Thread: Big 3 bailout

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The date was july 1975 just out of trade school.My uncle was a Boss at Framinham mass. GM plant (paint shop).He said come to work youll have it made.So I said what the heck.Day one in the pit for training (mind you 2 man job).Remove the bolt from the rear end and add grease put bolt back in.WAIT next car same next WAIT .I think you get the point.I said to the boss I think I get it I dont need the trainer any more.He said NO you dont get it.He is your partner.When he is done reading the paper ITS your turn to read the paper.Well I quit after A week.I never saw that 200 millon dollar paint shop thay built and never used.What a shame.Not 1 car saw that paint shop.GM wrote off as a loss the whole plant.I miss that place? Total loss 875,776.000 .02 THATS MY 2CENTS

I'm in a union and it's a mixed blessing. Our union is CNA (California Nurses Assoc.) This last year and a half they were trying to spread nation wide. So when our contract came up for negotiation along with 12 other Sutter Hospitals, the union thought it would grand stand and ask for rediculous benefits packages, that are frankly the problem with companies, citys and countries going bankrupt. I kept protesting every time they vied for 3 or 5 day strikes, pointing out we already had great benefits. Unfortunately I was only one voice" non greedy, thankfull for what I have " employee. Fifteen months later, no contract, no raise and three strikes, my fellow coworkers were bellowing we need a contract! In the end the union got very little of what they were demanding, the employees lost 15 months of cost of living pay increase, benefits stayed the same, but people learned that the union had it's own agenda. What I really loved was at the end, the union uped everyones dues for raising their own salaries.
The good part to health care unions, is safe patient ratios, lifting teams, break relief, etc.. which in turn means better health care to our patients, unfortunately it's not all about better work conditions as some have mentioned, it's a lot about greed!

With the exception of some part time jobs, I've been self employed since 1973.... Nobody negotiated my contracts, if I would have gone on strike, the customers would have gone elsewhere. Up until the time I became disabled, I paid my own health insurance. Got by just fine with no union representation, some good years, and some bad years.

The Unions were very necessary when they were started, working conditions were deplorable. They did a heck of a good job representing workers' interests.

The UAW got some very good contracts in the "gravy days" of US car manufacturers when the money was flowing and everybody wanted a new car.... When things started changing and the imports showed up, the car companies and the unions failed to recognize the threat and failed to upgrade their product and benefit packages.... IMO the union got very greedy, demanded things from the company and both the company and the union, instead of negotiating in good faith took un an antagonistic "us against them" attitude... As Steve said, greed took over and now look at the mess it's got them into.

I've had employees from time to time, anyone who made an unresonable demand was shown the door. If they had a legitimate complaint we were able to work it out.... Whatever happened to the art of negotiation between Unions and Companies????? Maybe greed on both parts killed it?????

It is not greed but share the profits . My back is out for this same reason , how is your's ??? We have beat our body's to death to make a living for our self's and to make our Company a profit RIGHT . If i can't make a living i can not offord you for sure so you go down too.

I'll repeat what i said in the other post-
At the risk of being called a traitor to GM and the UAW , I say let em fail. Fall on their ass right down the line to the parts suppliers and let them restructure at lower wages w a decent benefit package. (NOT 4-6 weeks of paid vaca. a year)NO ONE deserves $35+ an hour for general unskilled labor, NO ONE. Anyone who made that kind of money ,Lived within their means and did not put any away is an idiot. UAW may not like it , (Yes I AM a former UAW member and others) but in the overall scheme of things a lower priced car is not only needed. But nessesary for all to survive + that means lower wages /lower cost parts and people who will WORK for living. (not the line people,but EXECs) , NO bonuses OR we/you will ALL be out of work.
I have been through plants , bad back from pushing buttons and have lifts do all the work WITH back/Kidney braces?, Please...a REAL days work would kill some of those guys. I pounded cement stakes for $6 and my 3 person family survived. Welded for $12 an hour (my wife made $6 an hour) in the 90's ,bought a lake place and lived fat.

I DO however admit the cars today are nowhere near the lousy POS"s as the late 70's to late 80's were tho.
ME? Our next new car is going to be foreign unless the US makers get their Sh_t together, IF there are any.

I used to just get Irate when I heard people whining about not getting 4 weeks a year vaca and having to actually work a 45 hour work week. shit! I worked 70 hours a week w ONE week paid vaca. for ten years and thought I was doing GREAT. (I WAS) You want more/better stuff? You work MORE and harder. I guess I have a different generations values.

Same here , I bartended, shortorder cooked and worked on old cars in my spare time ,raised a daughter (who NOW has three of her own) + I STILL had time to fish and car show. Now to be fair however. Had I been OFFERED that kind of package beleive your ass I would have taken it.