But the times when those conditions demanded it have come and gone. Both of my grandfathers were coal miners, my grandfather on my father's side was injured in a cave-in and lived the rest of his life as a paraplegic. Back in those days companies weren't held to the same standards as they are today for worker safety and you needed unions to help look out for your interests and collective bargaining to be able to force companies to create better, safer working environments and better pay. You also didn't have the media like you do today that eviscerates a company when theres some sort of a mishap that could have been avoided. Today...those things are handled through regulation and that watchdog nature of the media like I said.

All you have to do is look at nonunion auto manufacturing in the US to see. Is Toyota building plants that are less safe than UAW plants? If anything its the opposite.

 

 

I toured many warehouses, worn a hardhat, gone up 42'. Seen the accident free for x days signs. Would I want to do the job? It too does pay well above the average, say in KY, $14/hr. no experience to start with benefits. But for me, I would prefer to drive a truck than that. Should these folks be unionized? As a worker, if it got me more pay and more benefits and safety, why not? As corporate America? No, that cuts into my bottom line, you're not paying out special dividends of $26.81/share if the workers are unionized (haha I snagged it from VMW owned it for a long time). But me, I'd rather drive a truck than work in a warehouse if I had a choice, because I think the latter poses more danger and risk, for less pay. I'm not kidding, what are people going to do at 45, 50, 55, 60? It is very realistic that one is forced out of their well paying jobs.

 

I agree. And remember that show ultimate factories? I got a laugh when BMW in SC made a rather serious mistake on the line, as did Cadillac. So both non Union and Union make mistakes on the vehicles. I'm still one of those who prefer my vehicle is made in Germany, or Japan, not SC, AL, KY, OH, MI. And I bought a car made in Michigan brand new so I feel I did it, and won't do it again (but I would entertain a car from Bowling Green so KY gets an exception).

 

There is probably no such thing as a vehicle built in Germany with non-union labor. That country has traditionally had the strongest unions, the highest average pay, and the most extensive worker-benefits in Europe.


Ha.....you mean one of these?

 

 

Exactly! I just like to bend the rules as it suits me lol I would love one of those...

 

Not to be naive, but until 2010, I did not realize that Freightliner was made in Mexico. Even today in 2019, I have no idea what the market share is for each make, but I would suspect Freightliner is up there. Pretty sure Volvo was not Volvo either, it may have been White, which had ties to NC, but if that is made in Mexico too would not be surprised.

Here's the million dollar question, then, where is Mack made? I would think USA but you don't see too many of their trucks on the road, or I don't at least....

 

GM 2018 Profits: $8,100,000,000
GM 2018 Layoffs: 8,000 workers

Took this from an Auto Blog comment

 

And? I'm not sure what the point of this statement is. Companies exist to make profit and maximize profit.

 

It is just a hard pill to swallow. GM's profits in China are down off slower sales yet we don't see Chinese plants closing. Nor Mexico plants.

 

I wonder if we will see a response.

https://www.wardsauto.com/industry/u...plant-closings

Joseph Szczesny | Feb 05, 2019

The head of the UAW local in Lordstown, OH, has sent another letter to President Donald Trump as the struggle over General Motors’ efforts to reduce the scope of its manufacturing base continues to escalate.

In his letter to Trump, David Green, president of UAW Local 1112 in Lordstown where 2,400 hourly workers are facing either imminent layoff or transfer, often reluctantly, to other GM plants in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee, decries GM’s actions and warns of the “devastation” created by corporate outsourcing practices.

“I am reaching out to you again in regards to the many working families, businesses and communities in Northeast Ohio,” Green wrote. “My previous letter dated July 6, 2018 (after GM eliminated one shift at Lordstown) has yet to receive a response. Since that time, General Motors has announced its plans for ‘unallocated’ production of the Chevy Cruze in Lordstown, Ohio, on March 8, 2019. This will have an impact on over 40,000 jobs in the state of Ohio.

“While this may not seem that important to you, it will have a devastating impact on many families, businesses and communities, especially here in the Mahoning Valley – a place that I call home,” wrote Green, who will be the guest of Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio at Trump’s State of the Union address tonight.

“I am looking forward to your remarks on the issues stated in this letter. I am also hopeful that corporations will be held accountable for their actions, and that workers and their communities receive the same respect as profits. I look forward to your response and encourage you to look at the devastation outsourcing has had and will continue to have in America.”

Ghana Goodwin-Dye, president of UAW Local 909 in Warren, MI, who represents workers at another plant targeted by GM, also has been invited to the State of the Union address.

The White House did not respond to Wards request for comment on Green’s July letter. It said it would need a request for comment on his latest letter in writing, which Wards provided.

Green’s letter continues to keep the spotlight on GM’s plans to shutter five plants in the U.S. and one in Canada.

Last month, Green, along with a handful of members from Local 1112, participated in a demonstration outside the North American International Auto Show in which he called for a boycott of any GM product made in Mexico. The protest was sparked by GM’s decision to build the Chevrolet Blazer in Mexico, rather than at a U.S. plant.

GM has countered the call for a boycott by pointing out that many of the components used in its Mexico-built vehicles, including the Blazer, are made in the U.S. by UAW members.

The UAW, which for years has been accused of being too soft on companies when plants are shut, hasn’t backed off. Instead, the union’s leadership has turned up the rhetorical heat on GM. It helped organize the demonstration outside Detroit’s Cobo Center, which originally was called by the activist Autoworkers Caravan, which has often been critical of UAW leadership.

In a YouTube video, the UAW accuses GM of deliberately ramping up production in Mexico to satisfy the “greed” of wealthy shareholders. GM’s production in Mexico is expected to climb 32% between 2018 and 2020 compared with Ford’s 7% increase.

“GM now has a choice: It can invest in America, or it can turn its back on American workers and American families,” UAW President Gary Jones (above, left) says in a statement that is certain to echo through the union’s upcoming contract negotiations with GM.

Meanwhile, GM failed to block what it described as a misleading advertisement by Unifor, the union representing Canadian auto workers, that aired on the Canadian broadcast of the Super Bowl. The spot, which accused the automaker of greed and of ignoring commitments made to the union and Canada, wasn’t seen in the U.S. GM denies the allegations.

 

Because closing Chinese or Mexican plants won't save them money.

Its not a charity. Its not something that exists just to employ people. They have shareholders they're beholden to, many of those shareholders are their employees actually. When I operate my business I don't operate it from a standpoint of "okay, how many people can I employ?" Thats not the point, in fact its the exact opposite...I actively try to find ways to do things WITHOUT adding staff...and technology and new virtual options make that much more possible than it used to be.

Its one of those things where its a sad reality of where we are today.

 

Agreed. But it does not mean we should not be aware of it or perhaps discuss it. They are closing these plants and laying off white collared workers because they want to transition to a electric/self driving segment with the money saved, hopefully this money will be reinvested into the US or Canadian markets.

 

GM stands to lose customers in Canada from the Oshawa plant shutdown. This video explains why.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4737578/d...plant-closure/


And this video explains the mental suffering that the plant-employees are going through.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4932536/o...mental-health/