Axle workers face harsh cuts in tentative deal

Striking workers at American Axle & Manufacturing will face deep concessions in the UAW's tentative agreement with the company.

[Dawn]

$28 an hour!! Holy sheep s**t!!

There can not be a single job in that place worth that much money. Split the wages in half and hire twice the number of people. Maybe, then they could get something done, and it would also employ more people, but that's NOT what the union is all about anymore.

And we wonder why jobs are sent overseas?!

[Cork]

Have to say I agree with you, Dawn!

[Bert]

The UAW has become impotent which is a good thing. Soon it will no longer exist which would be an even better thing.

[jim uaw 2344]

Soon will we all be working partime, no insurance making 7 to 10 dollars an hour. That will be good for our country.

[umaangel00]

Jim -

You fail to realize that UNSKILLED labor does not deserve the pay they were making. Skilled labor, maybe, but not UNskilled. The wage they will now be making is fair and more in line with the economy and the market rate.

[turkey]

Are you kidding?! with two college degrees I don't even make that much and I bet more than half the people earning $28 and hour barely have a high school diploma. Excuse me if I fail to weep.

[Arctic49519]

The workers will probably regret this deal. They should never have agreed to give concessions to a profitable company.
These workers deserved their $28/hr, especially since the CEO was pocketing tens of $millions per year. Now, the upper management will pocket even more while workers struggle to make basic monthly payments.
The pro-republican drones don't ever complain about CEO Dauch pocketing $58 MILLION from 2003-2006, but they are sure ready to stick it to the working guy who supports the local economy.
Production jobs ARE worth over $20 an hour, it is just Big Business and the republicans who want you to think that they are not.

[Collin K]

Arctic... My good buddy. I think I win the bet. ;-) I remember saying that the union was going to take it in the shorts when these negotiations were complete. I knew that in the long run this strike would just end up badly for all of the crybaby workers. And, I was right. You may now call me Nostradamus.

It's a pity that the company didn't just fire everyone but it's good that they at least got wages back down to a reasonable level.

As others have said, it can be difficult to make $28/hr with a college degree. The fact that people with high school educations were making that is very sad.

The time when union workers could milk large companies has come to a close. Please exit to your left and watch your step. Thank you for attending our "Overpaid Worker Extravaganza!"

[DARK HELMET LIVES]

Collin K wrote:

Arctic... My good buddy. I think I win the bet. ;-) I remember saying that the union was going to take it in the shorts when these negotiations were complete. I knew that in the long run this strike would just end up badly for all of the crybaby workers. And, I was right. You may now call me Nostradamus.
It's a pity that the company didn't just fire everyone but it's good that they at least got wages back down to a reasonable level.
As others have said, it can be difficult to make $28/hr with a college degree. The fact that people with high school educations were making that is very sad.
The time when union workers could milk large companies has come to a close. Please exit to your left and watch your step. Thank you for attending our "Overpaid Worker Extravaganza!"

Careful, Colin. Arctic's liable to get all PMS-ey on ya call you a neorepubli-CON or somesuch horsesh!t like that. These self-styled dems can be such sore losers ...

roflmao ;-)

[Shane]

Dawn is right on, the Unions have added cost and costs, it's not my job, I'm not through reading this article yet, don't you dare wake me up to repair that valve again, just leave it down. Get the idea, real life on AAM factory floor.

[UAW member]

Arctic49519 wrote:

The workers will probably regret this deal. They should never have agreed to give concessions to a profitable company.
These workers deserved their $28/hr, especially since the CEO was pocketing tens of $millions per year. Now, the upper management will pocket even more while workers struggle to make basic monthly payments.
The pro-republican drones don't ever complain about CEO Dauch pocketing $58 MILLION from 2003-2006, but they are sure ready to stick it to the working guy who supports the local economy.
Production jobs ARE worth over $20 an hour, it is just Big Business and the republicans who want you to think that they are not.

Looks like I am the only one who totally agrees with you!

[UAW member]

Shane wrote:

Dawn is right on, the Unions have added cost and costs, it's not my job, I'm not through reading this article yet, don't you dare wake me up to repair that valve again, just leave it down. Get the idea, real life on AAM factory floor.

Dawn is NOT right and neither are YOU! Clueless, un-intelligent people like you irratate me!
Why don't you all wake up and realize exaxtly what is happening........It's just the start of an entire new era where the rich continue getting richer and the middle-class that we once knew, is headed towards the poverty levels!
Soon all you clueless individuals will realize this when your pay checks get cut in half!

[beezie50]

NOPE I also agree. crap rolls downhill, all you bashers just wait...

[Life in Michigan]

It is just another company showing that unions are not what they used to be. I work for a company that is the most union non union shop I have ever seen. At least my wages are not controlled by some money hungry union that is not even needed.

I can see it now with the unions getting more and more unpopular, they will slowly disappear.

Like I need someone to negotiate a 50 percent wage cut. They can kiss my a$$.

[Holy Cow]

So much for being the "LAND OF THE FREE" !!!!no smoking,no talking on cells, tx the P.iss out of us too. this land is not YOUR land, this land is my land!"

[Arctic49519]

Collin K wrote:

Arctic... My good buddy. I think I win the bet. ;-) I remember saying that the union was going to take it in the shorts when these negotiations were complete. I knew that in the long run this strike would just end up badly for all of the crybaby workers. And, I was right. You may now call me Nostradamus.
It's a pity that the company didn't just fire everyone but it's good that they at least got wages back down to a reasonable level.
As others have said, it can be difficult to make $28/hr with a college degree. The fact that people with high school educations were making that is very sad.
The time when union workers could milk large companies has come to a close. Please exit to your left and watch your step. Thank you for attending our "Overpaid Worker Extravaganza!"

The workers are definately taking it in the shorts, and the company mixed sand in with the KY.

At least it is not the $12/hr with no buydown payments and no signing bonus that American Axle wanted, so the strike was still worth something.

Unfortunately, this just gives the green light to non-union companies to lower their wages too, and those non-union workers can do nothing about it. Union shops set the standard, and when they lose, non-union shops lose even more.

[Don M]

Arctic49519 wrote:

The workers will probably regret this deal. They should never have agreed to give concessions to a profitable company.
These workers deserved their $28/hr, especially since the CEO was pocketing tens of $millions per year. Now, the upper management will pocket even more while workers struggle to make basic monthly payments.
The pro-republican drones don't ever complain about CEO Dauch pocketing $58 MILLION from 2003-2006, but they are sure ready to stick it to the working guy who supports the local economy.
Production jobs ARE worth over $20 an hour, it is just Big Business and the republicans who want you to think that they are not.

What Union is their CEO in? How much do Union heads make? Unions are nothing more than huge companies themselves. Let them go. The lesson to be learned is get an education. There is still a need for medical skills, engineers and computer scientists just about everywhere.

[Mitzi]

I just came off a stint of working in a auto parts factory thru a temp agency. No I wasn't a scab - it wasn't a shop on strike.
It was hot, heavy lifting, stressful, dirty, extremely noisy, dangerous at times. Long hours - this particular companies policy was that they could work you for 19 days in a row then you could have two days off. Even if you knew that the job your doing could be done better management doesn't lisen because - hey what would you know your "just" a worker. Breaks were when you could get someone to relieve you on the line.
I feel sorry for the guys that have been there for 20+ years. Yep, they make pretty good wages but they are so tied to making that much money that they can't hardley live otherwise. I understand why they buy lots of toys and such, it's to make up for the fact they don't have a life.
My problem with the American Axle situation is not the money it's the fact that a company that is doing well wants more money. They can't charge the customer more with the ecomany the way it is and get away with it so they take back what they promised to the workers when they signed that contract.
There soon will be no middle class. It will be upper class (CEOs , politicians ect) lower class - the folks that keep the whole system working by doing the production and the destitute. The American dream is no longer.

Mitzi

[Arctic49519]

Don M wrote:

<quoted text>
What Union is their CEO in? How much do Union heads make? Unions are nothing more than huge companies themselves. Let them go. The lesson to be learned is get an education. There is still a need for medical skills, engineers and computer scientists just about everywhere.

- The CEO of American Axle is part of a union.
- The head of each UAW locals are elected and are not paid for their service. They are hourly workers just like everyone else. The president of the UAW, Ron Gettelfinger, makes $158,530 per year. That isn't very much compared to a CEO like D*ck Dauch who pocketed $31 million in 2003 alone.

Your argument about "get an education" doesn't hold any water. More people in the USA have college degrees than ever before, yet the average standard of living has gone down for all but the elite rich. And even if every person in the USA had a university degree, it wouldn't help anything, because it is laborers who build cars, houses, dams, airplanes, ships, roads, and everything else.

The poor have remained poor. The elite rich get richer by taking more away from those who are doing the work, breaking the middle class.

[Strikers Wife]

Mitzi wrote:

I just came off a stint of working in a auto parts factory thru a temp agency. No I wasn't a scab - it wasn't a shop on strike.
It was hot, heavy lifting, stressful, dirty, extremely noisy, dangerous at times. Long hours - this particular companies policy was that they could work you for 19 days in a row then you could have two days off. Even if you knew that the job your doing could be done better management doesn't lisen because - hey what would you know your "just" a worker. Breaks were when you could get someone to relieve you on the line.
I feel sorry for the guys that have been there for 20+ years. Yep, they make pretty good wages but they are so tied to making that much money that they can't hardley live otherwise. I understand why they buy lots of toys and such, it's to make up for the fact they don't have a life.
My problem with the American Axle situation is not the money it's the fact that a company that is doing well wants more money. They can't charge the customer more with the ecomany the way it is and get away with it so they take back what they promised to the workers when they signed that contract.
There soon will be no middle class. It will be upper class (CEOs , politicians ect) lower class - the folks that keep the whole system working by doing the production and the destitute. The American dream is no longer.
Mitzi

How true and well put from a non-union person--but it is tough finding out the hard way!