Senate Republicans kill auto compromise
The Republicans hate the UAW, and they’re willing to risk our entire economy unless they see clear worker concessions.
Republicans bail out their banking friends, but they’ve turned their backs on millions of blue collar workers.
Now it’s up to the Bush administration. Does Bush want to see the collapse of the auto industry as the final act of the most pathetic presidency of our lifetimes?
Posted in: Economy
Tags: auto bailout, bailing out the auto industry, bridge loan for automakers
Nothing to do with the uaw wanting EVERYTHING, and not giving up enough – We all know now in 2007 toyota and gm sold the same amount of cars world-wide- toyota made billions and billions and gm lost billions and billions — no one working at toyota is complaining-
still….
those DAMN republicans that want some semblance of good business practice in the car industry– how could they?
I always said it’s a great idea to pay a worker 95 k to put a bolt in a tire rim.
Go Union!!!! Making America strong!
Nobody wants to talk intelligently about this issue. Instead they want to make gratuitous provocations like Nick does here, and lazily watch the most important industry in America go down the toilet.
There is not a level playing field. for example, US companies have healthcare and pension costs that foreign competition don’t have. And if I may be allowed the same superficiality as Nick, I would site “HUGE” government subsidies given to industry in Germany and Japan that are relatively lower in the USA. Add onto that fact that a worker in Germany and Japan can enjoy a higher standard of living than an American worker with a lower salary…. the list goes on
That said, if we can to avoid gratuitous and stupid exagerations, how about some facts
I take this for another website
“Every car GM makes carries “legacy costs”—the costs of providing healthcare and pensions to scores of retired workers. For every GM worker, there are about 10 dependants, which are defined as retired workers and their families. According to Cole, “When the international car companies came to the U.S., the move stuck the domestics with a very large disadvantage related to legacy costs. And that’s $2000 a car”
There are dozens of reasons that US car companies are in trouble. Most of them are nowhere near as simple as the assholes on the right are vomiting about, all to show how they are so much smarter than the executives that run our industry.
Bollocks. You fools are going to throw out the most important industry in America with your loony self important logic.
Brilliant analysis, JP– I think it’s fantastic that the auto industry has their “job bank” where “employees” can come and play cards, trivial pursuit, and sleep– and when there IS an opening- if it’s in a location that doesn’t appeal to the “employee” he can happily turn down the work and still make 85% of his salary.
You can spout any drivel you want about the “rights” position on this issue– bottom line is the union has destroyed the auto industry- and when card check comes– bye bye industry in the US.
Call it what you want from your loony left position, but, today, union = extortion and it has mightily made us a weaker competitor in world. But with your left blinders on you will refuse to see that.
Nick and the GOP – blame workers first.
G–
When, either you or JP run a union department, when you experience your employees calling off 30 times in a calendar year and your hands are tied because you cannot fire them, when you have an employee throw a coffee cup at your head and that’s still not grounds for dismissal (as happened to a fellow manager of mine)- then you can post about the wonders of a union.
The Pittsburgh Boy Scouts volunteered to pick up trash at parks and trials in Pittsburgh– the f’ing union took them to court to get them to stop because it “took away” union jobs and now trash piles up in those parks and on those trials. If you have a child in the Pittsburgh schools and you want to volunteer to help out during lunch (opening milks, what-ever) you are not permitted to help because of your beloved unions.
With strong labor laws, unions are not needed- and do we even need to talk about corruption and organized crime?
CNBC had a guest that put the contract for toyota workers next to the contract for ford workers. The toyota contract was about 1 inch thick, the contract for the ford workers was about 13 inches thick- How in the hell can you run a company like that- and we’re surprised they are about to go under?
Like your hero (the Rev Wright) said “The unions chickens, are coming home to roost.”
This isn’t about bad unions. They certainly share in the blame. But theauto executives were pretty bad s well, along with the idiot bankers who almost destroyed our economy. You only seem to go after the workers.
I didn’t want a bail out for any of these brain dead idiots. When this all broke, the news made it sound like if something drastic didn’t happen with the banks the entire economy would crash– look back, I’m sure I posted I didn’t want to bail out the banks- but it looked like we didn’t have any choice- we now have a government that runs everything- welcome to europe.
I don’t want anyone bailed out- what I want are the idiots that are responsible to rot in hell.
Why is no one talking about the kinds of cars each of these companies make? With gas prices approaching $5 a gallon a year ago is it any wonder that consumers stopped buying SUVs that get 11 miles to the gallon?
Nick – The stock market has stabilized. At the time you didn’t want it to crash any further. We frankly do not know what would have happened without the bailout.
The same will happen to the market if GM goes into bankruptcy. Kiss your 401K goodbye.