Comments on: GM announces more production, job cuts

By: swamprat

swamprat — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:17:24 +0000

Wagoner is a crappy CEO. GM has been a crappy and arrogant company. Ford’s in that group as well. Chrysler is just plain crappy. With that said, GM and Ford to a lesser extent are making great automobiles that I would buy if gas would stay at say 2-3 bucks. The only thing that I can’t stand about GM is that they won’t let their customers choose whether or not to have an intrusive device like OnStar installed in their cars.

The other thing is that these manufacturers should not really be laying off any more people. THEY SHOULD CUT RETIREE HEALTHCARE RIGHT NOW! Why in hell pay for healthcare for non productive former employees. The only exceptions should be for people with serious illnesses who have no other place to go. If healthcare is costing the Big 3 $1500-2000 per car, they need to slash that expense. The average wage at a GM plant is about $28 an hour. The average wage at a Japanese plant is roughly the same, maybe a little less due to the fact that they are in hellholes like Alabama or Mississippi.

The point is, if you are inconstant fear of losing your job, day in and day out, you won’t perform as well and will not be able to develop the great cars that the public demands.

By: teahead

teahead — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:35:03 +0000

How about Washingotn do something about the massive trade inbalance, like more quotas on imports if the other countries do not allow more imports of US cars?

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 03:41:37 +0000

RaineMan, our minority government and the three opposition parties have been very, very bad the last two weeks. So bad that our Governor General (the Queen’s representative) had to send them to their rooms without beer or poutine until I believe January 25th. To make a long story short, the three opposition parties (Liberal, New Democrat and Bloc Quebecois) attempted to band together and overthrow the ruling Conservatives because they didn’t like their proposed budget. The Governor General had to decide whether to let the proposed coalition take power or dissolve parliament in order to let the Conservatives table a new budget. She chose the latter. What does this have to do with things automotive you ask? Essentially it means nothing will be decided until after January 25th. Sorry about this. I suppose it just goes to prove it’s possible to elect the same level of incompetence with a mere 1/10th of the population. Actually less since barely 50% of us bothered to vote in the first place.

By: RaineMan

RaineMan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:57:08 +0000

My question is why aren’t the Canadians clamoring for relif for the “Little 3″? They will be hurt by this too.

By: Borat

Borat — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:32:32 +0000

yarddog82abn, I totally agree with you

By: RaineMan

RaineMan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:42:59 +0000

Inline6… those 12% of people would just buy the Cobalt if the G5 didn’t exist. The only difference between the two is the grille and the tail lights.

GM is merely competing with itself for market share.

By: howsmydriving

howsmydriving — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:06:48 +0000

Here’s the finger to you, Gettlefinger.

By: inline6

inline6 — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:35:51 +0000

RaineMan,

Mulally and Wagoner are GREAT CEOs. Nardelli not so much.

But no, it doesn’t look like a move toward unloading Pontiac/Saturn. The G5 is responsible for about 12% of Cobalt sales, and both are made at Lordstown. They’re slowing production on BOTH. Oshawa only builds the Impala/LaCrosse. The Grand Prix went out of production at Oshawa about 6 months ago. And Fairfax builds the Aura AND the Malibu. The Pontiac and Saturn models come down the same line as the Chevys. Fewer of all of them will get built.

They’re probably cutting 2000 jobs, as they say, because demand is shrinking, and they need to control their dealer inventories after double-digit sales declines in the last 3 mos.

Keep in mind, though, that Lordstown, Fairfax, and Oshawa are 3-shift plants running at (or close to) capacity. So removing the 3rd shift isn’t exactly disasterous.

By: RaineMan

RaineMan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:28:11 +0000

Does this look like a move towards unloading Saturn and Pontiac to anyone else?

By: yarddog82abn

yarddog82abn — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:16:33 +0000

What a way to put the pressure on the house…
“we are sending the 2,000 UAW worker to a job bank so they can still get 95% of there pay”
GOOD JOB GM…

By: RaineMan

RaineMan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:06:45 +0000

I don’t believe any of the execs are worth a d@mn anyways.

Fire ‘em all.

By: Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3

Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3 — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:00:23 +0000

All this will lead and has led to divesting of assets. Having dealt with divesting at a high level I can say that it is a wretched task as you decide which assets to sell and deal with your conscience as employees’ very livelihood is at stake. I hope that upper-exec has looked into the eyes of the employees they are about layoff as no upper-exec is worth their salt if they have not.