Do auto workers really earn $73 an hour?

These CEO's are liars! You can't trust them, congress, or wall street. Don't fall for the mis-information.

You can't trust the union bo$$es either. They are only interested in lining their own pockets.
 
I guess a postal worker making $25.00 an hour, with matching the first 5% of their 401k contributions, insurance, paid vacations, retirement is making over $70.00 an hour.
I don't think so!
The union offered last week to completely do away with the job bank, which is almost mute considering all the buyouts the last couple of years.
New employees start at $14.00 with little or no benefits, no retirement(GM will contribute 6% into the employee's portable retirement account).
 
A friend of mine sent me a nice little video of Ford manufacuring plant in Brazil. Full of Robotics, all the managers and workers alike take their lunch breaks together, and swapped ideas. They had their own tanker ships so that when they came of the assembly line they were loaded and shipped. I wish I had saved the video clip or the website it was rather interesting. A really modernized Ford Manufacturing Plant in Brazil and a fragile Ford Manufacturing Plant in Detroit that was no were near the modernized plant in Brazil. The're made in Brazil cheaper and they are trying to bailout Detroit. Talk about our jobs; we have given everything to every country and they all despise us now what? Why do they want more money the big companies along with our own government has put us in this mess? Nice going guys.:mad:
 
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Have we given everything to other countries, or is that what our brainwashing government and big business wants average Americans and foreigners to believe? From my limited understanding of our foreign aid and investment strategies, more often than not we are lending money or requiring that the money we "give" be spent for very expensive American contracts on projects that often damage or undermine third world counties development to our benefit, not theirs. That may not always be the case, but often is.
 
Jimbo,

Other than a single letter from NTEU, did the union fat-cats do anything to try to prevent the IFT limitations put on us? Did they?

The union bosses take care of themselves and punish the workers. Being a union bo$$ is where the real money is now days. That's is why Obama's Chicago friend wanted to become one by selling the Senate seat.

bump
 
What excessive compensation is retiree health insurance, who (besides government workers) gets retire health insurance beyond union employees, must companies have gotten rid of it. Also the Jobs bank is crazy, why pay up to 90% of salaries for employees to play checkers with each other. They should just get their unemployment just like any other person would get. Why does the UAW think they are any better than the rest of American work force.
 
Dont forget a GS-13 usually has a 4 year college degree. UAW employees are only high school graduates (if that). Blue colar jobs dont pay that much unless your union. Thats why jobs are moving out of the US.
 
Dont forget a GS-13 usually has a 4 year college degree. UAW employees are only high school graduates (if that). Blue colar jobs dont pay that much unless your union. Thats why jobs are moving out of the US.

Hard to compare GS to UAW, but here goes:

Once again, the full time GM assembly person hourly wage is $28.12 per hour this year. Most of those have more than 20, and less than 30 years with GM. There basically is no promotion opportunity, except for possible chance at a plant management type position. Engineering or sales management are much different fields.

On the GS scale- a GS-09, step 7 makes $28.04. Probably a better comparison than a -12 or -13.

UAW person contributes about $1,000 per year towards family health insurance. Federal Employee contributes about $4030 for an HMO plan. Postal people pay slightly less.

UAW person does not get paid during a one-week shutdown in August each year (called plant changeover), and normally gets two less holiday paid than federal workers do (Columbus Day, President's day are not auto holidays).

UAW assembly person is also subject to much harder physical labor than most feds- lifting up to 40 or 50 pounds on a regular basis. More in line with perhaps some of our mail people, guards, or perhaps auto mechanics (WG) in the civil service.

Of course- autoworkers make something really neat- like a Mustang or a Corvette.

Federal workers make........(well, OHSA makes Auto Workers work safer, Homeland security makes borders safer, IRS agents make.....well, I won't comment much more before I get myself in trouble :=) )
 
Article in my local newspaper tonight- first local area autoparts supplier declares bankruptcy today.


Local auto parts supplier files for bankruptcy

BY KRISTOFER KAROL • DAILY PRESS • December 16, 2008


Auto parts supplier Key Plastics LLC, which runs 25 facilities across the globe — including one in Howell, said today it has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and submitted a reorganization plan.


Key Plastics plans on converting 100 percent of its $115 million face value of senior notes into 100 percent common stock of the company, which is when Minnesota-based investment firm Wayzata Investment Partners LLC will become the company’s controlling stakeholder. No job losses are expected due to the restructuring.

A call seeking comment from the local facility was directed to corporate,
which issued a statement.

“The global automotive industry is going through a period of historic change, and Key Plastics is taking the necessary steps to position the Company to succeed in the dynamic global business environment,” said Ralph Ralston, the company’s president and chief operating officer of North American operations.

“These steps will strengthen Key Plastics financially and operationally and allow the Company to focus on growing its business worldwide. We thank our employees, customers, suppliers and creditors for their hard work and support and look forward to a successful future for Key Plastics.”
 
Auto supplier Tenneco laying off up to 100
Associated Press10:03 PM CST,
December 16, 2008 KETTERING, Ohio - Auto parts supplier Tenneco Inc. says it is laying off up to 100 workers at its plant in the Dayton suburb of Kettering.

The layoffs will leave the factory with about 200 workers.

Tenneco spokeswoman Jane Ostrander said Tuesday that the layoffs are the result of production cuts at General Motors Corp., the plant's biggest customer.

Parts maker Delphi Corp. owns the plant, but Lake Forest, Ill.-based Tenneco leases part of it. Tenneco bought ride-control parts and machinery from Delphi when it moved in earlier this year.
 
Precision Parts International Holdings announces liquidation plans


By Ryan Beene
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Rochester Hills-based auto supplier Precision Parts International Holdings Inc. plans to liquidate after failing to secure bank financing today needed to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

General Electric Capital Corp. is arranging a $2 million line of debtor-in-possession financing for Precision Parts, $700,000 of which will be available to the company until a judge enters a final order. Precision Parts can use the money for expenses related to winding down its operations at eight locations in North America.

The company decided Chapter 11 was the best available option, because of the lack of alternative financing sources, according to a judge’s order authorizing the financing.

The supplier of metal formed components filed for Chapter 11 protection late Friday in a Delaware bankruptcy court. The company said in a motion filed with the court that falling sales to domestic automakers and non-automotive customers, increasing steel costs and global economic woes hampered cash flow and hurt its ability to pay its debt.

Prior to seeking protection on Dec. 12, the company had about $87 million in bank debt, according to a motion filed with the court.

Precision Parts posted more than $197 million in revenue in 2007 and more than $141 million through October of 2008.

The company has six plants in the United States and one plant in Mexico and employs about 1,200 workers.

The supplier of stamped and cold-formed metal parts supplies the Detroit 3 as well as tier-one and tier-two suppliers and non-automotive manufacturers.

Cranes today: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/p...REE&Lopenr=812169973&Ref=AR&template=printart
 
Moody's downgrades American Axle ratings

Moody's sends American Axle ratings deeper into junk territory on falling auto production

December 16, 2008: 04:06 PM ET


NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Moody's Investors Service sent its ratings on auto parts supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. deeper into junk status on Tuesday, citing falling automobile production levels and the company's heavy reliance on General Motors Corp. for business.

The credit ratings agency lowered its corporate family rating and probability of default rating two notches to "Caa1" from "B2" and is reviewing the new ratings for another possible downgrade.

Moody's also lowered American Axle's unsecured guaranteed notes to "Caa2" from "B2," its unsecured convertible notes to "Caa2" from "B2" and its speculative-grade liquidity rating to "SGL-4" from "SGL-3."
It affirmed its bank credit facilities at "B2."

Moody's attributed the new ratings to widespread production cuts at the Detroit Three automakers. General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC have been slashing production recently to cope with the collapse in vehicle sales.

In addition, Moody's said American Axle receives a large portion of its business from GM, which could cause operating disruptions for the company if it or another U.S. automaker files for bankruptcy.

GM and Chrysler have warned that they are rapidly burning through cash and are counting on a rescue from the federal government to keep them alive through the end of the year. The Bush White House has said it is open to tapping money from the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street passed in October to help the automakers, but has not said when the money might be made available.

Shares of American Axle rose 18 cents, or 8 percent, to close at $2.43
 
UPDATE 2-Canada report sees huge job loss if Detroit 3 fail

Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:05pm
(Adds Harper call to Bush, critical DesRosiers reaction)
By John McCrank


TORONTO, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A collapse of the Detroit Three automakers would put nearly 600,000 Canadians out of work within five years, most of them in Ontario, as the impact ripples through the entire economy, a report released on Tuesday said.

The study, commissioned by the Ontario Manufacturing Council, warned that a collapse of General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Ford Motor Co (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Chrysler Corp [CBS.UL] would spread across the country, hitting creditors, suppliers, parts manufacturers and dealerships.

The report came as the Canadian and U.S. governments debate plans for a possible rescue of the Big Three.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper called President George W. Bush on Saturday to say that if the United States provided aid, Canada would provide its own aid of 20 percent, a U.S. diplomat said on Tuesday. That could amount to several billion dollars from Ottawa.

The manufacturing council, which advises the Ontario government, said that if the Detroit Three were to cease production, 323,000 Canadians would lose their jobs immediately, including 281,800 in Ontario. That would rise to 582,000 nationally and 517,000 in the province by 2014.

"This report says that Canada is better off providing life support to GM and Chrysler because the demise of (the) auto (industry) in Canada is the economic equivalent of a nuclear freeze, with catastrophic effects that would knock us into a deep recession," said Michael Bryant, Ontario's economic development minister.

Under an alternative scenario, if the U.S.-based automakers were to cut production by 50 percent, at least 157,000 jobs would be lost right away, 141,000 of them in Ontario, the study said. By 2014, job losses would rise to 296,000 nationally, including 269,000 in Ontario.


"IRRESPONSIBLE" REPORT

Canadian auto consultant Dennis DesRosiers took sharp issue with the report, saying North Americans would continue to buy cars and someone would fill in the gap even in the unlikely event that all three companies disappeared.

"I don't want to discount the short term (2 to 3 year) disruption and chaos a complete collapse could cause but to write a report that says that 517,000 jobs disappear in Canada is irresponsible to the nth degree," DesRosiers wrote.

"Indeed this extreme fear mongering we see day to day is part of the current problem."

Bryant, who called the job loss estimates in the report conservative, said action by the Canadian and Ontario governments would ensure that neither scenario plays out.

"Transformation of the auto industry? Absolutely. Armageddon? No. Our governments won't let that happen."

Rob Wildeboer, executive chairman of autoparts maker Martinrea International Inc (MRE.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said GM spends C$14 billion to C$16 billion a year in Ontario on parts.


He said the loss of one or two of the automakers would force about 50 parts makers out of business. And, if the auto manufacturers were to survive, but pull out of Canada, the parts makers would have to follow.

"For a company such as Martinrea, we have to locate, as a parts supplier, where our customers are," said Wildeboer, who is also a member of the Ontario Manufacturing Council.

"We do have plants in Mexico, we do have plants in the United States."
A permanent contraction of the auto industry would hurt the United States and the global economy, in turn reducing demand for all Canadian exports, and depressing prices of commodities such as oil and minerals, the report said.

The housing slump that would follow would kill construction jobs and have an impact on the retail, insurance, real estate and financial services sectors.

Canada's economy would partially recover between 2015 to 2019 due to the depreciation of the currency, lower interest rates and lower production costs, but there would be a permanent dent in terms of jobs and output, the report said.

A similar study in the United States by the Center for Automotive Research said the loss of one or more of the Detroit Three would cut up to 2.5 million U.S. jobs in the first year as industry production ground to a halt. (Additional reporting by Jennifer Kwan; editing by Rob Wilson)
 
Bosch may cut hundreds of jobs
Dec 16, 2008

German auto parts supplier Robert Bosch may cut hundreds of jobs abroad as the economic crisis deepens, according to management board member Bernd Bohr. Bohr says the cuts could mean hundreds of fewer jobs at its foreign installations


"It could be more depending on how deep the economic falloff will be," Bohr said. The company has auto parts plants in many countries in Asia and the Americas, including major installations in the United States, China and India.


German automakers including BMW AG, Daimler AG and General Motors Corp. subsidiary Adam Opel AG, among others in Europe, have announced production cuts.
 
Cash-strapped Christmas for staff of Ford supplier

10:53am Tuesday 16th December 2008
561636
By Gareth Lewis »

WORKERS for a major supplier of Southampton’s troubled Ford Transit plant face a cash-strapped Christmas after learning they would barely be paid during a four-week winter shutdown.

Staff of seating and upholstery supplier Magna get just £20.40 a day for the first five days and then nothing for the remaining three weeks.

Unions branded the offer – the minimum amount legally allowed – an “absolute disaster” and warned the workforce may look for alternative jobs rather than return. Staff told the Daily Echo they were now “panicking” over how to pay their mortgages.

Because the Ford plant at Swaythling is shutting down for a month over Christmas, so too are dedicated suppliers such as Magna.

But, whereas Ford workers receive basic pay, Magna workers based next door on the site, get next to nothing.

One of the biggest auto parts suppliers in the world, Magna has 243 production and 63 engineering and R&D centres in 24 countries on five continents.
A spokesman said they had tried to minimise the impact of the shutdown on staff by letting them take pay in advance and work it off later.
One Magna worker, who did not want to be named, said: “People are really unhappy about it, as you would be if you weren’t basically going to be paid for December.

“The people who have mortgages are panicking more than anyone. Some of them have been here eight or nine years and many of them are thinking about not going back. They are trying to get a new job over Christmas.

“What we see is that we are the people that made it profitable for the past three or four years.We won awards. And now they just turn around and say you’re not getting paid.”

Ian Woodland of the union Unite said: “This is an absolute disaster for our members. The union approached the company and gave them an opportunity to assist our members with their finances but they said no.

“Other companies on the Ford site are getting payments that mirror the Ford workers’ basic pay but they wouldn’t even consider it. I understand that we are in a depressed situation but at Christmas this is Scrooge-like.

“I warned the company I would be surprised if they had a workforce to come back after Christmas.”

A Magna spokesman said: “These are difficult times and unfortunately we are affected by the economic climate. We gave all employees an opportunity to have ten days’ pay in advance and bring forward up to four days of their 2009 holiday entitlement.

“Employees are also receiving the statutory entitlement in line with our legal obligations.”
 
The auto industry is far reaching, another plant with two locations in Illinois shut down last summer to move to Mexico. I think they scraped the move to Mexico and just shut down.

Monroe City Intermet layoffs take effect

Monroe City, MO —
Thirty-six workers at the Intermet plant in Monroe City were laid off Monday.
No reductions are scheduled at the company’s Palmyra facility, but a longer holiday shutdown is planned there.
A spokesman said the layoffs are the result of a drop in demand for metal auto parts made at both facilities, but wouldn’t say if more job reductions are planned.
“We’ll continue to monitor our production and continue to monitor our customers’ requirements,” said the spokesman, Gordon Cole.
The Palmyra plant will close for its normal Christmas shutdown on Dec. 19, but won’t re-open until Jan. 12. That’s two weeks longer than usual.
Intermet had 232 workers in Monroe City and 115 in Palmyra. The Texas-based company in August filed a second time for bankruptcy. In seeking Chapter 11 protection, it cited slumping vehicle sales and high commodity prices.
Cole said the company continues working with financial advisors and expects to emerge from bankruptcy, although a timetable has not been set.

http://www.hannibal.net/news_local/x1720695530/Monroe-City-Intermet-layoffs-take-effect
 
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