Can anything save General Motors?

[manny78]

My father retired from Ford after many years. Some of the employees are pieces of shit, but I can tell you he worked his ass off and for years and years never called in sick even once.

It's pretty f'n lame that some of you people say to let our factories shut down and put thousands of people out of work. Sheesh, that is so shitty I can hardly even comment.

If they're really that good and deserve to be paid $75k a year for non-qualified work then I guess they will find another job in a matter of days no ?

 

[Lumberg]

Didn't GM already pull out of NASCAR? For 2007 and beyond? I thought I read an announcement somewhere.

Well, rumors have been circulating of late that one of the manufacturers is "considering" dropping out.

Daimler-Chrysler's chairman went on record last week that it's not his company.

That leaves GM and Ford....and GM is in worse financial shape.

The strange thing is that Chevy is by far the most successful manufacturer currently, and in the history of NASCAR.

N.B. Pontiac pulled out a few years ago.

 

[-SD-]

My father retired from Ford after many years. Some of the employees are pieces of shit, but I can tell you he worked his ass off and for years and years never called in sick even once.

It's pretty f'n lame that some of you people say to let our factories shut down and put thousands of people out of work. Sheesh, that is so shitty I can hardly even comment.

The first obligation of any public company is maximization of stock price for their shareholders. All other concerns are secondary, including hanging on to overcompensated, unskilled workers. If a corporation doesnt make any money then the stock price goes down, if all this happens too long or too often then everyone loses their jobs anyway because the company goes out of business. So the only way to keep a company in business and leave any jobs at all (in GM's case) is to cut costs, i.e. bloated innefficient labor overhead. Sorry if you dont agree with this but its the reality for all corporations in the US.

 

[mekannik]

dullboy says just follow the airline model as a way to break the unions.

Which model?

File bankruptcy and let the courts do the dirty work (getting rid of the unions) that your management team was unable/unwilling to do? Then leave the same overpaid management team in place to run what is left?

or...

Have the government fire the air traffic controllers and replace them with scabs using equipment that is 30+ years old?

If GM chooses to keep headquarters in Detroit - do you think they will still be able to operate in a historically union region?

 

[manny78]

Which model?

File bankruptcy and let the courts do the dirty work (getting rid of the unions) that your management team was unable/unwilling to do? Then leave the same overpaid management team in place to run what is left?

or...

Have the government fire the air traffic controllers and replace them with scabs using equipment that is 30+ years old?

If GM chooses to keep headquarters in Detroit - do you think they will still be able to operate in a historically union region?

Solution #1 is probably the easiest and most Kosher.

 

[Phenom78]

dullboy says just follow the airline model as a way to break the unions.

It has to come to that at some point. The party is over and reality must set in

 

[Spartacus]

The only things they do well are the Corvette and win races in NASCAR.

The latter can go--compared to the quality of the product itself, it has little bearing on sales and general corporate success.

They could probably survive as a niche company just making the Corvette, at least for the time being. However, current tides flowing as they are, Nissan will probably just buy them and do the same. Maybe keep some of their light/heavy duty trucks as well.

buicks are well made

 

[Mr. dB]

buicks are well made

They're made exactly the same as Pontiacs and Chevrolets. 'Cause they all come off the same assembly line, assembled by the same hands.