The United Auto Workers (UAW) are gearing up to strike against General Motors if progress isn't made on local negotiations affecting three factories in the U.S. The workers at the Arlington, Texas; Parma, Ohio; and Delta Township, Michigan plants are required to give the General a five day notice before the stoppage occurs, and they've told GM's negotiators that if progress isn't made in five days on the local contracts, they'll be laying down their tools. The dispute is primarily over which factory workers will be forced into a lower wage rate. If the work stoppage occurs, it will further compound issues GM is already facing with the American Axle strike, which has forced the automaker to slow or stop production at 30 factories across the U.S and Canada.[Source: Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ken @ Apr 4th 2008 7:23PM
Yeap, keep striking, strike yourself out of the job.
tankd0g @ Apr 4th 2008 7:28PM
I wonder if the workers at the Texas plant can hire illegals to walk the picket line for them?
Big Rocket @ Apr 4th 2008 7:50PM
Hey, UAW boys and girls, there is a recession going on right now. Keeping on striking, and you could add your jobs to the quarter-million lost so far in 2008.
"The loss of nearly a quarter-million jobs so far this year and a jump in the unemployment rate means the debate over whether there is a recession is pretty much over."
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/04/news/economy/recession_jobs/index.htm
DarkKnight67 @ Apr 4th 2008 9:00PM
(Insert sarcasm here) Hello, I'm a UAW worker. If I strike, it will obviously help me ensure that I have a future and my children will keep food on the table.
Translation: How dumb can I be?
MajorGeek @ Apr 4th 2008 9:10PM
Trust me, as I mentioned before I was a 12 year union worker. Its almost like cult with the brainwashing your fed there. I feel bad for these guys because none of them seem to do the math on how much they lose from not getting paid while on strike.
Your union should have a fund to pay you for at least a month in place if they REALLY cared about you. I know the Teamsters did not, does UAW?
geo.stewart @ Apr 5th 2008 10:15AM
I thought the whole purpose of paying your dues was to have a fund to pay you in case of strike? If you dont have that, what are you paying dues for, so someone else doesnt have to work and can SAY they have your best interests at heart? I thought that was what we paid taxes for?
Fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me. Union workers should be ashamed. You are paying to two different groups and not getting any better representation than the rest of us idiots paying just taxes.
Tagg @ Apr 5th 2008 3:10PM
This mentality goes all the to the top as well with Gettelfinger. He preaches his "fightn' for the workin' man" by blasting CEO and other corperate officals yet is paid nearly as well and receives free UAW built cars! While I agree the pay they recieve is a bit much but at the same time the scope of the job they do is way over Gettelfingers head. He manages a shrinking union, in one market, primarily in the midwest. A auto exec manages multiple business units all over the world, deals with changing tastes and economic conditions and the UAW itself!
So when I read Gettelfinger complaining about what auto CEO's make it makes me barf because I don't see him giving up much for his "fellow workers".
Oh, by the way. In a recent study Ford is now tied with Toyota and Honda in inital quality and the products that lead the charge, most are not UAW built.
jesus trevino @ Apr 4th 2008 10:39PM
The UAW does what it has to do to survive
jghiuiog @ Apr 4th 2008 10:46PM
"F" The union! You UAW guys are about the dumbest. No wonder you always support the democrat. You guys continue to shoot yourself in the foot!
Rboyett @ Apr 4th 2008 11:28PM
Doesn't a strike at the Arlington plant help GM? Wouldn't that let them shutter a plant with no labor cost while American Axle is having their strike? Wouldn't it also let GM get rid of some GMT-500 stock?
MajorGeek @ Apr 4th 2008 11:29PM
Is it over? On the source news page, this story says they hammered out a deal:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080404/AUTO01/804040442
Interesting thing is I assumed guys were taking pay cuts, but this says that they are creating a lower paying position for less important work and it will take years for new hires to take these jobs to replace the ones leaving not counting anyone who takes a buyout. One would assume you can work your way up to the other jobs.
John @ Apr 5th 2008 12:30AM
Much like prisoners, UAW members get "institutionalized" by the system and lose sight of life that goes on around them.
Sorry folks $30/hour is not reality for unskilled labor.
That One Person @ Apr 5th 2008 3:01AM
John...Mention that to the Toyota factory workers that made MORE than the UAW guys.
Anyways, some pretty funny comments on here.
But in all honesty, I would be a tad pissed if my company was gonna cut my pay. So I can see why these people are mad.
Do I think $27-30 an hour is ridiculous? Yes. Now, when someone who bolts on wheels (which a machine does most of the work) makes as much as my dad (Ford electrician and also a UAW member) and sometimes more, then things seem a bit off. Heck, I find it sad that there are people who work in these plants that put in seats and get paid $27 an hour when I do work that would most likely give some of those guys/women a heart attack and I get paid $10 an hour!!
jghiuiog: Now, I take offense to that. Go out and meet some union members. They are probably just as smart as you and in some cases smarter. If you think they go on three hour lunch breaks, come back drunk, have their buddies punch their time cards for them, sleep on the job, beat people up in the lots after work, etc. then you are wrong. They are just normal people doing what they are told and doing these jobs to support themselves and their families. I bet if you were a union worker, you wouldn't be saying crap like that. Oh and the republicans are doing such a great job :)
MajorGeek: I would have to ask my dad but I think that whole pay thing depends on what local you belong to. I know his local has a fund set up for strike pay. I am not sure if the whole UAW is like that. Also, having met and knowing a TON of UAW workers, I would say it's far from being a cult.
MajorGeek @ Apr 5th 2008 8:46AM
Thats because your not IN the cult buddy, I was. Trust me. My personal favorites was buy American and vote Democrat to save your job and the union. Also, you repeated they were cutting workers pay. Article says they are not cutting pay, only when the jobs are replaced. These jobs are less skilled labor and the union has agreed to it. You also mentioned at 27-30 an hour, its a bit ridiculous, so I assume you agree with GM stance of paying a guy sweeping the floors (for example) 25 an hour.
That One Person @ Apr 5th 2008 5:19PM
No. I don't agree with that. I think even that is ridiculous. Like I mentioned in my comment, I do work that involves, at times, a lot of danger (ie. dealing with traffic on major roads). How come someone who does something, like sweeping, get paid $15 MORE an hour than me to just sweep? It's stupid.
Sorry, I misread the article about the pay. But as far as the whole cult thing goes, I happen to believe I have some "experience" when it comes to unions. I work with guys who belong to a union and happen to know quite a few GM, Ford and Chrysler workers who are UAW members. I do hear the occasional "Buy American" rants but it's not to the point where it's "cult like". Heck, a good number of my dad's coworkers drive foreign vehicles.
George @ May 23rd 2008 9:38AM
I posted a reply to a different blog but in essance it said that there are people in life who win the lottery of life. Which I define as someone (a person off the street) who gets a good paying job that pays extremely well like the big three. I just want to say there are good points from both sides of the coin and I am peeved at both sides, management and workers but tell me this, what if you were the one who got the job at the big three, would you complain that you make too much money then? I think we all live in a society that if we truely wanted to better ourselves then reach out and crab the bull by the horns and do it. No one is going to stop you. Start a business or something. Look for a better paying job. Sell yourself. But then again wouldn't it be nice to get hired by the big three so you didn't have to?
aa[ro]n @ Apr 5th 2008 9:57AM
wow these people are freaking retarded. They complain because of money but are always striking. If they had any brains they wouldn't. If there is no negative outcome *besides for the UAW* workers, I hope the union thing gets somehow taken away so they be normal workers like everyone else. It seems like they are a bunch of babies
len simpson @ Apr 5th 2008 11:49AM
Go ahead unions, have your strike, put GM out of business like you did
EAL PanAM,National etc, etc. Like John L Lewis always said, we want
MORE money for less work.
Bimmer2008 @ Apr 5th 2008 5:59PM
Nice
That One Person @ Apr 19th 2008 3:08PM
If I worked with the Big 3 (which I tried before) I probably wouldn't complain. It's a job that pays well.
Trust me, I am not complaining because I think I am underpaid (which I do think I am). I just find it sad that there are people with jobs that don't involve as much danger as mine but get paid more.
I am actually happy with my job. It sucks some days but it's fine others. I would find a better job but it took me a year to find this one plus I am going back to college in August.