GM to pay up to $200M to help end American Axle strike

[non Union]

ha ha

[Bill Clinton]

Don't worry American Axle union scum, My wife will get you new jobs, she promises

[Tourists Wanted]

There is plenty of volunteer work for the AA&M employees to do in WNY.

[JIMMYK]

pro union wrote:

The UAW workers need to hang in there. GM is putting pressure on American Axle to settle this. The workers deserve a fair contract and American Axle is going to have to cave in, do the right thing, and negotiate a fair deal. The workers deserve more than the ridiculous $12/hour American Axle demanded that they accept.
The workers are doing the right thing by striking. If american axle wants to try to screw the workers, then the workers should stick it to the man.

The problem is AAM does not have to cave in. They have already doubled production in Mexico in respsone to this strike. If you would do you your homework you would also know the plant in Mexico is not at 100% capacity yet. The longer the strike looms the more they will produce in Mexico. This strike has done nothing but drive work out of the United states. How can you even think that this strike is justified? They have no leverage, AAM has plants outside of the country, and There are enough workers available to replace every striking worker.

If you would read what is actually going on with AAM you would know that the offer on the table is $17/ hour not the original $12. Yet this has not been accepted. You are right workers deserve a fair contract and $17 is more than fair. Keep it up with your entitlement stick it to the man attitude. It is really working.

[Man With No Name]

FankC wrote:

Another blow to Buffalo and WNY. Get out while you can. This town is dead!

Hillary did a great job as junior senator from N.Y., along with Mr. NYC, senior senator Chucky Schumer!

Last one out of WNY shuts the light off and locks the door!!!

There will only be vermin, rats, cockroaches and worms left to feed on the garbage that is left.

[JIMMYK]

Mike wrote:

It is all corporate greed.
A profitable corporation wants even more money.
Richard Dauch has more money than he will ever be able to spend in his life and he "needs" more.
Every one knows this is WRONG.

Yet another Pro-union person speaking with no facts. Please if you are going to attempt to make a point have something to back it up.

Lets start with Profitable coporation? Yes they Made 30 million last year. Very good, Now lets take the 222 million dollar loss from the year before and do some math. Slow me down if I am going to fast for you. that is a deficit of 192 million dollars. That does not include previous year losses. If they continue to make 30 million a year it will take about 12 years to pay off the debt when take finance charges into account. If you would keep up with what goes on in the business world you would know that AAM posted a first quater loss of 27 million dollars in 2008.

As For Mr. Dauch he has done more than any greedy factory work could ever hope to accomplish. You probally don't know this but Mr. Dauch came to the rescue of AAM in 1994. A division of General motors that was failing and was to be shut down.
He brought together a group of investors that layed out more than 1 billion dollars in 1994 so AAM could survive and there employees could have jobs. He then set up AAM in Detroit Michigan the first new start up company in 20 years in the area in an effort not to just make money but improve and already failing area. AAM repaired the city and built a 65 acre plant. The end result was a 50% reduction in crime in that area. Now do we punish the man for having money or do we punish him for making a difference? It is not about how much money Mr. Dauch has, had it not been for his money AAM would not exsist today. No one was complaining when he layed out 1 Billion dollars and saved their jobs. In the future please think before you run you mouth like and uneducated 5th grader. Your statement says it all, I don't care about anyone but myself and I am incapable of understanding what is actually invovled in operating a company.

I challenge anyone to put forth the effort needed raise capital and take over a operation of this size.

[Union All The Way]

Steelie wrote:

Good Day,
Hmmm...
O.K.- keep in mind that these "major corporations" only employ approximately 5% of the U.S. work force. 95% of the U.S. workforce works for companies comprised of 40 or less employees. So from a national aspect this is not that big of a deal. However, from a localized aspect with regard to say Flint, Detroit and Dearborn this may have a more significant impact.
Mark my words, Ford, GM and Chrysler are in BIG trouble. I honestly believe that these companies will not exist as they now do within 10 to maybe 20 years at the most. One, if not all of them, will either go bankrupt and or be bought out.(I do not support a government bail out as these have been proven not to work, but only delay the inevitable.) If bought out they may be absorbed by another manufacturerer or will simply be dismantled. It seems quite obvious that Toyota gets it. While the big three continue to post losses Toyota keeps making gains. Could it possibly be that a Toyota is comprised of more American made parts than cars made by the big three? Or how about design, reliability and gas milage? The arrogance of the big three, and the unions too, will eventually be their downfall. The writing is on the wall folks. More and more major job losses in this sector are just over the horizon. And States like Michigan and Ohio will be hurt the most. Is anyone looking forward to exploring the ghost towns of Flint, Dearborn, Toledo, Akron and Detroit in a few years?
A word on profit - You know, a companie's want to make more profit is absolutely no different than an employee wanting a raise. So if one equates a company wanting to make more profit as being "evil" or "wrong" then so too along that line of thinking is an employee's want for a raise to be "evil" or "wrong". In both cases the entity wants more for what they do. To say otherwise would be ignorant and hypocritical at best.
Back to the Big Three... It is no mystery that I am pro-business. Any business. From the one man single small business to major corporations and everthing in between. However - when someone obvoiusly doesn't get it, like the Big Three, then I will indeed call them out on their inability to run a business. Which it clearly seems is what is going on with the Big Three. I mean come on... they should have seen this coming way back in the 70's during the fuel crisi brought about by failed policies of the Carter administration and their cohorts in D.C. They should have realized..."Huh. It sure looks like that Toyota compnay is selling some cars. Should we make changes to become more competitive? Should we design a different product?" No - instead they allowed for their arrogance to continue their eventual path to self destruction. And marching right beside them are the unions who are also culpable in this debacle. So watch out Ontario, Ohio and Michigan. The torrent is just over the horizon and headed right in this direction. If you think things are bad now in the American auto industry... you haven't seen anything yet...
Steelie

Well said and it will get worse...but Toyota I believe posted a 25% decline for this quarter. The Big Three is as arrogant as Uncle Sam along with the UAW. Too many people point fingers and correct nothing.Want to start a bet , I say Chrysler goes down..first.

[Chip]

Seenitbefore wrote:

<quoted text>
"And before you make comments like that doesn't reflect real world, it is based on the laws of economics, which are as proven as the laws of physics, So if you don't believe either then jump out your window and test the law of gravity."
To which I would submit to economics being a (scientific) "law"; "While economics has produced theories that correlate with observations of behavior in society, economics yields no natural laws or universal constants due to its reliance on non-physical arguments. This has led some critics to argue economics is not a science.[107][108] In general, economists reply that while this aspect may present serious difficulties, they do in fact test their hypotheses using statistical methods such as econometrics and data generated in the real world.[109] The field of experimental economics has seen efforts to test at least some predictions of economic theories in a simulated laboratory setting – an endeavor which earned Vernon Smith and Daniel Kahneman the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2002.
Nobel Prize laureate and philosopher Friedrich Hayek thought that economics is a social science, but argued that the propensity to imitate the procedures of physical sciences in economics leads to outright error and is decidedly unscientific since it involves a mechanical and uncritical application of habits of thought to fields different from those in which they have been formed.[111]"

Oh forget it, you are clearly to dumb to understand.

[pro union]

JIMMYK wrote:

<quoted text>
Yet another Pro-union person speaking with no facts. Please if you are going to attempt to make a point have something to back it up.
Lets start with Profitable coporation? Yes they Made 30 million last year. Very good, Now lets take the 222 million dollar loss from the year before and do some math. Slow me down if I am going to fast for you. that is a deficit of 192 million dollars. That does not include previous year losses. If they continue to make 30 million a year it will take about 12 years to pay off the debt when take finance charges into account. If you would keep up with what goes on in the business world you would know that AAM posted a first quater loss of 27 million dollars in 2008.
As For Mr. Dauch he has done more than any greedy factory work could ever hope to accomplish. You probally don't know this but Mr. Dauch came to the rescue of AAM in 1994. A division of General motors that was failing and was to be shut down.
He brought together a group of investors that layed out more than 1 billion dollars in 1994 so AAM could survive and there employees could have jobs. He then set up AAM in Detroit Michigan the first new start up company in 20 years in the area in an effort not to just make money but improve and already failing area. AAM repaired the city and built a 65 acre plant. The end result was a 50% reduction in crime in that area. Now do we punish the man for having money or do we punish him for making a difference? It is not about how much money Mr. Dauch has, had it not been for his money AAM would not exsist today. No one was complaining when he layed out 1 Billion dollars and saved their jobs. In the future please think before you run you mouth like and uneducated 5th grader. Your statement says it all, I don't care about anyone but myself and I am incapable of understanding what is actually invovled in operating a company.
I challenge anyone to put forth the effort needed raise capital and take over a operation of this size.

More neotard BS.
American Axle CEO D. Dauch took in $58 MILLION from 2003-2006. The numbers have been pasted all over the news. He took in $31 MILLION in 2003 alone. American Axle is profitable and has been profitable in years past.
These neotards want people to believe that the workers are being greedy cuz they won't accept $12 an hour while the company is profitable and the CEO gets mega millions.
$12 an hour isnt worth going back to. They can make that anywhere. If American Axle doesn't want to be reasonable then the workers should strike until GM dumps American Axle from its contract. American Axle doesn't need to reduce wages to keep making profits, they are doing it out of corporate greed. If they want to drive the workers into poverty, then the workers should take American Axle down with them. It's about fairness.
KEEP STRIKING UNTIL AMERICAN AXLE MAKES A DECENT OFFER. SOLIDARITY.

[UAWGirl]

Mike wrote:

Well IF they close the American Axle plants in Western New York at least you people can hold your heads high,knowing you did not "roll over".
You actually stood united,you did not cave in,you stood tall for something you belived in sometime in your lives.
Many people are not brave enough to do that.
"Cowards die a thousand deaths,a brave person dies but one."
Unfortunately,the collateral damage will be felt throughout the region.

Amen. Solidarity!

[Tourists Wanted]

pro union wrote:

<quoted text>
More neotard BS.
American Axle CEO D. Dauch took in $58 MILLION from 2003-2006. The numbers have been pasted all over the news. He took in $31 MILLION in 2003 alone. American Axle is profitable and has been profitable in years past.
These neotards want people to believe that the workers are being greedy cuz they won't accept $12 an hour while the company is profitable and the CEO gets mega millions.
$12 an hour isnt worth going back to. They can make that anywhere. If American Axle doesn't want to be reasonable then the workers should strike until GM dumps American Axle from its contract. American Axle doesn't need to reduce wages to keep making profits, they are doing it out of corporate greed. If they want to drive the workers into poverty, then the workers should take American Axle down with them. It's about fairness.
KEEP STRIKING UNTIL AMERICAN AXLE MAKES A DECENT OFFER. SOLIDARITY.

Get your head out of the sand brother. The longer this strike goes on, the more AA&M will put in their pocket when GM ups the offer, and the fewer UAW employees will be needed as Guanajuato Mexico has doubled their production capacity and PPAP'd the products to the GM assembly plants. Wonder why GM fired up the plants for a little while during the past few weeks? It was for trial runs of the Mexican made AA&M parts (PSO parts).

Why don't you head on over to the Solidarity House and have a swig of alimony ale.....the bitterest beer in America. Seems to be what Gettelfinger has been drinking lately. He seems "bamboozled" by AA&M's negotiating abilities.

[Tourists Wanted]

As stated above, Dauch and Blackstone coughed up the investment money to save the ailing GM division and prolong the careers of the UAW workers. They for 14 years out of this gravy train with biscuit wheels and now it is time for Dauch to run this business to maximize shareholder return, not UAW wages.

$37 million in profit isn't much for a company with sales $3.25 Billion.

[funnyguy]

The workers screwed themselfs AAM will close & the workers will have to find other work at less than 12 dollars a hour So who did they kid ? SCREWED THEMSELFS NOW MEXICO has the work & they yet havent reached 100% of capacity AAM is a memory not a doing thing SEE ya in the soup lines fellas Unemployment will be non existance because you refused to work Whattcha gonna do now ?? SCREWED YA SELF fellas

[When the other shoe drops]

Apparently the great vacuum is still sucking the life out of Western New York.
Corporate greed goes to the head of the line with a 37 million dollar profit last year and still wants to choke the life out of it's employees and send them packing.

[pro union]

for $12 an hour, mexico can have the jobs.$12 an hour is chump change and the workers wouldnt be able to live on it anyway. It would be easier to live on welfare than $12.
The union workers should just let AA close if they won't be reasonable. Then the workers should just take the money they've saved from their good union wages and just leave Michigan. Without the good union jobs , Michigan isn't worth living in.

[Tourists Wanted]

pro union wrote:

for $12 an hour, mexico can have the jobs.$12 an hour is chump change and the workers wouldnt be able to live on it anyway. It would be easier to live on welfare than $12.
The union workers should just let AA close if they won't be reasonable. Then the workers should just take the money they've saved from their good union wages and just leave Michigan. Without the good union jobs , Michigan isn't worth living in.

I'm sure with a good work ethic that the UAW employees can find jobs that pay $28/hr, if not more, and maintain their quality of life. There are many more employers out there than just AA&M. AA&M is still relatively small time when compared with the other Tier 1 suppliers.

[Tourists Wanted]

When the other shoe drops wrote:

Apparently the great vacuum is still sucking the life out of Western New York.
Corporate greed goes to the head of the line with a 37 million dollar profit last year and still wants to choke the life out of it's employees and send them packing.

What about their $225 million LOSS in 2006? Should the union have to pay the company back because they lost money?

$37 million in profit is small for their $3 BILLION+ revenue.

[James from KT]

The liberals are crying and whining about capitalism.

The way the company was running before was SOCIALISM.

Free this and free that.$28 bucks an hour to put a screw on a nut.

$17 and hour would be a dream from most people in Buffalo.

The CEO gets paid big bucks. Whoopee do. That's the America dream. Become a CEO the and shut your yap.

You liberals whine about big day days but you want one too. You then raise the taxes on all of those workers to pay for crack head porch monkies.

You liberals are MORONS!

[Seenitbefore]

Tourists Wanted wrote:

<quoted text>
What about their $225 million LOSS in 2006? Should the union have to pay the company back because they lost money?
$37 million in profit is small for their $3 BILLION+ revenue.

Profits and losses are reported after all the expenses including the stock holders have been paid. So I don't hold a lot of trust in when there are reported losses. So a reported lose may not actually be a loss. Rather the lack of a projected profit.

Until an independent and completely objective accounting has been performed can the actual figures be believed. Most large corporations are not going to allow an independent objective going over of their books.

If you sell and article or articles expecting they should bring a certain price/profit and you are unable to realize your expected profit, can you call it a loss even if the price sold for is greater than what you have into it? Perhaps your expectation(s) of a level of profit is considered a loss even though you can't lose what you never had.

In the 19th century most states had laws similar to obligating corporations by law to open their books to the particular state legislature or attorney general. I remember the arguments in the eighties during the Reagan administration when the last of those types of laws were finally eliminated. I remember it because the arguments given sounded reasonable to me...without the knowledge of the harm of releasing corporations of all accountability for their actions.

[nuttwister]

anyone non_skilled would take 17.00hr,but 10.50 from 24.00? your on crack!!!!!!!!!!