it differently, then do so on a per-car basis, while doing the same for the majors across the entire product market segment and the story comes out the same..
... that larbor costs, and yes that includes pensions and benefits, is the biggest and main difference that puts the untied states auto compaines at a competitive disadvantage to those of honda and toyota. thats not a coincidence, because both honda and toyota, as well as european automakers, invest millions per year researching this info to leverage and gain a competitive advantage. in their case, they have made significant investments into driving down the TOTAL LABOR COST to almost half what it is for the amercian automakers. simply having the best car, which can be measured by different factors, isnt the only way to compete when you can make and sell cars at a fraction of the cost than your competition. so please note this - last year was the first that toyota finally become one of the giants, both gm and toyota sold 9.37 million cars - toyota made $17.1 billion ( $1800 per car profit) gm lost 38.7 billion ( -$4100 per car loss). now i read that the average cost of labor, yes this includes pension and benefits, is $4000 per auto made. i cant back that up because there wasnt a citation to the research that it was basing this number on, but so far i can neither find anything to refute it. (if someone knows this i would be very grateful to being told). if its valid, then the story is the same, that the TOTAL LABOR COST is still the main factor in driving bankruptcy. i fully realize the importance unions and thier historica fight against various establishments, hell, i am proud of them for it. but you simply have to call it for what it is. i also have more inside and damning information that says the days of well-reimbersed auto labor simply has to end, unless a more workable solution is proposed which no one has been able to do for almost twenty years. |
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Fri, December 12, 2008 - 8:24 PM
I heard something
about GM having a lot of retirement pensions paying outpeaking that added to the cost of labor they are figuring in. I don't have a link, sorry it was on cable, talking heads discussion...
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