Breaking News: Strike is Over!

[jasaero]

Originally Posted by wolverine

From what I am reading about the details in the Detroit News paper, and I do realize it is only leaked information at this point, this deal is a disaster for the UAW. A total cave in to everything GM wanted. Mr. Gettlefinger has sold his membership down the river. This agreement truly demonstrates just how weak and powerless the UAW has become.

I am kinda thinking this is what the real story will be KINDA. I think though that the real answer is more that they caved, because they almost had to to preserve GM in it's current form. They basically caved to ensure GM has the cash to complete their market share slide turn around. I think the UAW and it's members are finally realizing GM will continue to loose market share unless there is enough money to design and build the worlds best cars for the money. I think they are finally realizing that their labors will never produce the best cars in the world if there isn't much money left over to buy the pieces of the car they put together after paying them. Cut were just the only way GM can survive until they get some of the market share back that they have lost over the last 15 years. I kinda doubt they will ever get all that market share back, but I think they CAN get A LOT of it back with extra money they will have to play with after these cuts have been agreed too. The reality is that the UAW will continue to shrink and weaken unless they can get into Toyota and Honda plants or they can take a hit to help GM, FORD, and Chrysler compete better with those companies. I think after the experience talking to Toyota people and such they finally realized they were going to need to give their current employers the cards they have been needing for awhile now to really stick it to the Toyota, Hondas, and such of the world, pure and simply. And I applaud the UAW for this. I am still not a huge union fan, but if rumors of what happened here are true, I think this is the most honorable thing a Union has done in this country since they first started forming and helping employees back in the day. In a world economy, a union has to be equally as good to the employers of their membership as they are to that membership. My opinion is that Unions focus TOO much on the employers of their membership in general. If times are tough and your employer can't really offer you what you need, you should encourage you members to develop habits that force a bit of deflation in the cities and regions your union exists. I think they try, but they need the same focus and hard ball attitude in those endevours that they have when they negotiate with their employers, but I just don't see it.

[GM Factory Rat]

STRIKES OVER! But the "Damn if you do or Damn if you dont" Crowd is still out in force......So predictable! Honestly, will the terms of this contract really matter to you folks either way when the UAW is in the picture?......I think not!

[Clocker]

Any chance the strike was PLANNED to be 2-3 days? Maybe the union leaders knew that they were going to make huge concessions to GM, but the only way they could get the rank and file to agree to them was to strike, just to show that GM wasn't getting everything they wanted. As has already been noted the line workers didn't know all of the details of the strike, just that leadership said to strike. A 2-3 day strike ordered by UAW leadership could save face for them, yet wouldn't really cost GM or the UAW members any significant money in lost time. Just a thought.

I've said that all along. Because there are good UAW give-backs, even if the details of the agreement were set-up weeks ago, there had to be a strike just for the UAW leadership to have any credibility with the rest of the membership. That's the only way to make the simple-minded sheep feel they're getting the best deal they can (and ratify the contract).

[GM Factory Rat]

Originally Posted by paul8488

Why on earth would you want that? Producing vehicles in America doesn't just help the UAW... it helps everyone! If an agreement is made that both sides can agree to that keeps vehicle production in the US we should all be happy, not wishing to send production to other countries!

Thank you! Finally, Someone with some common sense here!

[wolverine]

Originally Posted by A Bum In A Bus

Not true, if they did that it would never be ratified by the membership. The most important thing for GM was the VEBA, there were some fears on long term increased cost of healthcare for the UAW, and keeping jobs in this country. Job security is something that is bargained on from contract to contract. Who knows maybe with the right people in the White House and Congress, someone will do something about healthcare and it will no longer be the killer it is for all of our American industry. As it stands today we are losing our industries and becoming nothing more than a service nation. A nation without a strong industrial base will not be a super power very long.

Our political choices have got to be about more than abortion and same sex marriage, they must be about saving our jobs and our nation.

Wrong. Let me break down this disaster:

People familiar with GM’s position have said they believe the automaker will pay less than $35 billion into the trust. Cave in. So much for the 70% DEMAND from Ronnie.

A two-tier wage and benefits scale under which new hires will make a lower hourly wage and receive a different package of benefits than current workers. Cave in. The beginning of the end for good wages.

A second tier of compensation for jobs that GM and the UAW have agreed are “non-core” production jobs. This is expected to include many positions in which workers do not have their hands on a vehicle in the assembly process. Cave in. More decent paying jobs gone. Probably a lot more over the time of this wonderful "agreement". Thanks, again, Ron.

No wage increases Thanks, Ron. Will your salary be frozen, too?

The possibility of the automaker maintaining the same level of its U.S. manufacturing workforce Possibility? POSSIBILITY!!!!!!!!!!!??????? You have gooooooooooot to be kidding. This has to be added to the "3 great lies" of all time. Fits right in with the lie that "I won't ... in your mouth". No, just on our face.

I, for one, will not be voting "yes" for this farce if it is as they are indicating in the newspapers.

[member12]

Look at that. It's cheaper to keep UAW workers now....how's that for job security. It works.

Good job.

This should slow the outsourcing. Now we just need some very light protectionist policies for cars built here to curb chinese growth.

Also, if this good is as sweet for GM as it sounds, then the decent thing to do is share it a little with some bonuses here and there when the company turns a big profit.

Now if the union wants job security, they should complain when CR gives a GM car a bad review. They should be demanding better product more than anyone.

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by GM Factory Rat

STRIKES OVER! But the "Damn if you do or Damn if you dont" Crowd is still out in force......So predictable! Honestly, will the terms of this contract really matter to you folks either way when the UAW is in the picture?......I think not!

Until UAW workers earn market rates for the jobs they perform, they will always be criticized. When you are overpaid for the job/skills you have, people will have a problem with that. Just a fact of life.

[drew770]

Both sides got some things that they wanted.
The UAW got job security for certain plants and job titles also some job titles will be converted to the UAW memberships.
GM got to off load a lot of liabilites. Plus, GM will not pay cost of living nor will new hires have the same pay scale as older UAW members.

Now, lets be honest. This is now a no excuse company!!
GM got the majority of what they wanted out of the UAW and now their job is to engineer, design and produce products that the consumer want.
GM has erased more than 1/2 of the so-called import advantage and to me that means GM vehicles will have nav and bluetooth technology like everyone else!!

If GM falters from now it will be the fault of management and not the UAW and legacy costs!!

[Dynamo]

Originally Posted by mkaresh

--the strike worked because it was more or less orchestrated between the GM and UAW leadership so that the latter could demonstrate they were fighting as hard as possible for the rank and file, and everyone's now ready to ratify

I came to the same conclusion. It was almost too painless with no revolutionary change. I think it serves another purpose though, it sets the stage for the other 2.

[MechEng]

Initial reports are saying that there will be lump sum payments. And for VEBA.

"GM will pay about 70 per cent of the obligation into a UAW-run trust, called a Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA), and the union will then invest the money and take over health care responsibilities for about 340,000 GM retirees and spouses."

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/09/26/gm-strike.html

[Dynamo]

Originally Posted by drew770

GM has erased more than 1/2 of the so-called import advantage and to me that means GM vehicles will have nav and bluetooth technology like everyone else!!

If GM falters from now it will be the fault of management and not the UAW and legacy costs!!

?!?!?

Half, not all, it's still a disadvantage. Still a big disadvantage! This is just delaying the inevitable for a future negotiation.

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by drew770

Now, lets be honest. This is now a no excuse company!!
GM got the majority of what they wanted out of the UAW and now their job is to engineer, design and produce products that the consumer want.
GM has erased more than 1/2 of the so-called import advantage and to me that means GM vehicles will have nav and bluetooth technology like everyone else!!

Yes. Everybody should be happy because GM is only getting bent over by the UAW 1/2 as badly as they were before. Gimme a break. There should have been no stopping a 1/2. The playing field will never be level as long as the domestic manufacturers are being dragged down by the UAW which protects the lazy worker and punishes the productive worker.

[member12]

Originally Posted by vetteman

Any chance the strike was PLANNED to be 2-3 days? Maybe the union leaders knew that they were going to make huge concessions to GM, but the only way they could get the rank and file to agree to them was to strike, just to show that GM wasn't getting everything they wanted. As has already been noted the line workers didn't know all of the details of the strike, just that leadership said to strike. A 2-3 day strike ordered by UAW leadership could save face for them, yet wouldn't really cost GM or the UAW members any significant money in lost time. Just a thought.

If that is the case, then the UAW will be phased out on it's own over the next decade.

[GM Factory Rat]

Originally Posted by Clocker

I've said that all along. Because there are good UAW give-backs, even if the details of the agreement were set-up weeks ago, there had to be a strike just for the UAW leadership to have any credibility with the rest of the membership. That's the only way to make the simple-minded sheep feel they're getting the best deal they can (and ratify the contract).

Quit rubbing your Crystal ball and get back to work desk jockey! You'll just have to wait for the contract details to come out like the rest of us.

[jasaero]

Originally Posted by wolverine

Wrong. Let me break down this disaster:

People familiar with GM’s position have said they believe the automaker will pay less than $35 billion into the trust. Cave in. So much for the 70% DEMAND from Ronnie.

A two-tier wage and benefits scale under which new hires will make a lower hourly wage and receive a different package of benefits than current workers. Cave in. The beginning of the end for good wages.

A second tier of compensation for jobs that GM and the UAW have agreed are “non-core” production jobs. This is expected to include many positions in which workers do not have their hands on a vehicle in the assembly process. Cave in. More decent paying jobs gone. Probably a lot more over the time of this wonderful "agreement". Thanks, again, Ron.

No wage increases Thanks, Ron. Will your salary be frozen, too?

The possibility of the automaker maintaining the same level of its U.S. manufacturing workforce Possibility? POSSIBILITY!!!!!!!!!!!??????? You have gooooooooooot to be kidding. This has to be added to the "3 great lies" of all time. Fits right in with the lie that "I won't ... in your mouth". No, just on our face.

I, for one, will not be voting for this farce if it is as they are indicating in the new paper.

If everyone follows your lead and another strike with demands for pay increases and all this stuff are eventually won, that would just be the beginning of the end of the US auto industry as we know it today and have known it since it began.