GM and Ford

[ssent]

The UAW is still living in the 1960's.

Gone are the days of guaranteed lifetime employment. Gone are the days when semi-skilled workers out of high school can earn $60K doing repetitive production work. In every industry.

Gone are the days when foreign manufacturers are uncompetitive. In every industry.

The big 3 automakers are in financial trouble not only from the wages, but also by the medical bills of its own workers and retirees. According to reports, GM is the largest private buyer of health care in the world. Most companies pay an insurance company to assume the financial risk for health care claims. GM, on the other hand, is self-insured, meaning the cost comes straight out of the auto giant's pocket. CEO Rick Wagoner projected his company's spending would surpass $7 billion by 2009 and keep rising after that. Health care costs are crippling not just GM, but also businesses across the United States. If companies keep paying more and more for health care it robs their ability to invest in future products and the future of their workers.

For example, the price tag of every vehicle GM builds in the United States includes about $1,525 just for the medical care of the nearly 1.1 million Americans the automaker insures. Toyota's health care tab for each vehicle it builds in Japan is $97; it's $400 to $425 in the United States.

DaimlerChrysler's health care cost amounts to $1,400 per vehicle; Ford, $1,100.


Wage Rate of GM/Ford/DaimlerChrysler
UAW Represented Assembly Workers as of March 5, 2007

GM Assembler Hourly Rate $26.09
COLA 1.77
$27.86

FORD Assembler Hourly Rate $26.10
COLA 1.83
$27.93

DAIMLERCHRYSLER Hourly Rate $26.86
Assembler COLA 1.89
$28.75

[INXS]

hahahahaha this thread should get interesting. I can't wait to read the foreign vs domestic argument, can't wait to read that the automotive industry doesn't affect you because you dont live in michigan, gm and ford quality sucks, their overpaid lol

this one should be fun.

You forgot the UNIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure the help !!!!

[INXS]

"For example, the price tag of every vehicle GM builds in the United States includes about $1,525 just for the medical care of the nearly 1.1 million Americans the automaker insures. Toyota's health care tab for each vehicle it builds in Japan is $97; it's $400 to $425 in the United States.

DaimlerChrysler's health care cost amounts to $1,400 per vehicle; Ford, $1,100."

Bingo!!!!! The other companies stress shared health care costs while for years the big 3 gave the platinum plan which had no accountability!
When you have to pay your fair share you tend not to sbuse the plan and you try to keep yourself in better health!

[Airboater]

Wage Rate of GM/Ford/DaimlerChrysler
UAW Represented Assembly Workers as of March 5, 2007

GM Assembler Hourly Rate $26.09
COLA 1.77
$27.86

FORD Assembler Hourly Rate $26.10
COLA 1.83
$27.93

DAIMLERCHRYSLER Hourly Rate $26.86
Assembler COLA 1.89
$28.75

I wounder how much of the insurance the employe pays each week

[Hydrophobic guy]

I thought you were joking when you said you will not buy a Ford because they advertise in gay media

Some people have strong convictions in what they believe in as far morals.

I don't care what they do, but when they start rubbing it in the faces of regular people is where it pisses me off.

Yep, like the gay pride parades.
You ever heard of a hetrosexual pride parade?

I wounder how much of the insurance the employe pays each week

Is zero a percentage?

[Mark75H]

It is impossible to make cars "affordable again"

The "affordable" car was a myth of the easy credit era; we will now return to the normal era where only the rich can afford new cars.

Just like airlines with too many planes and too many flights, cars are being over produced for the true market than can afford them. It has nothing to do with unions or where the cars are made or designed.

[Markus]

Mr Henry Ford was an example of the American dream Really doing something. Now we have Wall Street Nazi Pelosi and the commodity traders!

Talking about nazis, Henry Ford's anti-semitism and nazi sympathies are well-known, and neither GM nor Ford played an exemplary role during World War II.

Here is a long article from the Washington Post that is well worth reading:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...nazicars30.htm

[Steve 1]

Talking about nazis, Henry Ford's anti-semitism and nazi sympathies are well-known, and neither GM nor Ford played an exemplary role during World War II.

Here is a long article from the Washington Post that is well worth reading:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...nazicars30.htm

I know and I was referring to the Man the moving assembly line his paying above the wage of the day (made customers out of employees) and putting the world on wheels the man took his company back to the ground Steel making and Glass LOF If you were a supplier the crates had to be a certain size and when knocked down made the floor boards for the Model "T" I am not touching Politics here for a while!

[Markus]

his paying above the wage of the day (made customers out of employees)

Steve, the rest of your post is correct, but this part is an oft-repeated myth:

Henry Ford payed employees a high wage because he had to in order to avoid incredibly high labor turnover, as the assembly lines of the day were not considered great working environments. It is as simple as that.

[INXS]

I know my brother cried a few years back when the rail road made him pay $15 co-pays, seems they paid zero before. I told him I pay $20-40, mostly $40 and that's just for basic and specialists. We also pay about $800 a year thru payroll deductions! He was and still is paying zero on everything else.
Teachers and other public emplyees were paying zero for years and now have to pay some of the costs. I think in some cases some, cops?, still pay zero???

[Airboater]

Projected earnings is another no no in my book ,they project there gonna make 65 million and when they fall short they cry a loss and in reality they still made 30 million in profits .

[David]

Note that new UAW workers get a lot less:

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/05/t...er-six-months/

Just hours after threatening to strike at one or more GM plants, the UAW and the General have agreed on two-tier wages for certain job types. The move to clarify which jobs were "non-core" at the national level came as local UAWs were threatening to strike because they felt GM was asking for too many lower-paid positions at their plants. The more regimented deal identifies 16,000 positions that will soon be paid $14 per hour, which will save GM up to a half-billion dollars per year. It will take years to fill all of those positions because GM has to entice existing workers to retire before they can be replaced.

The latest estimates are 3 million jobs gone and no auto production if the Detroit 3 fail. They would take so many suppliers down with them, that the transplants wouldn't be able to function either.

If you can bail out banks, why not car companies?

[Mark75H]

no auto production if the Detroit 3 fail. They would take so many suppliers down with them, that the transplants wouldn't be able to function either.

No way that this would ever happen. The worst that would happen is reduction to something like 40% capacity ... and owned by some foreign company ... VW maybe.

Yes, this would still be catastrophic unemployment, but it would not be the end

[David]

The OEMs are bailing out tier 1s, and the tier 1s are bailing out tier 2s. Everyone is also getting their tools out of bankrupt suppliers. Bring on the big government bail out for the top of the food chain.

[Airboater]

with all the flooded market with cars GM could stand to lay off the over paid workers for 6 months and rehire after at a reasonable salery .