How responsible is the UAW regarding Ford's situation?

[manny78]

Ford has recalls on everything. I believe Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear had a Ford GT for a week and said it was the biggest piece of shit ever.

 

[big4life]

In my eyes, laying off people who make $60,000/year before overtime + full benefits for pressing a button all day when you knew that technically you could find someone willing to do the job for $6.75/hour seems to make a little more sense.

Of course, not paying them $60,000/year would make even more sense.

Gotta love unions.

Have you ever been in an auto plant?

I'm betting that there is more to it than pushing a button all day.

 

[Y_lifter]

I was behind a new dark red Mustang GT last night on the way home.
Very nice Looking / Styled car IMO

Too bad it's a Ford

 

[bluepeter]

While I agree UAW could share part of the blame with Ford themselves, the primary factor is still a shitty product.

 

[javaguru]

1. Unions are mostly outdated; Most of the functions they originally served have been taken over by Federal/State agencies, laws, and federal regulations. The only real use unions serve is to artificially inflate wages and benefit packages thus passing the cost on to consumers.

2. A friend of mine was an efficiency expert working for auto companies in the early 90's. He claimed you could cut the work force in half and remain equally productive.

3. The UAW is a monopoly but not subject to the anti-monopoly laws that govern corporations. Would anyone feel sorry for a monopolistic company that charged three times what the market would bear for their product; Then ended up being put out of business by an efficiently priced foreign product?

That being said, crap products and mismanagement are also responsible.

 

[redguru]

Have you ever been in an auto plant?

I'm betting that there is more to it than pushing a button all day.

It isn't any more difficult than any other industrial setting in America. However, they are the highest paid of any assembly line laborers in America. Why is that? The UAW. There is no reason that work requiring no skill set should be paid higher than those that require an education or experience in the field.

 

[big4life]

It isn't any more difficult than any other industrial setting in America. However, they are the highest paid of any assembly line laborers in America. Why is that? The UAW. There is no reason that work requiring no skill set should be paid higher than those that require an education or experience in the field.

Who do you want building your car, a group of people making $10 per hour, with a high turnover rate, or a group of people making $25 per hour, who have years of experience?


Before you think that a job requires no skill you should look closer. Just because it doesn't require a college degree doesn't mean that anyone can do it.

 

[theoak01]

unions hurt business its a fact,they arent needed as labour laws protect employees rights now,and we are seeing just how bad unions are these days with the trouble all these automotive plants are getting into.

 

[big4life]

2. A friend of mine was an efficiency expert working for auto companies in the early 90's. He claimed you could cut the work force in half and remain equally productive.

That being said, crap products and mismanagement are also responsible.

Ah yes, those highly productive efficiency experts. We had one tell use that we could get by with 1 1/2 people doing the job that 2 people were doing, but they couldn't figure out how to cut a person in half.

My response is always the same, show me. I'm thinking that when I go to work tonight I'm not going to see any of them on the floor at 3:30 am.

The quick way to profits is cut people, but in the long term you will still lose money unless you create a better product. Right up the road from me is a BMW plant. Their employees are highly paid, their cars are expensive, yet those cars are selling, why?

 

[bluepeter]

Ah yes, those highly productive efficiency experts. We had one tell use that we could get by with 1 1/2 people doing the job that 2 people were doing, but they couldn't figure out how to cut a person in half.

My response is always the same, show me. I'm thinking that when I go to work tonight I'm not going to see any of them on the floor at 3:30 am.

The quick way to profits is cut people, but in the long term you will still los money unless you create a better product. Right up the road from me is a BMW plant. Their employees are highly paid, their cars are expensive, yet those cars are selling, why?

Strange phenomenon isn't it?