Comments on: American Axle strike update: offer still uncompetitive

By: sgasd123

sgasd123 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:37:14 +0000

The problem with the idiots who run the union, or the people who are part of the union is that they think companies exist to provide them income. Wake up people companies exist to provide profit for their share holders. Look around this nation over the past 40 years- Unions are dying and killing American jobs along with it. It’s the main reason companies are taking production to China and Mexico…..Funny think too, quality has improved greatly with these transitions. American Automobiles have higher quality ratings now than ever before. Is this a coincidence ??? I think not!!! It’s a direct result of a Mexican worker or Chinese worker that’s been given an opportunity and takes pride in their work. Strike yourself out of a job people…I’ll be laughing when you end up working at McDonalds for far less. Union Bosses are happy and their wallets are always full. Don’t forget to pay that last union due on the way out the door so your union rep can fill up his BMW.

By: ridgerunner

ridgerunner — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:42:09 +0000

I understand taking a paycut. Really I do. I took a job cut because of this. Everyone is griping over the money but at least if UAW took the money the rest of us wouldn’t be losing everything we have. So while you all are whining over the money maybe someone can think about this: How are the rest of us supposed to explain this to our kids? “Sorry, honey, we don’t have a house anymore because the bank took it. why? Because someone didn’t want to get paid 50 bucks an hour for what the rest of us are getting paid 9 for.” Somehow I just don’t think my seven year old will understand why we don’t have a home anymore.

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:48:08 +0000

^AMEN

By: HemiRoadRunner

HemiRoadRunner — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:01:34 +0000

Well, you know what, if that’s what they make an hour than who is to say that’s too much. $70-$26 = $44/hour. If that is $44/hour for BENEFITS (health ins., dental, life ins, etc.) than get off the workers’ @$$’s and go after the fing doctors and lawyers that are the CAUSE of those rates. These guys also live in a place that has MUCH higher taxes than in the South, or rural areas, which is what the japanese like, trust me. So if what they’re saying is going from $26 to $14/hr, that’s BS, it’s better than nothing though. You’re all argueing over who’s job does and pays what instead of complaining to our own government for opening our doors to foreign traders and investors. THEY’RE ALSO the reason companies are going over seas, heard of NAFTA or the other policies on foreign trade?

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:57:09 +0000

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm !

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:55:59 +0000

Shit it could be $80 an hour, look at the market in sports, the more they make the more the players get, maybe the Union needs to hire Drew Rosenhaus, hmmmmmmmmmmmm

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:53:00 +0000

$5.50 an hour sound good sharpie.

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:52:16 +0000

About $26 an hour Hemi.

By: sharpie

sharpie — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:44:58 +0000

Market rate my butt! All these so call “markets” are artificial because of unions! De-unionize and let the market adjust, then THAT is market rate!

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:39:30 +0000

Easier said than done HemiR. In many cases they’re the only ones who still make the crap because we’ve long given up. Sad, really.

By: HemiRoadRunner

HemiRoadRunner — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:31:02 +0000

Ok 400, what do AA workers make an hour WITHOUT benefits, just strictly how much cash an hour? Because I’m under the impression they’re making between 40 and 50 an hour, cash pay. $50/hour is 100K a year, without overtime calculated in. There are ALOT of people that would be happy to make 50K a year, even 40K. I am not going to say what a person is worth, I don’t know, I know how to build and design machines, not buy people. I don’t make 100K a year, and my job is just as important as the people are that make our product. I’m not going to say I’m better than they are because that’s total BS. But it’s the fact that more people can do the job that make it worth less. I hope these autoworkers, the ones that actually strive to work, make 100K a year, that’s what Americans atrive for, to make good money. But I don’t think making double what other companies pay people, that are HAPPY with their jobs, will keep that company in buisiness long, not in this country anyway. I wish it would, but it won’t. These people need to realize they don’t do anything truly spectacular, not to say they aren’t important or that I do anything truly great either. On the other hand, why do politicians, CEO’s, Hollywood stars, lawyers, etc etc make exponential figures compared to these workers and there isn’t a radar detector going off on them? I’m in the middle of the road here, all it sounds like to me is if these guys want to keep their jobs, they need to take a cut, I don’t like it but that’s how it is. If you don’t like it, all of you, STOP BUYING CHINESE MADE CRAP! What else could I possibly say?

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:41:53 +0000

^ OK George Bush, then pay us $10 more an hour like management too.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:21:37 +0000

OK UAW, fine, your workers get their $70/hr including all compensation but when it’s busy and there are orders to be filled at the end of the day after you’ve done your 7.5 hours you work for free- just like the managers. There you go, you get your wage but your work week just went to 50 hours and you’re only getting paid for 37.5.

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:11:59 +0000

And another thing thats funny is some of you think your job is safe from outsourcing, HAHAHA.

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:10:28 +0000

Good fucking God people AA workers are NOT making $50 an hour.

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:08:18 +0000

And I dont know what part of “there are no good jobs anymore” people dont understand.

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:07:15 +0000

This Country sucks.

By: injunraiv

injunraiv — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:00:52 +0000

I’m not really for more government involvement, but it does seem to me that if you eliminate the benefit to american companies in outsourcing their employees things might get better.

By: maximus

maximus — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:43:33 +0000

money in one hand…nothing in the other. take your pick.

By: corvette

corvette — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:27:03 +0000

AA is being screwed, no reason these people should be making $60 or even $50 /hr. UAW get ur head outa ur ass, before you end up f**king urself over.

By: HemiRoadRunner

HemiRoadRunner — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:22:49 +0000

I thought the $70 /hour was compensation, either way, @ $50 an hour, thats 100K a year. Do you want to spend all day argueing or just face the facts and get on with it that in most people’s opinion they’re overpaid. If I go to lunch in the next 15 minutes and tell you I’ll be back in an hour, and it turns out an hour and a half, are you still going to argue?

By: Jazz

Jazz — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:21:58 +0000

You know I’ll start caring when the UAW releases the actual items that they are fighting for. They always release info to the public that they are striking but never over what. They try to sway public opinion that they are vbeing mistreated but never tell you in what way. If anyone can show me the link to the AA issue in its entirety then I’ll recant my statement.

By: frylock350

frylock350 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:21:53 +0000

@mayer_ray_nagin,
Or we can implement protectionist economic policy to protect the American worker.

By: frylock350

frylock350 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:20:23 +0000

@HemiRoadRunner,

Common misconception there. $60/hr isn’t just the pay, its the total compensation package, that included benefits, etc.

By: mayer_ray_nagin

mayer_ray_nagin — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:15:19 +0000

400HSS, how about maybe diverisifying your skills so the threat of losing your job to Mexico is not as spooky.

By: frylock350

frylock350 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:15:01 +0000

@400horseSS,
I’ll second that! As an IT professional I see alot of my jobs being shipped over to India and its sickening to me.

Our government really needs to step it up with new policies to favor domestic labor and products over imports. That Toyota wouldn’t look as appealing with a 25% tariff on it. Outsourcing wouldn’t look as appealing if business was taxed heavily on that.

By: HemiRoadRunner

HemiRoadRunner — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:13:49 +0000

If it makes you feel better, I think the CEO’s need to take an even bigger paycutt and not so much from the workers. Point is, they are overpaid in my opinion, $60 an hour is over 100K a year. I don’t have a problem with an average guy making that as long as it doesn’t jeopordize their future career. I think you already know all this anyway. It just sucks people aren’t buying as much from the big 3 anymore so that these guys are faced with a pay cut, whether they have a hard job or not. Now is that statement fair?

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:50:13 +0000

Clap Clap Z06 you must obviously be a Airplane mechanic, what do airplane assemblers get, since its not skilled labor either, what will you do when your job is shipped to Mexico, and dont give me “I’ll take my skills to another job” shit either.

By: HemiRoadRunner

HemiRoadRunner — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:38:48 +0000

^^^^^^^ Word.

By: Z06ified

Z06ified — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:36:47 +0000

Not to mention these are axles they are making. An important, but not a very complicated or difficult to manufacture component. In fact, it doesn’t get much simpler. The skills required to produce axles is only slightly more than cooking french fries at McDonalds. And the UAW wants more than $60/hr. for that?

Unskilled labor that doesn’t require advanced education, certification, or training, does not deserve hourly wages comparable to jobs that do. An airplane mechanic is skilled labor – they get paid $60-70/hour. Axle manufacturing is not skilled labor. $30/hour is about what they deserve for their skills.

By: Z06ified

Z06ified — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:29:52 +0000

I think its time AA management stopped wasting time negotiating with the UAW, and start spending time moving production to Mexico to get production back up as soon as possible with Paco and Juan happily building axles south of the border.

The UAW is thick headed. Time to teach them a lesson with a big cannon fired across their bow. Viva la Mexico!

By: HemiRoadRunner

HemiRoadRunner — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:44:07 +0000

These UAW workers are so stubborn. I wouldn’t want my wages cut either, but when you’re trying to be competetive and your wages and benefits are DOUBLE everyone else, something’s got to give. I guess they’re too stupid to settle for $30/hour and AA has already set it’s mind to close plants and look for work elsewhere. Better $30/hour than nothing at all you bunch of jack@$$’s.

By: peter g

peter g — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:43:24 +0000

Not very responsible.