Who Won The GM Strike??!!

[Issachar]

DETROIT (AP) -- The tentative contract between General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers would allow GM to close a plant each in Michigan and Indiana and possibly shut down several other facilities, according to a detailed copy of the agreement. http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070930/auto_talks.html?.v=6

Issachar

[Vonne]

No one wins in a strike, but the painful process had to be done. Of course they lost a few plants, but look how many they were going to lose before... :sad

[Sister-N-Christ]

The next target is supposed to be Ford. My husband got a glimpse of the contract proposals today and said they heard through the grapevine that Ford execs said they wouldn't even go to the table to negotiate with that contract proposal. Expect another strike from Ford workers if that happens. For a company to refuse to even go to the table and negotiate doesn't bode well for these workers.

And before anyone starts in again about how they feel line workers aren't worth what they get paid, let me remind you that Ford has consistently taken away the benefits of retirees, especially salaried retirees. Do you really think it is fair to let someone retire with the expectation of having benefits (they took them away completely from salaried retirees) and income and then to take it away? Many of these people will have to go back to work to pay their bills and some are not in good health because of the rough years of work and the way their bodies are torn down. We have many Ford retirees in our family and they are really suffering from all of this.

To me, it is worse to attack the retirees. At least a young person in fairly good health can get another job elsewhere.

[Beeferoni]

The GM resolution is a high-stakes risk for the UAW. They've taken the risk that they can better manage the pension and health care of their retirees than can GM, and have taken a $51 billion lump sum payment to do so.

If properly managed, there's no reason why the UAW won't be able to manage their retirees' pensions and health care. If this works, look for it to be the model for the entire US manufacturing industry, and it could bring about a resurgence of manufacturing jobs, and a resurgence of unions...

[Issachar]

Dear sister-in-Christ, it was never about, at least from me, a worker not being worth 25 dollars an hour (not sure where that came from because it's more like 29 dollars ... at least at the Jeep plant in Toledo.) I did say that anyone who works for a living, anyone who puts in an honest days work, deserves to have shelter, clothing, a car, insurance, etc. The problem isn't the 25 dollars, but rather, it is a ratio thing. If someone graduates high school (and even that didn't used to be a requirement) and gets a job at an automotive manufactuer's company, they immediately received a good wage plus decent benefits. That's fine. That's good in fact. The problem is, over the years it's gotten to a point where the automotive workers were passing up everyone in the local economies. This raised prices for everyone in the local economies and not everyone was getting those same wages/benefits. So it made it harder on those near, but outside the car companies. Economy works off of differences. If one were to say, let the others "organize" and make the same wage, then you would find, if everyone made 25 dollars per hour, it wouldn't buy much and someone within the local populace would be looking to get a higher wage. Now, if someone goes to school and invests thousands; tens of thousands these silly days in an education with hopes of getting a better paying job and perhaps better benefits, a chunk of that is nullified by non-skilled labor earning more than they. It just skews the local economies. Car companies are there to make money. Lot's of it. So if they caved and paid strikers higher wages, they funded it with higher car prices. Well, everyone needs a car. It's the world we live in.

All that being said, I do pray for the families of workers that get the pink slip and have in recent years, added to that prayer list, those that still have a job but as reduced income and / or benefits. I am in the throes of all that right now and have been for some time. Unemployment benefits ran out a long time ago. I declined food stamps and other state stuff because of principle and just find odd jobs here and there ..... it is what most Americans would call an unstable situation but my wife and I are determined to trust in our Lord for stability. We are currently in a wait-and-see state again as to whether or not we will keep our house. Back when I had a permanent job, one I had for a couple decades, I thought I'd retire from the company in another 15 years; that'd be 10 now, but the table got turned upside down. I can tell you that it is scary but I can also attest to the fact that our God is faithful. I know you know that, but I just felt better reminding myself. Today ... this week, is very hard for us. I thank God almost daily that He blessed me with a woman for a wife that is godly. Our job situation is not unique here in the rust belt. But we don't seem to have the Lord's leading to relocate either. It is strange days we all live in .......

On topic more ... I think the American economy is going to see more and more cuts as we move more and more into an integrated global economy. It is by design. The nwo agenda marches on.

Issachar

[Ironhand]

The UAW already manages the pension fund. The big three have tried for years to get control of the pension fund, but thankfully they weren't able to. The companies manage the health care of the retirees.

[Sister-N-Christ]

Dear sister-in-Christ, it was never about, at least from me, a worker not being worth 25 dollars an hour (not sure where that came from because it's more like 29 dollars ... at least at the Jeep plant in Toledo.)


Issachar, you weren't the one who made the comment about the wages. There was a comment made about line workers not being worth that amount (my husband makes just about that actually, but I'm sure it varies by company) and I simply spoke up and commented that it wasn't a very Christian comment because there was a value being put on my husband in saying he wasn't worth that. I happen to think he is worth a lot in more ways than just his wages, but that's another topic.

I just think that people, me included, need to be careful of what we say on these public forums. You never know who works for what company or even when a lost person might visit out of curiosity, be offended and stomp off in a huff. I certainly wouldn't want to be a stumbling block to anyone and I wouldn't want these boards to be.

Insinuating that a line work is in some way less valuable than a nurse isn't the way I'd conduct myself and I hope that others think about this before they post similar comments in future. Again, I'm including myself in that statement.

[J.J.]

It looks like the UAW lost:

http://www.socialistworker.org/2007-2/647/647_14_UAW.shtml

[Beeferoni]

It looks like the UAW lost:

http://www.socialistworker.org/2007-2/647/647_14_UAW.shtmlAccording to the Socialist Workers Party...