A strike deadline passed today for GM's Warren transmission plant, with negotiators agreeing to work into the weekend to reach an agreement. This glimmer of hope comes as GM endures strikes at suppliers American Axle and Alliance Interiors as well as its Lansing Delta Township factory. Detroit News reports that the Warren negotiators are deadlocked over implementation of the new two-tier wage structure, a nationally negotiated deal which has run caused numerous issues (including the Delta Township strike) as individual plants struggle to determine which jobs are "core" to vehicle production and which aren't. The American Axle strike has stopped or slowed production at some two dozen GM plants, leaving GM's entire supply chain at risk as negotiators slowly fumble towards an agreement. If negotiations at the Warren plant break down over the weekend, the 1k workers there could join the thousands of striking UAW workers, leaving GM without production of four and six-speed transmissions.
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So as soon as you join a union, you become oblivious to facts and logic?
They’ll bleed their $70 plus per hour wages until there’s no more to bleed. Then everyone ELSE loses their jobs as well. All the feeder industries go down with their jobs.
Thanks Mr. Middlefinger!
I once thought that America’s automaker, and once mighty industrial giant, could make itself lean and much more competive.
How can this happen with the UAW leadership and GM leadership constantly sabotaging the honest and quality work of the average employee?
As a former GM employee, I can tell you that the vast majority of us did really good work (hourly and salaried). It was the lunatics at the local union hall and the crazies in Detroit making unwise decisions that are driving the company into disaster.
What the hell can we do to stop this?
That’s not worth a headline. We already know GM is headless in most of it’s operations.
raskolnikov-What the hell can we do to stop this?
Probably nothing.
Frankly, in the long run, this mess will benefit the country (opinion).
Not saying it won’t hurt many, but going off drugs will hurt until the system is cleaned out.
I am also too familiar with the quality of work (directly and indirectly, I’ve worked in a UAW plant) and the poor work records (see things like absenteeism) to blythely accept this “most of us were good” stuff.
There was too much garbage made for far too long to justify this defense.
If you and 9 others let 3 bozos milk the system and never addressed the problem, union worker to union worker, then you were part of the problem.
IMO.
Hey, I’ve been there, I’ve had to challenge slackers. It doesn’t make you popular but you would be surprised how the other honest workers will join in.
The UAW/CAW workers need to accept that, yes the Debt 3’s management has been rotten, but THEY have enabled the problem, and been part of it actively and passively.
Sorry if this is a bit aggressive but I feel it needs to be said.
Bunter
Bunter–
8 years as shop floor management, and death threats from 4 different employees, have taught me some cynicism, but not quite to your extent.
Think of a bell curve representing the UAW folks at my plants. 80% could be described as ‘good’, while 10% on the left were POS and 10% on the right were outstanding.
Apparently the plant where you worked was populated by far more slackers–too bad. Mine happened (and still is) to make the finest commercial truck/bus/military transmissions in the world.
If you know the industry surely you know the company, and you won’t need proof of this claim.
I think this reputation instilled an above-average amount of pride in our workforce that led me to my assessment. It’s truly a shame that more GM and D3 plants aren’t like this.
And the erosion of our manufacturing base IS NOT good for the country, in the short or long term. The drugs are the entitlements the UAW has become used to. They must break the habit, true, but let’s keep the jobs and plants here only with more realistic wages and benefits for the employees. I pity those fools (thanks Mr T) who think our economy can thrive with Wal-Mart and Starbucks as its foundation.
Rash- Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I was a hasty in some of my statements and am impressed by your response.
I think we may be closer in our actual attitudes than it seemed at first.
The plant you worked at does seem exceptional, and I will say that there were UAW workers that I knew who were a credit to their group and that I was proud to call my friends.
I would agree that an overall erosion of the manufacturing base is not good. But a few high profile examples of how not to do it, if others will learn from it, could benefit.
If the malaise is wide spread and deep rooted then no group, much less the government, will be able to reverse the trend. “The People” will end up with the economy they, by and large, earn.
Thanks for talking straight.
Bunter