He told the truth, so good for him, but he knew it was coming. Look, a little forsight woud’ve told anybody that this was unsustainable 5 years ago, and a fix shoud have been in place. Now you’ve got to break a promise to those who trusted you. Good luck with that universal health plan.

OK…try to get the taxpayers to fund a univeral healthcare system. There are UAW members out there bringing in close to or exceding six figures in salary, benefits and pension for screwing in gloveboxes.

No wonder the US autoamakers can’t compete. The car companies signed the contracts, so its not just the UAW to blame. The UAW did not do well to protects its employers, they pratically are bankrupting them. If the companies fold, they are out of a job. Not smart planning.

Buyout Union employess and hire non-union workers. The promises made can not be kept because they were unrealistic.

The other choice is to keep going like you are see the big 3 leave the US market and have those employess work at foreign plants on US soil.

If my company can not afford to pay me the current salary they make me a new offer, I can accept or leave, that is reality. Its too bad I dont have a Gang(Union) to force my company to constantly give me what I want.

Calling for a universal health plan is the same as asking for a governement bailout. The domestics and UAW signed those labor contracts, they alone should deal with the repercussions. If blood has to flow to make things right, the sooner the better.

Not that it would happen anytime soon, but universal health is more un-american than a Chinese built car.

You can be sure when he brokers a deal with GM, etc. – the UAW will make sure ‘they’ keep their benefits. Somehow, whether government workers or Union goons – as long as someone else has a blood supply; they’ll tap it.

j i m

Yet management makes tens of millions (if not hundreds of millions to top brass) in salaries and bonuses, stocks. All for voting on decisions that have let us to this point. I’m not one for rewarding those assembly line workers that haven’t gone to higher ED schools, Yet teachers, cops, firefighters, paramedics and others only make a fraction of what some of these guys make. Assembly line or management. Let me see twice this year I din’t think I was going to make it out of a burning building. I’ve been almost bitten not to mention assulted by a bloody combative patient. Almost run over by drunk driver , spit on my face from a drunk/drug user. Not bad for 4 years of higher education for my profesion. Yet these are union sisters and brothers so more power to them, if theres going to be change it has to come from the top down. Then we’ll talk. Lets see these guys take a pay cut so they only make 20 million a year.

#5 so let me see the arm forcess personel that barely make 20 thousand a year to lay their life on the line so you coul’d make such a stupid statement. Their government workers , the fire and police that died on 911 not to mention the four hundred or so that die every year across the country to barely make 30+g’s. Their government workers and their all “sucking the blood out of all of us”. Yet administrators management private and public sectors most of whom are non union make 4 to 5 times that. Also Don’t tell me if they were all non union they would make more, milttary is one example. Most non union if not all make less than those in unions.

Let’s assume that the health benefits package is a problem. Why is it un-american to have universal healthcare and it is “American” to hand out tax subsidies over decades to companies to keep work in specific states? Such tax subsidies results in either reduced state income from which the state can carry out its obligation to it’s residents OR basically hands the tax bill of these companies to the citizens. How is that fair?

The UAW is finally admitting what any middle-income “regular guy” figured out years ago. True, Fire and Police are underpaid for the risk, but it seems they (the police and firemen) aspire to do this kind of work. Otherwise, find something else.

I agree the CEO’s are way overpaid-I mean HOW much do you really need to make? A mil? 2 mil? But, if they are looking forward 10 years, as they are supposed to, and continue to make money for the shareholders, they are entitled to compensation.

So in your opinion #9 the cop that gets shot or the firefighter that gets burned it’s all well acceptable because that’s their calling. So since they want to be heroic they deserve what they get in pay, benefits, and luck. No, I love my job, but do I think many government workers and other fields of work are under appreciated and underpaid , YES. People telling me how much they admire what I do and who I am won’t pay off my mortgage won’t put my kids thru college, and it certainly won’t put food on our tables. That’s almost as absurd as a comment I heard on CNN when firefighters were ranked as the most stressful job out there. Their statement was the type of people that we are we develop so called barriers to the stress so that’s all well and fine and were not really worried, stressed, or afraid. That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard. So as far as your telling me I should find something else to be or do if I’m not getting paid enough. I hope you never find yourself needing any services from such fields because as you would have it, since our professions are such that we should just get up and go and become a car salesman or a small business owner. Most of those who you would call in your time of need would be inexperienced greenhorns with below average training. How would you like that if that was yourself or a family member of yours, you wouldn’t. BTW no one gets paid for what they can do or accomplish or plan for in 10 years. Most administrative types move on to other companies before then for guess what more money. They get paid for the bottom line TODAY. The problem is who ever is holding the checkbook takes care of themselves. What was the last big wig that I can remember taking any sort of pay cut or sacrifice? I think it may have been Iacocca. Most would prefer to run the company into the ground before they do that i.e. Enron, WorldCom. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for free enterprise and I am a Republican. But if any change will be effective in the 3 big us auto manufacturers it has to work its way down all the way from the top. Lead by example not stupidity.

You can complain all you want, but if you don’t think your making enough money or its too dangerous find a new job, just like everyone else. Most everyone works, most everyone makes sacrafices, a public service job is no different than any other. Everyone can make a case for being underpaid.

When do you know fire fighters, police, and military underpaid? They are underpaid when nobody will take the job. If the ranks are full, then they must be satisfied with their pay, atleast satisfied enough not to go elsewhere. If being a hero is the reason to take these jobs, then being a hero is the reward, not the salary.

# 11 If that’s the way you view the world then you have a skewed view. Were not heroes were just doing our jobs just ask anyone of us. If you choose to brand us that’s your choice. If you are in the field and among the very few self-righteous then your fooling yourself or your in a easy market. I’m sure you wasn’t the neurosurgeon right out of school working on you, not the experienced veteran who’s done and seen everything at least once and doesn’t panic under fire. Good luck with that. Anyhow the point we should be talking about is management making comparable “SACRAFISES” that the workers do. BTW Those jobs mentioned have a high turn over rate, you just get the appearance of always having sufficient personnel and sufficient training, when its mostly a few experienced personnel making the true decisions but they can’t always compensate.

Hey it was Bill who opened the borders to the Chinese, I do recall a 30 million(not sure on amount) contribution to the democrats presidential campain. At least in the 80’s you still had stuff made in US and for that mater japan.

furesq157, with all due respect, all I hear is “I am underpaid”. Whatever the reason you feel that way is irrelevant. As I said, get in line brother, becuase I don’t think you’ll find but a couple of people who think they are overpaid. Your are right, our social services (fire, police, teachers) may not be as good as they could be, but apparently they are good enough that you boss isn’t voluntering you a raise. It’s off to monster.com we go….

America’s future is not in manufacturing, at least for the forseable future anways. Tariffs do not make the US competative, tariffs make the US weak. Why should US companies try and truly compete with a viable prodcut when they can just add tarriffs until the other guy isn’t competative? Tariffs say that the US can’t truly compete in the global market. There are some genuine reasons to apply tarriffs, but this isn’t one of them.

I worked hard to get where I’m at (not very far at all), why should I pay a tax in the form of a tariff to help subsizde the UAWs salaries? Again, I’m not saying the UAW memebers don’t work hard, but if they want to continue to make 3x the actual value of their labor they can squeeze it out of their empolyers at their own peril. I’ll keep my money, thanks.

Finally, we do have a robust auto industry. As an example, Toyota and Honda are in the process of building more factoies right here in the good old US of A. How they manage to be sucessful without Universal healthcare is not exactly a giant mystery.

Aki-med Im not saying for the tax payers to pay anything all I’m saying is that they all have to make “SACRAFISES” including management. Im my resposes have been geared torwards those stating government employees are “sucking the life out us”. When people make such a broad statement its not fair to the other 99%. It’s like me saying for exaple in the private sector all AMR (ambulance company) paramedics are just over paid taxi drivers that would not know their dip stick from a bight stick.

#8
“Let’s assume that the health benefits package is a problem. ”

Yes it is a BIG problem. Let’s make our national defecit even bigger by having the federal government underwrite yet another social program.

“Why is it un-american to have universal healthcare and it is “Americanâ€? to hand out tax subsidies over decades to companies to keep work in specific states? Such tax subsidies results in either reduced state income from which the state can carry out its obligation to it’s residents OR basically hands the tax bill of these companies to the citizens.”

“I don’t know about un-American, but states CHOOSE to give tax breaks to companies so those companies can hire people, who will have employment and PAY TAXES individually. So in hte end it benefits both.”

How is that fair?

What does fait have to do with it? It is the logical way to do things. It makes business sense.

firesq157, while I feel that management could do with a lot less salary to compensate, it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the ridiculous demands from the UAW. The fact is the solution has to come from the greedy spoiled union workers. It’s that simple. I’d say move the factories overseas to save the company and screw the overpaid brats.

That has solved many problems, now everything is made in China. A communist nation whose slave labor is abundant. I guess thats none of our problems since we don’t see, feel, or touch that subject evryday. Kinda like hear no evil… ect. A nation who if given the choice would rather see all democracys fail. I guess you forgot the reconisance plain they foreced down in international air space. Most people forget because 911 followed weeks after. I take it your job is not at risk to be shiped over seas. I hope that never comes close to home ,BTW if you haven’t noticed yet most stuff made overseas is absolute crap. If you haven’t learned this leason in life, just remember you get what you paid for. As far as management also not compramising and seing the erors of their ways , just think how man health insurance accounts they could pay by giving up some of their bonuses that again go into the tens of millions per high ranking official. How many employs could they pay for in extra cost if just one of them gave up 1 million. close to 2000. Now you tell me the problem only comes from the bottom up. I keep seing a patter here this is all about the Me generation. Extremes are never good , they usualy back fire on you.