[63GrandSport001]

I just don't understand this. What the UAW looks at as leverage could be the last gasp of GM factories in North America. Can Chinese manufactured GM's be far away?

Regardless of what the UAW does GM is going to get rid of its US factories as soon as they can unless the Government does something to give an incentive of manufacturing in the US(subsidize) or remove the advantage of manufacturing abroad (tariffs).

 

[63GrandSport001]

Its called leverage,and the Union has not had much of it lately,so in their minds use it while you can.

For one we are a long way from matching currency costs with the nations where the factories are being moved to.

Another factor is that in a lot of these nations the standard of living is very low and in fact they practice slave labor. Slave labor drives the cost of labor down even lower to the point where the only way the US will be able to match labor costs of those nations we would have to pay our factory workers $2.50 to $5.00 an hour with no benefits and no safety standards at all.

The only realistic way to put America workers on level ground with those from poor nations is to tax the goods produced in those nations to level the playing field.

 

[63GrandSport001]

Good luck with that.......

I also doubt that this will happen as much of the imported goods are inter company trades which makes up over 60% of the worlds trade. (americans buying foreign goods is not nearly as big of a problem as its often made out to be).

Taxing those goods would take away the advantages that many American companies have gained by out sourcing labor.

 

[63GrandSport001]

I am so sick of hearing all the anti-Wal-Mart rhetoric. Pure, simplified union propaganda. The only reasons you hear all the b.s. about Wal-Mart is a) they have beat the unions at every step, b) they are successful (and successfully American, oh my God!) and c) easy target because they are the most successful store in the world. What they fail to mention are the hundreds of millions they provide in tax revenue every year to the U.S. governement, funding social security, health care, etc., for the masses....They employee a huge number of people, many that are considered unemployable and would otherwise be on government assistance (thus sucking your tax dollars)...They have also provided an incredible amount of innovation in business strategy in regards to logistics, inventory management, and manufacturing...Innovations that have helped thousands of companies, thus lowering fuel useage, time of delivery/ convenience, and on and on.

Obviously there is more to the story behind the anti-Wal-Mart rhetoric.

Wal-Mart has very ethically qestionable business and labor practices (sometimes illegal as well) which has benefited them.

Not only that but you have to take into account what the impact having Wal-Mart move into cities has had over the local economy along with other super stores. They in the long run remove more jobs then they add to an area however its nice to be able to at 3AM go to a Wal-Mart and buy what I need when I need it.

 

[63GrandSport001]

I seriously think that the US should instead of promote free trade they should promote fair trade.

The cost of free trade is our middle class, I guess if we are ok with loosing that then lets continue the way we have been going.

 

[63GrandSport001]

Everyone would be better served by the Federal Government staying the h3ll out of these issues.

The Government has stayed out of these situations and a a result we are entering a depression...........

 

[63GrandSport001]

I think alot of people on this site should do there history on the UAW and the big 3 before they start all of the bashing. The UAW helped set the standard for alot of the safty rules in todays work places. Thats just 1 thing, I could go on and on

This is a point lost to many American's today, the fact that unions have done a great deal of good for us all.

It was not the UAW that made any of the bad choices that got GM into the position that it was in today.

It was GM who made the choice not to make products that could compete which allowed Japanese automakers to get a foot hold in America.

Yet its those union workers who have to pay for the bad choices made by GM.