its the republican way ! On Dec 31, 9:29 am, margareth <[email protected]> wrote: > At ten dollars an hour, how many production workers could ever hope to > afford to buy themselves a new car? Why is it that the lowest paid > workers are being asked to contribute the most to save the auto > industry? Many young autoworkers have already been laid off. If older > workers can be bought out, or pensionned off, some of the jobs could > be saved. It is not such a good idea to invest savings within the > industry where people work. The very time when they are most needed, > they are not readily available. Why weren't the pension funds better > scrutinized in the good times, so that they would be avalilable to the > employees when needed. > What the industry needs the most, is for people to start buying new > vehicles that they can afford. The car manufacturers need to be ready > to sell them. And American managers need to forgo their performance > bonuses when they fail. I don't think that Detroit is the highest > priced place to live, by comparison with Tokyo. So why do these poor > excuses for business men get payed so much. > > On Dec 31, 8:49 am, "mike [never forget] 532" > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Auto Workers Told to Take Concessions, Abandon > > Retireeshttp://www.truthout.org/123008LA > > President George Bush announced December 19 a $17.4 billion bridge > > loan for General Motors and Chrysler, a day after it hinted that the > > companies could be forced into "orderly" bankruptcy. > > > Auto workers who advocated for short-term aid to the auto > > industry's crisis bristled at the conditions attached to the loan. > > The > > Bush administration's requirements mirror demands from anti-union > > Republicans who torpedoed Congressional action last week. They would > > decimate UAW contracts and place retiree health care funds into > > company stock. > > > The plan hinges on a demand that UAW auto worker wages and work > > rules become "competitive" with wages and work rules in foreign- > > owned, > > non-union transplant factories in the South. > > > Lost in the discussion, auto workers said, is any recognition > > that > > wages and benefits are less than 10 percent of the cost of a vehicle > > and can't pull the Big 3 back to profitability. > > > "We've already taken concessions to help the industry become > > viable," said Brett Talbot-Ward, a UAW Local 1700 member who works at > > Chrysler's Sterling Heights Assembly plant. "Why are they asking for > > more from us when there are all sorts of other costs in the vehicle > > production process, much less the CEO pay, that haven't even factored > > into the debate?" > > > Bush's terms will eliminate the jobs bank, a concession the UAW > > signaled it would accept two weeks ago. The program gives laid-off > > workers income and sends them into communities to provide public > > services. Foreign-owned auto firms have similar programs, and often > > use production downtime to train workers. > > > "The jobs bank was our safety net," Talbot-Ward said. "That in > > and > > of itself is a huge sacrifice, when we know that there will be a huge > > amount of safety needed." > > > Chrysler announced plans this week to suspend all production for > > a > > month, two weeks longer than its usual holiday break. > > > The bridge loan calls for auto retirees to sink half of their > > retiree health care fund, the UAW-administered Voluntary Employee > > Beneficiary Association, into company stock. Auto workers questioned > > the wisdom of putting the remaining VEBA payments into stock, having > > watched GM's stock plunge from $29 a share in February to $2.79 by > > November. > > > "It's not worth the paper it's printed on," said Tom Brown, a > > member of UAW Local 600 who works at the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant. > > "They're going to attack the retirees badly on this one." > > > The VEBA began as an underfunded vehicle: financial analysts > > predicted at its outset that General Motors was only willing or able > > to offer less than $35 billion of the estimated $50 billion that it > > owes retired workers. > > > The underfunding could lead to a simple, grim arithmetic: each > > dollar shortchanged translates into a dollar that can't be spent on > > health care premiums, co-pays, deductibles, or quality of care. Under > > a VEBA, the remaining costs of maintaining health care benefits will > > have to be shifted back to the workers themselves. > > > "I don't think the rank and file will go for it - to bring our > > wages down, to put our benefits into (company) stock, that'll be too > > risky," said Tony Browning, UAW Local 1700 member at Chrysler's > > Sterling Heights Assembly. > > > Browning said that his fellow union members are well aware that > > non-union auto workers make similar wages, and predicted that UAW > > leaders will have a tough sell convincing workers to take yet another > > round of concessions. > > > Relentless Attacks on Union > > > The deal proves President George Bush is ready to extract from > > auto workers what Republican senators were unable to secure last > > week, > > when they blocked a $14 billion loan package for the industry over > > demands to cut wages and benefits for unionized auto workers and > > retirees. > > > Republicans refused to hand over the loan without promises of > > even > > more UAW concessions. Republicans, apparently expert enough about > > auto > > to renegotiate contracts in a matter of hours, blamed the UAW for > > refusing to drive down wages to parity with non-union, foreign-owned > > auto facilities in the South by next year. > > > Auto workers, of course, already agreed to similar concessions in > > November 2007, when they voted up contracts that put starting wages > > lower than those in non-union plants. The major cost difference > > between non-union and union auto makers in the U.S. is not wages but > > retiree benefits, particularly health care costs. In demanding that > > the UAW reduce costs to the auto makers, the Republicans were > > insisting that more than a million auto retirees - 40 percent of whom > > are not yet eligible for Medicare - put their health care coverage at > > risk. > > > The UAW made a last-ditch effort to save the bridge loan and > > placate viciously anti-union Southern senators. That wasn't enough > > for > > Republicans, who - along with four Democrats - voted down the bill. > > > "It's part of the right-wing agenda to do away with unions or to > > severely cripple any kind of labor struggle in this country," Talbot- > > Ward said. "Or maybe it's a little payback for union support of the > > Obama campaign." > > > Fast disappearing is an era when workers on assembly lines can > > afford to buy the vehicles they make. When the UAW agreed to a mid- > > contract opener in 2005, and a 2007 agreement that lowered new-hire > > wages to $14.50 an hour, the union struggled to squeak out approval > > from an angry (and increasingly financially unstable) membership. > > > Blaming the Workers > > > UAW President Ron Gettelfinger himself later said his decision to > > negotiate with a lone Republican senator was a mistake, especially > > when the whole pantomime seemed like a warm-up act for Republican > > opposition to the card-check bill, the Employee Free Choice Act. But > > the administration's insistence on linking the bridge loan to wage > > cuts angered auto workers even more. > > > Jim Theisen, a member of UAW Local 212 who joined the auto worker > > caravan to DC, said the caravan brought the message to Capitol Hill > > that rank-and-file wages aren't the industry's problem, and that > > cutting union wages harms everyone. > > > "Our Southern brothers and sisters don't get $24 an hour out of > > the kindness of the auto owners' hearts," he said. "If there wasn't a > > union in the North they'd be getting $10 an hour." > > »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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