Korea's SSangyong Motor Fails To Make December Payroll

I am not sure the UAW would allow that! They're a bunch of crying sissies, and no doubt we would see them striking somewhere.

— BSBB (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 11:36:48 AM | | Votes: -1   

To Bs-shut...... Besides 2007 when we cut our health care in half for GM we have not had a national strike in 30 years. Why can't you get your facts strait instead of whining about the UAW on this site if it wasn't for us all of America would still be making $1 an hour. Which is something the south wants to see happen.

— 1UAW (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 12:34:03 PM | | Votes: 1   

I was not implying a "national" strike - you've brough that up before in defense of how "nice" the union has been. The fact is that there have been numerous UAW strikes over the past years at many auto plants and other manufacturing facilities. The UAW does not have to strike on a "national" level for them to be seen as selfish and greedy.

I work in the private, non-union, sector and I can tell you that employees at many corporations, mine included, are paying a much greater portion of their healthcare than in the past. The economy is affecting everyone, and most people have had to make sacrifices.

You need a reality check if you think the USA would not be a great country without the UAW. The economics of supply and demand are what makes our country what it is today. The UAW served its usefullness for a period of time, but that time is over. Nobody is making or will make $1/hour (there are minimum wage laws, you know - unless you are in a tip-making job). Pay should be, and is in most industries, commensurate with knowledge and experience. The UAW seems to think they are the exception, where low-skilled workers are over-compensated for the work they do and for the product they provide to the market.

— BSBB (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 12:57:46 PM | | Votes: 1   

veyron1001,

no one is taking any money from you, get over it. That money was already gone..... (maybe you could actually read where the LOAN came from... its called TARP). Now, instead of just loosing 700billion to wall st., america keeps its industrial/technological power and at the same time, gets paid back WITH INTEREST.

Shut up already.. if you can't see how much more of your precious taxdollars would have been lost if GM went under.. than you are too thickheaded.... oh forget it, im wasting my time.

— neutral (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 2:36:56 PM | | Votes: 1   

BSBB,

I also work in a non-union environment where I pay significant amounts of money towards healthcare/retirement (as the UAW is doing and will be doing more of come 2010).

You write:
"The UAW seems to think they are the exception, where low-skilled workers are over-compensated for the work they do and for the product they provide to the market."

Well I tell you what, they might not be PhD's in nuclear physics, but most of us aren't. Back in college, I saw all the "educated" & "skilled" people going into business, liberal arts, law, etc. The majority were spoiled, lazy, inherently dumber students who only got into college because they had good grades in high school (easy to get in USA) and their parents were making them go (as well as paying for everything).

I would argue that most assembly workers are skilled... skills that are learned on the job. Let's put it this way, if you fired all of the workers at an assembly plant and replaced them with people who'd never done the job before, think how quality would suffer... for months. Think about all of the stoppages, etc.

Your comment about they workers being unskilled and overpaid is rather hurtful. My family came to this country after WWII and worked like dogs in "un-skilled" jobs. They were paid what you and many others out there would consider "a fair wage". So with this "fair wage", my family had to live in the crappiest parts of the inner city (and we are white..), go to the most dangerous schools, put up with snobs who viewed us like we were dogs... and what do my older relatives have to show for it? How about early death, sore backs, and memories of a horrible life.

I am thankful for the fact that I have what I have, and I never point fingers at those who work hard and make a good wage. I've busted my back for years during high school and college to make sure I wasn't a strain on my parents (when my peers would often say "oh thats not my job, waaa, etc".... the same people who go on to be the big-shot businessmen). I know what it is to go to sleep at night out of utter physical exhaustion, only to wake up a few hours later to do it all again.

It sickens me that these "analysts" and senators point fingers at people who bust their asses everyday... these same wall st. analysts who've had a silver spoon in their mouths from day 1, who make millions a year.

Shame on them, shame on Sen Shelby... driving his Alabama-state paid for Mercedes benz while the average American is struggling to keep their homes & jobs.

Yea the UAW has its problems, America has its problems, we all gotta work things out so that in the end, we don't have a nation of Lords & peasants like the southern senators and big-shot wall st "experts" want.

— neutral (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 3:12:00 PM | | Votes: 2   

Well said Neutral, and point taken. There are many college-educated "kids" who work at my firm, and I always wonder how they possibly could have graduated with their severely-lacking English and math skills (and I work for a financial services company).

Unfortunately, the world is taking on some aspects of a survival of the fittest existence, whereby competition is paramount to getting a good job and having a good life. Honesty and morality are taking a backseat to lying, cheating, and stealing to get ahead. As has been demonstrated, many people will lie, cheat, and steal to become successful in business. That is exactly the kind of environment in which I work every day. Now, I am a church-going, honest family guy, but I have had to adapt to this environment to some extent. I would never back-stab anyone to get anywhere, and I have succeeded to my current level based on my merits alone. However, there is a game to be played in big business, and if one lives with a sense of complacency because they have a union to support them, when things get tough those people need to accept what they deserve - be it having to make concessions to bring their salaries/benefits in line with what they deserve.

I am still not convinced that assembly line workers at an (to whatever extent) automated car factory deserve $40/hour (plus overtime pay). Results should be rewarded, not effort. You show me the guy (or gal) that sharted out bolting doors on cars and then figured out a better hinge design, took that design to the R&D department, got his new design approved and now he works for R&D, and then I will say he earned his $40/hour.

— BSBB (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 3:47:17 PM | | Votes: 0   

Glad to see you see the worthless peers of mine who go to college with no other goal than to be as lazy as possible, work as little as possible, be as un-technical as possible, and expect high paying jobs.

Im an engineer, so there's no talkin the talk if you can't walk the walk. I was lucky, my #1 interest in life was electrical systems/electronics/automobiles/industry.

As for the union workers making $40 an hour... show me these guys. Ive heard of experienced workers working 60-70hrs a week making $60,000 a year (so about $30 an hour). Their actual base pay would be much less than that. I urge you (and everyone) to go tour a factory if they can, preferably a Big3 factory or one of its suppliers. People really EARN their money. For example, when I get into the office, I sit down in my cube (Office Space style... YAY corporate world!!!), turn on my computer, check my email... essentially everything is done on my schedule.

These line workers are working for every minute the line is running. Theres no talking to the guy a few offices down, there no flexible lunch times, etc. WHen that line is running, they are OWNED by that line.

Obviously I don't think that in our society, starting line workers should be making $80,000 a year... but they aren't.

I ask everyone to give the situation until 2010 or 2011. Let VEBA come into play... The UAW used to be a thorn in the automakers' backs... they are/will be a partner with the automakers. They will be in charge of pensions/healthcare and as I have stated below, they can prevent crazy politicians/environmentalists from imposing disasterous legislation against the auto industry (its a good sized voting block).

I agree, its a backstabbing, lying, cheating world we live in. We need to get a grip on ourselves... we've just seen with Wall St, Maddoff, Oil, etc what this stupidity can do. Greed wants Detroit to die. Those who stand to profit from Detroit's demise are the ones who pretend that they're "worried about the taxpayers". Give me a break. Greed that will invariably hurt America in the short and long term.

— neutral (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 4:12:34 PM | | Votes: 2   

There is intelligence on this site and it's called "neutral".


BSBB .....How many people do you know that died at work?
how many people do you know that are semi crippeld from carpeltunnel, lost a finger or had thier foot crushed by a fork truck?

— 1UAW (View Profile)

Posted on 12/23/2008 2:47:08 AM | | Votes: 1   

Oh im not saying they're doing bad!!

Im just saying that they understand that mergers might be necessary for future success.

GM & Fiat... well GM has great powertrains but I can't really see GM & Fiat together, just seems weird. Funny though.. GM & Opel seem great together (well... theyve been that way since the 1930's so I guess Im used to thinking GM when I see an Opel).

— neutral (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 3:33:55 PM | | Votes: 1   

Fiat has been teaming up with Ford recently - the Ka and the 500 have the same platform.

— Rupert (View Profile)

Posted on 12/22/2008 9:14:04 PM | | Votes: 1