Great news that things are back on track. But i know the following posts are going to be more **** about foreign cars vers domestic, who cares like what you like. noones going to change anyones mind here.

The mafia that is the UAW needs to be brought down, though I don’t see how.

robots work better then humans.

Unions built America.
If corporations weren’t predisposed to abusing their employees, unions wouldn’t be necessary. But, they are, so they are. Henry Ford understood that is you pay workers a decent wage, they can afford to buy the products American companies manufacture. The Walmart culture will destroy us more surely than any foreign enemy.

I’ve never understood union-bashing. Workers should be able to organize just like the companies do. I hope some day unions go international just like the corporations, that way they can’t just move manufacturing around to wherever has the lowest wages of the time.

Unions are important, but not above committing abuses themselves. BOTH sides need to stop posturing and come to an agreement that lets union built, American-made cars become the envy of the world again. I think at the end of all this the unions will realize if the companies go bankrupt, then their members will be the most impacted. The manufacturers must realize there’s a limit to how much you can move oversees before the local economy can no longer afford your vehicles.

Today I bought a Honda Civic sedan. This car is built in Ohio. Flawless fit, finish, reliability, design, and engineering. There is no reason why GM/Ford/DM could do the same if they could collaborate with their employees

The UAW thinks it’s so cool with its round wheel-like symbol. Well it’s not. Unions don’t need symbols. Auto brands need symbols. …unless the UAW is going to come out with a new brand of car. It might not be a bad idea. And, when will the UAW start screwing over the Japanese companies’ plants in the US.

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The UAW doesn’t just “organize workers”, it rakes companies over the coals Jesse-Jackson-Style.

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Ok. he is getting really annoying stalking every GM news post and saying stupid ****. GROW UP Lameboy.

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exactly what needed to be said patckc88

Really nothing to discuss here. The Unions are asking for more than the companies can and/or will give. Ford and DCX have cut some deals that are not too helpful to the Unions and now their last chance to look tough, GM, is getting ready to play hardball to move ahead.

Some industries do need unions but I don’t think the Auto industry does anymore. With overseas companies running union free factories in America it is becoming clear that the current unions, if any at all, are little more than a gross hindrance to Detroit.

Someone said before that getting the unions out would be very hard to do. I think getting them out is not the problem. It’s putting them in a corner so the work of running a solid profitable company can be done, is the objective. Always having to negotiate to do something as “no-duh” as building fewer trucks because they aren’t selling as strongly anymore, or shutting down a factory so a newer one can be built, and worse, are all things that rest squarely on the Unions.

The Companies themselves have much to be blamed for: GM made crap for most of the last 30 years, FORD, at some point for some reason, started building really boring cars, and Chrysler just could not get ahead for very long (Should have rebuilt themselves around a few really good core products and forgot about volume of sales)… and all of them relied too much on Trucks and SUVs.

How bout this, we just ignore homeboy from now on. We’re just gonna have to starve this lowlife and let him die slow.

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see what happens when you work together and just a reminder the UAW is going NOWHERE

I’ve worked as a salary employee in UAW plants for the past 10 years. I would say that absenteeism is the single biggest personnel problem. Even with good wages and profit sharing for those that follow the attendance policy, the system is still abused. The contract allows the employees who abuse the system to be retained, only to abuse the system for years to come. It’s a shame. I don’t understand how folks would not show up to work to get their bonus… FMLA is bleeding us dry also.

Hey, look at that… they’re moderating now. Thanks a bunch Deantj, Repulsive, Homegirl. Thank you sirs for making this site that much better.

C’mon homeboy- post relevant statements or don’t post at all. You’re beginning to be just as bad as GM#1forever.

IMO:
The UAW still serve a viable purpose
US Auto companies do not know how to not abuse employees
The UAW is too greedy and filled with abusers of the contracts
US Auto try to abuse the contracts and strong arm the UAW.
Its like they’re made for each other.

The UAW should think long term and give concessions to the auto companies so that they can get back on their feet. Cut some of the more expensive benefits in the first year. By year 3 if the company has posted 2 quarters of profits then start adding the old bene-s back. Not a sure fire approach but the reality is that they need each other. The UAW should have a symbiotic relationship with the companiers and not be a parasite.

I agree the UAW does serve its purpose, however if they are embedded with Ford and GM then they should also be with the Japanese makers as well. There is a natural advantage when its not a union shop. If its good for one it should be good for all.

Oh yeah Homeboy is a douche bag!

Hey look … “Piablo”, the monkey, has flung another worthless piece of fecal matter on this site … in addition to the one where he cried like an infant telling people to leave the Hummer thread because he didn’t like the bashing, or the one about the UAW/Chrysler thread where he analysed in depth the possibility that it could work or it couldn’t work, basically a coin toss.

You sir, are worthless. Utterly worthless.

RSPINAJR – If automakers ever leave Detroit, it will be BECAUSE of the union.

Bear in mind that I’ve never worked in a union, but can anyone deny that unions are at least a little bit complicit in the state of the U.S. auto industry? I’ve met a few union workers in my day, and I fume at the lavishness of their benefits–healthcare, pension, and others. Another posted comment mentioned abuses in the unions. I’m sure that has something to do with it too, I mean how hard do doctors push a union line worker back to work after carpel tunnel surgery?

I admit I’ve driven imports for years, but, if you ask me, there’s just a palpable difference in build quality, refinement, and reliability when compared to domestics. Yes, I think some U.S. manufacturers just make mistakes. The Ford Fusion was not a bad looking car, I can see an emotional connection to it, but why oh why put one of the most anemic engines in it. How will that make it competitive? But, there’s also quality issues too. I rented a G6 while out of town, and it was just a cheap interior. Cheap. The plastic radio controls had no substance and “tinked” when you tapped them like a Fisher Price toy.

I’d like to think that GM engineers aren’t stupid, so I think the reason is that GM *has* to chince on quality because they have to keep their costs down, because billions of dollars every year are going to unions, wages, pension, disability, healthcare, everything. Maybe UAW is greedy, and maybe the answer isn’t to disband the union, but just give it a speedy backfist of reality, because change has to come.

And, my comment to RSPINAJR is that, if your argument to keep business alive is to keep a city alive, then from the corporate standpoint, you’ve probably already lost. The whole point of capitalism and big business is to make money–heartless though at times (”Roger and Me,” anyone), but the alternative is a lot more people affected by widescale layoffs and bankruptcies.

So, fix the overhead issue, build cars that people have an emotional reaction to, even if it polarizes some people in your target demographic (does anyone actually think a Ford Five Hundred is cooler than a Chrysler 300C?), and maybe things get better.

“My point is that if the Domestics are union shops, then so should the foriegn shops.”

This comment is not founded with any logic. The workers vote in the union, and the foriegn shops are all well aware that the union representation is not needed (hence why they haven’t voted for it) The workers are probably investing their would be union dues in their 401k.

The hay days of the union’s are in fact past. IF I go and work at a non-union shop and I get treated bad, I would either discuss the problem and fix it, quit or find an attorney to settle the problem. But why should I pay for represntation all the time when I may never need it? Labor laws are so much different now then they were 70 years ago. The union dues are like buying an insurance policy that a good worker would never use (or need).