I see the story in the Plain Dealer this morning that the "Big" 3 automotive bailout may fall apart because some Republicans had the nerve to ask the UAW for immediate pay cuts to it's union members as part of the agreement. Wow. How could they think of such a thing? Thinking that, in exchange for billions of dollars of taxpayer money, the companies and workers might actually have to change and adapt to a new work landscape. Who do these congressmen think they are?
Now, I'm not Republican and the people demanding these concessions by the UAW are being criticized by other, mostly Democratic, members of congress. But I applaud them. There are multiple reasons why the American car companies are in the big trouble they're in. It certainly isn't all the fault of the autoworker. That being said, every industry analyst worth her salt has indicated that the Big 3 labor rates are simply out of step with today's industry and are continuing to hamstring the firms. So the UAW wants my tax dollars to help preserve their jobs but they don't want to take a pay cut to preserve their jobs? Something's wrong there.
The Republicans proposing this measure are not suggesting that autoworkers accept minimum wage pay. They simply state the American companies labor rates should be brought in line with those of the foreign car companies. Makes sense to me. How can GM possibly compete if they have to pay $37.50 perhour for the same service that Toyota pays $21.00 per hour? It's not feasible. And while no one wants to see their pay cut (I certainly wouldn't), it's still better to have a job, and a decent paying one at that, than not have a job at all, isn't it? Again, are the UAW members sympathetic to all the people in this country who work 2 or 3 minimum wage jobs and still wouldn't make the same hourly wage as the proposed cuts being asked for?
I'm sorry. This industry needs drastic changes and it's going to be painful. I've experienced plenty of pain in this economy in the form of a dramatic decline in my savings and retirement investments. None of that was my fault but I've had to suck it up, plus watch even more of my tax dollars go to help people who in many cases are responsible for their own demise. It makes me furious but I didn't get to vote on it, didn't have any say, and simply have to bend over, grab my ankles, and take it. Pardon me if I expect UAW workers to do the same and make some sacrifices to preserve their own jobs.
My grandfather was a tool and die maker for GM. No, I mean he actually was a tool and die maker. This was at a time when this was a skilled position. The parts that he helped to make were fabricated by hand. Individual dies were measured with a host of hand tools. They were designed with pencils, slide rules, and machined with hefty doses of elbow grease. My grandfather made a decent living at GM and had a terrific benefits package thanks to UAW efforts. No one denies the union has helped workers have a better life. But much work in modern automotive plants is arguably less skilled but the pay has continued to climb past the point of being reasonable. In my grandfather's day, he was a craftsman and was paid well because he had a skill set that took years to hone. Today we're paying some people $40 and hour to push a button to run an automated assembly machine. That is simply not sustainable. And the real craftsman who remain today, the auto mechanics who service these vehicles, get squeezed by the ridiculous dealership fiefdoms.
No one wants to see anyone lose jobs or have their salary decrease. However, sometimes that's exactly what's needed to make the country and the population at large more healthy. Yes, the UAW has made concessions in the past. They should have. They have a vested interest in keeping the company healthy. Yes, they've been betrayed by management. But that doesn't mean they still don't have to do their part to solve the problem.
You know, I keep reading editorials by all these UAW members whining about how we, the American public, are to blame because we don't buy American. Fascinating. Last night I watched a news special on Russia and they talked about how GM just had the grand opening of a $300 million dollar plant in Russia. Hmm... So GM is hurting, we should all buy American, but GM has $300 million to invest in a plant in Russia that will give jobs to Russians and help the Russian economy. Sure, if they sell a lot of cars there it will help GM as a whole and, consequently, the U.S. But my point is that there's no such thing as American anymore. It would do the autoworkers well to accept this, stop whining, and do what they have to do to preserve their jobs at all. If they think that $17 - $25 an hour wages are an insult, they can always go work at McDonald's.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hi Doc,
While I agree in principle, I have mixed feelings about the situation with the autoworkers. From my perspective, it looks like the GOP is more than happy to dole out billions to irresponsible snakes on Wall Street, but not willing to allow the UAW to keep their wages where they are. So a bunch of peepees on Wall Street get to keep there jobs and their salaries despite the fact that none of us really know what they do or in fact, based on what happened, whether they do anything at all, while a guy who makes pickup trucks has to take a rollback. That's just not the least bit equitable and for the GOP to try to shove that in MY direction is just another insult.
Now, I agree that any autoworker who still has a job at this point should be glad. I have half the salary I had but I'm still working all the damn time on the promise that the other company I worked for will make up the difference. That's no way to live. But I don't see the people above me making money hand over fist and getting a big handout from Washington, either. If I did, I'd take my talent elsewhere without giving it a second thought.
So to me, it's just another attempt to demoralize and devalue people who contribute at a certain level. There's a guy in our office who has a Harvard MBA. While I like him a lot and think he's a smart guy, there is not a single thing he's produced that's gotten results the way I have. Yet if both of us were up for the same job, the Harvard MBA is going to get it. The GOP sees people like him struggling but they don't know a damn thing about mixing dry and wet cat food to stretch things out or make a can of soup last two days. By the time these idiots get done screwing around, it will be a miracle if the entire country isn't out of work. Why the hell they didn't just take that 700 billion and put it toward the impending breadline is a mystery to me.
Mando - I think this issue about the GOP and Wall Street is a red herring. Precisely because of the money given to Wall Street, people all over the country, including regular citizens, called for them not to do the same thing with the auto industry. I don't know what the motivation of some of these GOP people are. I just know I would have been reticent to bail any of these people out.
Again, I wish no one had to get hurt but this has been a long time coming for America and I think the pain is only starting. My sister, who has been struggling for years may lose her job completely and I literally don't know what she'll do. My brother is a Cadillac mechanic so whatever happens to GM will affect him directly. But I just don't think there's anything we can do to stop the massive changes that have to happen.
People young enough to do so need to train for other types of jobs. Those who are older are going to have a rough time. And I personally believe we're going to see the first generation, probably including your children, have a lower standard of living than their parents. I don't see a choice. We all just have to hang on to whatever we can.
You are right. The night I realized that my kids might actually have it harded than I did, I cried and cried. I did not will them into this world to make it hard on them. At the same time, they are both so bright and clever, and have for the most part caught on to what's happening, that I'm still hopeful they will be ok.
Tonight as I tried to remove some clutter before the kids come home, I realized just how much I have. Behind an enormous stack of useless paper are antique plates in the same spot on the same hutch that sat in my parents' house. This little thing brought me some peace, a sense of continuity somehow. We just all have to keep plugging away and reinventing ourselves to the degree we can.
Post a Comment