What Does A Dying U.S. Auto Industry Mean For The Rest Of Ameri...

What Does A Dying U.S. Auto Industry Mean For The Rest Of America? by Mark Brenner And Jane Slaughter n the 1980s Chevrolet proclaimed itself the "Heartbeat of America." Today, many would say that the American ...

[micco]

Barely has a pulse? Lets see. The car company that sells more cars in this country, as well as the world barely has a pulse. What has Mark and Jane been smoking?

[All World Automotive]

What it means is, that we're in big trouble! Largest supplier of jobs in the US. You tell me what it it means. China will cause the fall of the US. They'll do it by slowly killing our biggest industry.

[Robin Marks]

China is not doing it. You and the rest of the US consumers are doing it. Wake up and smell the fish-heads!

[Bob Bradley]

Build enough JUNK and sooner or later the consumer will buy something else. The Big 3 are doing it to themselves. All Toyota has to do is keep building them like they are. Want to know how the Big 3 can turn it all around in one day? Go on TV and say....... Whatever breaks on our vehicles - we fix it - no questions asked. QUALITY is the issue to the American consumer.

[Frank Rogers of PA]

Has anyone heard or read of ThyssenKrupp Budd either being sold or something else not so good?

[bush]

Your right its all about quality,im a uaw worker & my last car bought was a new 2006 toyota corolla.My last 3 from the big three where junk,im not wasting any more money on crap,or from lazy uaw workers i see screwing off on a daily basis while bitching about how hard they have it!

[UAW]

The UAW members who worked on the line at my previous 2 plants deserved every penny they received.I am a skilled tradesman and I saw first hand how hard they work. I didn't meet too many who complained. I would like to know how many Bush knows.

[John D]

bush wrote:

Your right its all about quality,im a uaw worker & my last car bought was a new 2006 toyota corolla.My last 3 from the big three where junk,im not wasting any more money on crap,or from lazy uaw workers i see screwing off on a daily basis while bitching about how hard they have it!

are you for real ,I guess its true you cant fix stupid!!!!!!!!!!stupid

[proud to be an american]

Time to vote the Republicans out. All they want is our sons and daughters.

[Brian]

This is no easy issue. The crust of the matter is that the average UAW worker is paid significantly more then his counterpart in a non union shop. This includes non-automotive as well as automotive. Where else can someone with just expect to make a six figure income, company paid medical, 14 paid holidays, plus vacation and sick time, with only a high school education. Do the UAW people work hard? YES. Do they work harder then their counterparts in a non-union shop? NO.

Now if I am GM and I need to pay these premium wages and I need to bring a product to market at a competitive price what can I do? Buy lower quality parts and raw materials. Now GM gets a bad reputation and sells fewer cars. Now I can’t lay off a UAW worker (can you say jobs bank) so the only thing I can do is cut quality.

Now the cycle continues and we spiral out of control. The only thing that will save the US auto industry is if they can get their labor cost in line with what the foreign automaker pay for labor in their USA domestic plants.

[DAVE Detroit Mi]

Hey "BUSH"
Is that as in George. I'll bet thats you sneaking
in here to give us your best shot. Now I know why
you are the sharpest light bulb in the knife drawer.

[Saluja]

proud to be an american wrote:

Time to vote the Republicans out. All they want is our sons and daughters.

YES! Be a proud American, but can you say the same of your Government? Think and decide for yourself. The remedy to your malady is in your own hands

[bush]

Brian wrote:

This is no easy issue. The crust of the matter is that the average UAW worker is paid significantly more then his counterpart in a non union shop. This includes non-automotive as well as automotive. Where else can someone with just expect to make a six figure income, company paid medical, 14 paid holidays, plus vacation and sick time, with only a high school education. Do the UAW people work hard? YES. Do they work harder then their counterparts in a non-union shop? NO.
Now if I am GM and I need to pay these premium wages and I need to bring a product to market at a competitive price what can I do? Buy lower quality parts and raw materials. Now GM gets a bad reputation and sells fewer cars. Now I can’t lay off a UAW worker (can you say jobs bank) so the only thing I can do is cut quality.
Now the cycle continues and we spiral out of control. The only thing that will save the US auto industry is if they can get their labor cost in line with what the foreign automaker pay for labor in their USA domestic plants.

Time for the job bank to go. Paying a bunch of people to set on their ass & work crossword puzzles & read a paper,thats bullshit, & you wonder why people dont want to buy your product.

[CARMAN]

Autoworkers don't have any choice when products don't sell or plants close. UAW bebefits help workers when these situations arise. If foreign employees make so much less, than UAW workers, why aren't foreign cars alot cheaper? Foreign corporations are greasing American consumers, by over pricing their products. They aren't doing anybody any favors, with big profits foreign companies should be sharing huge profits with it's workers. Aren't they worthy of reward for helping the Japanese be so successful? Who needs a union?

[Blayne]

Most of the cars Toyota and Honda sell in America are made in America, so it isn't entirely the workers. I think that the Unions do have too much power, but they're important to ensure both the employers and the employees are getting a fair deal.

Rather, the main cost of production is the overhead from running the factories. Those buildings are huge and therefore costly to build, to maintain and cost alot of money in property tax every year. What the companies need to learn to do better is optimize production. Back in the middle of the century, cars were mostly based off of a more simple model. For instance, the Pontiac GTO was just a Tempest with a bigger engine, and yet it was called a completely different car. A station wagon, a sedan and a compact muscle car could all be build off the same chassis.

[rick the canuck]

I wish all of you American auto bashers would tell us all what you do for a living, then we could tell you how overpaid you are.!

[betts]

My auto worker neighbor does not work hard and he makes too much money for his low education level. My husband earned three college degrees and works ten times harder for the same pay AND if he was laid off- no pay. time for change is now-- too late because it will happen no matter what- globalization is here and uaw is dying.

[Kokomo IN]

You guys really think they will pass the savings on to the consumer from paying lower wages. The last time I looked a Dodge Ram made in Mexico still costs more than 40k. Targeting auto wages is the quickest way to show investors your more profitable. They can only lower cost from parts suppliers so much without effecting quality. Next target would be wages. Management will never take pay cuts only reduce their numbers and pay for their benifits.

[oldgmworker]

Trickle-down economics also works in reverse. When you bash any segment of the economy and any American company you lay the foundation for eventually losing your own job! How about supporting your country before it is gone! As for people telling what they do for a living a: they would lie to embellish themselves b: it would distract from their efforts to complain c: it would possibly require them to expose their own demons. Toyota and Honda build their products here? The very best of them i.e., Honda, builds less than 49% content for American assembled products. Capital flow is to the country of origin and does not stay in the U.S.! That is the issue, not whether someone belongs to a union!

[poo]

i made o poop poop