Greed, not unions, brought GM down

[Rob]

Do you agree or disagree?
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Greed, not unions, brought GM down

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11:13 AM CDT
Bowling Green Daily News
by Eldon Renaud, UAW President, Local 2164
Bowling Green, Kentucky

General Motors recently celebrated 100 years in business. During that time, it has contributed to the success of communities throughout the United States. It paid good wages and benefits which brought about the middle class and health care for millions. It contributed to the success of our nation in war time and peace. It provided jobs, education and dignity for its employees.

Until the U.S. economy failed, GM was successful. The unions didn’t bring down GM. In fact, if all the workers were paid nothing, GM would still be in bankruptcy. Thanks to the greed of bankers, mortgage loan companies and some unscrupulous investors, the U.S. economy failed. Without credit and consumer confidence, most car companies, including Toyota, face multibillion dollar losses.

Full editorial: http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/...rs/letter5.txt

 

[vett boy]

Management is ultimately at fault .They caved in to Union demands for years .Management answers to the stockholders ,bond holders .

 

[LLC5]

Greed and arrogance.

 

[killain]

Well the situation got worse as the years from Alfred Sloan and Roger B. Smith worked it's way up the food chain and ticking clock. John Smith who came over from the european division tried to find the problem and the piggy bank was looking pretty lame as Rick Wagoner moved into the office on the 14th floor.
Of course nothing would have been as bad as it was without the ever present pressure of the UAW constanly gringing away at the operating account ! This was a slow moving crime spanning many years, the board of directors are just as guilty, they keep letting the company go on hurling towards a collapsed bridge.

But the sad part is that we now are almost an non-productive or manufacturing country. We have Oil, Coal and Aerospace like GE and Boeing. But at some point, somewhere, we're all going to wake up one morning and find we're owned by some offshore company, organization or country. We'll just be a service based economy living off each other.

 

[CHERRYPICKER]

As a CAW member for the last 32 years ( retiring on July 1 2009 ) i can say that General Motors has paid me a decent wage for the job i have done for them over the years. Years ago the union was a much needed entity, wages were low, working conditions were poor, and human rights were violated. Over many contracts things improved greatly to the point that there wasnt much more the union could ask for.( remember: the union sometimes has its own agenda ) We ended up with some benefits that I didnt even know we had. As of June 1 2009, a new contract was negotiated and a lot of those benefits were eliminated, wages were frozen, and retiree wages were frozen ( when things are good, everybody gets fat, when things are bad, everyone must give up something )
I am no political expert, but i do recall something called the North American Auto Pact, which was abolished, and Free Trade being implemented.
Anyways : I can say that I have seen GM spend money on things that blows my mind. I could tell you horror stories of waisted millions.
How much money (wages) is too much? How much do you think we should make? how much do you make? is that enough, or too much?
I am proud that i paid union dues for 32 years, and the union represented me the best way they could, and even now, I believe, are working in my best interest, and also in GM's best interest.
BTW: we make the corvette engines up here...the quality of those engines are unreal.

 

[Lil Woman]

As a CAW member for the last 32 years ( retiring on July 1 2009 ) i can say that General Motors has paid me a decent wage for the job i have done for them over the years. Years ago the union was a much needed entity, wages were low, working conditions were poor, and human rights were violated. Over many contracts things improved greatly to the point that there wasnt much more the union could ask for.( remember: the union sometimes has its own agenda ) We ended up with some benefits that I didnt even know we had. As of June 1 2009, a new contract was negotiated and a lot of those benefits were eliminated, wages were frozen, and retiree wages were frozen ( when things are good, everybody gets fat, when things are bad, everyone must give up something )
I am no political expert, but i do recall something called the North American Auto Pact, which was abolished, and Free Trade being implemented.
Anyways : I can say that I have seen GM spend money on things that blows my mind. I could tell you horror stories of waisted millions.
How much money (wages) is too much? How much do you think we should make? how much do you make? is that enough, or too much?
I am proud that i paid union dues for 32 years, and the union represented me the best way they could, and even now, I believe, are working in my best interest, and also in GM's best interest.
BTW: we make the corvette engines up here...the quality of those engines are unreal.

I couldn't agree with you more. My father worked for Ford for over 32 years. He was a very active with the UAW. In my opinion the union was blamed for bringing down a company and they did not. Free Trade has not helped the American automotive industry. That is just my .05.

 

[vett boy]

I'm glad to see union and pro union people express their opinions rather I agree or not.

I'd also like to thank Cherrypicker for my fine LS3 engine ,great job.I'd rather have you build it than Fernando Lopez in China .

I feel that there is plenty that deserve the blame included are all those American with retirement funds that want to see more return on their investments .That's school teachers ,firemen ,and even union workers.

I just hope you'll be able to Organize Burger King because that maybe the best opportunity you'll have for part time work.

 

[CHERRYPICKER]

Organizing Burger King sounds like a good plan.
The burgers might be a little more expensive, but if layed off auto workers get working there the the darn burger will go 0-100 in 3.5 secs.

just my thoughts

 

[Don Strausburg]

Union Greed

Come on Rob,if you truly believe that union GREED had nothing to do at all with part of GM's downfall, then you don't even deserve to drive a corvette much less own one. :bash

 

[vett boy]

Come on Rob,if you truly believe that union GREED had nothing to do at all with part of GM's downfall, then you don't even deserve to drive a corvette much less own one. :bash

I think you might have misunderstood .The article was written by Eldon Renaud of the UAW .Rob's question was do YOU agree or disagree .Rob didn't express his opinion

 

[Rob]

Come on Rob,if you truly believe that union GREED had nothing to do at all with part of GM's downfall, then you don't even deserve to drive a corvette much less own one. :bash

Re-read the editorial. I didn't write it.

 

[redvett]

NO It was not the Unions that designed & marketed the vehicles. The CEO received an over blown salary along with a bonus for the company loosing billions and not diversifying there products. The hourly workers didn't receive any bonuses when GM lost money and very little when they did make a profit. You have to also blame all the US Presidents and there administrations since 1973 for not instituting more fuel efficiency standards. With $3 gas here and considered a base line. $4 is close behind.

 

[61vette]

Check one-- All of the above--enough said.

 

[njlouc]

This is the classic pointing fingers. Everyone is to blame....no one is to blame. thats how they lost an industry. No one was willing to step up and risk their cushy jobs to get things in order. but they were right afterall they (all) now still have a cushy job, and some have a cushy severence pay!!

 

[BloodyBandage]

blaming the unions is just a cop out...afterall the people at the top need to manage salaries, profits and expenses...maybe they should have cut back their own wallets since they weren't actually building the cars.
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[Lil Woman]

blaming the unions is just a cop out...afterall the people at the top need to manage salaries, profits and expenses...maybe they should have cut back their own wallets since they weren't actually building the cars.
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I agree with you. A contract between the UAW and the auto industry was negotiated and the companys agreed to them.

 

[THORIN]

Here is what I see as being the problem. Do you remember way back when, when FORD stood for fix or repair daily. All of the rest of the companys were in the same boat. The Auto magazines had very little good to say about the long term life of American cars. Now fast forward to today. People still think foreign cars are better. Even though the auto mags say ours are as good or better. The psycological damage has been done. Ask your friends who they think makes better cars. Most of them still will beleive Japan makes the best. Our makers had shown such complacentcy that we would have continued to buy bad cars just to buy American, that they continued to produce junk for far to long. Now they make great cars and nobody knows or believes. That is what I think brought this on.

 

[killain]

Here is what I see as being the problem. Do you remember way back when, when FORD stood for fix or repair daily. All of the rest of the companys were in the same boat. The Auto magazines had very little good to say about the long term life of American cars. Now fast forward to today. People still think foreign cars are better. Even though the auto mags say ours are as good or better. The psycological damage has been done. Ask your friends who they think makes better cars. Most of them still will beleive Japan makes the best. Our makers had shown such complacentcy that we would have continued to buy bad cars just to buy American, that they continued to produce junk for far to long. Now they make great cars and nobody knows or believes. That is what I think brought this on.

The auto companies have with the UAW, have really changed the quality of domestic cars. But, there's very few who are listning as the domestic auto makers only hold on to about 21% of the american marketplace. Way too many Vega's, Pinto's and almost any 1970's and eighties cars that once parked, you could hear the thing rusting away. I have a Brother in law who always bought American made cars till the begining of the nineties, the last a Chrysler Concorde had to be returned to the dealership seven times in the first year, five of those trips were hanging off the back end of a tow truck. He when in to the dealership and put down the keys after being told he'd need a rental, and he said "My lawyer will be in touch !" and since then i can't even bring up the subject of a domestic car, he buys European or Japanese only ! So there's one customer who gone and ain't ever coming back. And he isn't alone. I don't know how the american auto marker are going to turn that around?

 

[6 Shooter]

Corporate, Wall-street, Banking, Real-estate, Union and many other greedy hands is/has taking/taken our Great Nation not just GM to their knees! ;squint:

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter​

 

[geekinavette]

Corporate, Wall-street, Banking, Real-estate, Union and many other greedy hands is/has taking/taken our Great Nation not just GM to their knees! ;squint:

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter​

erd:

Pretty much sums it up, D.