Where Do You Stand? GM vs. UAW In Most Recent Contract Talks

[Gorehamj]

John Goreham
Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com
9-17-2019

As the UAW and General Motors negotiate hard to find a contract solution both parties can live with, we'd like to ask the GM-Trucks.com readership if they have a firm position now. Who do you support? This writer grew up in a union neighborhood, in a dual-income half-union household. Dad was a union welder, mom worked in retail and was not in a union. Paid union dues himself for a short time (UPS), and watched as those good-paying, blue-collar manufacturing jobs (at General Electric in Lynn Mass.) shrank, and eventually went away. These issues affect many families. Where do you stand?

- If you want some background on the contract that has just expired, click here.

- If you want updated profit sharing info, click here.

- Want to know how much the CEO of GM makes? Click here.

 

Test your knowledge: 

- Which two industries have the highest-paid union members?

- Name the last American President who was a (non-government) union member and his party. 

- Name the last (non-government) union-member American President who preceded that president and his party. (Hint, he was actually also a union president).

[2017Darkness]

Get back to work....

https://www.foxbusiness.com/industrials/gm-strike-offer-uaw-workers

[Sierra Dan]

My opinion is this....

It's a new era in the working world now that it was back in the day.

GM offered buyouts and less pay back in 08/09 to try and save themselves before the govt. stepped in.

Result: Higher payed employees went by the wayside for new hire lower paid workers who were willing to gladly accept $18hr or so versus

the $30 per something hour employees.

Fast forward to today.

Now those $18hr workers have climbed the pay scale and the cycle is about to possibly repeat if negotiations reach a stalemate.

There is always someone else out there willing to gladly step into your job for what you consider much less but they consider much more.

I know this, as my Dad was a GM UAW for 32 years back in the 80s and 90s.

[dieselfan1]

1 hour ago, 2017Darkness said:

Get back to work....

https://www.foxbusiness.com/industrials/gm-strike-offer-uaw-workers

I agree 

What makes them(UAW) so special? They get awesome insurance, make way more than the average American worker, for an assembly line job any (trained monkey) (maybe not but you get the idea)could do. 

Get back to work nobody feels sorry you.

I feel sorry for the guys that ordered a 2020 HD $70,000+ truck and now they got to wait. That new Dodge HD don't look so bad now.

Oh well back to work for me now, nobody going to give me a raise. Or give a rats ass for that matter.

[Rolling Thunder]

2 hours ago, Gorehamj said:

John Goreham
Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com
9-17-2019

As the UAW and General Motors negotiate hard to find a contract solution both parties can live with, we'd like to ask the GM-Trucks.com readership if they have a firm position now. Who do you support? This writer grew up in a union neighborhood, in a dual-income half-union household. Dad was a union welder, mom worked in retail and was not in a union. Paid union dues himself for a short time (UPS), and watched as those good-paying, blue-collar manufacturing jobs (at General Electric in Lynn Mass.) shrank, and eventually went away. These issues affect many families. Where do you stand?

- If you want some background on the contract that has just expired, click here.

- If you want updated profit sharing info, click here.

- Want to know how much the CEO of GM makes? Click here.

 

Test your knowledge: 

- Which two industries have the highest-paid union members?

- Name the last American President who was a (non-government) union member and his party. 

- Name the last (non-government) union-member American President who preceded that president and his party. (Hint, he was actually also a union president).

What a useless thread.  Why would you want to stoke the fire of politics and ask members to takes sides one way or the other?  It serves no purpose on the Forum but to cause bitterness, hard feelings and anger. 

[KARNUT]

I’ve been in business all my life, with my family. Had a great life retired, got bought out by my brother at 58. My brothers son was interested in the business, mine not so much. We were taught my father after he had several business that you can get too much of a good thing and think it’s never going to end. It does. Our lesson learned that led to continue success. There’s a living wage and there’s excess. We never overpaid ourselves. We reinvested in our business to the point were our overhead was very low. That allowed us to weather down turns. GM has shareholders they have to turn a profit. Some of your 401s are with them I’m sure. There caught between a rock and a hard place. We’re see cost cutting in trucks. They went through a down turn once mainly from too costly per hour pay. High retirement that sometimes was more than they made working. Are they making enough, hell yes. Medium blue collar pay is 50K average location depending. Higher in liberal areas, lower in conservative areas. I know I lived in both. The honest truth they’re overpaid already all the perks included. That’s the honest truth. Someone had to say it. People would be shocked to see the wealth I created with the money I made owning my own business with just over average blue collar pay.

 

 

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[jlong1984]

Most UAW members are well paid and have EXTREMELY generous benefits compared to the average working American. So, I have a very hard time feeling sorry for them.

[diyer2]

If companies can pay millions to CEO's, they can pay their workers.

Go ahead, bash all you want.

 

[KARNUT]

I love it when people bash CEOs. They have stockholders. If they didn’t bring something to the table they wouldn’t be there. These people don’t come alone. There’s proven people the come with. So there’s a community of people she’s vetted for years to work with. Just like electing a president you get a cabinet. Same with a CEO. Believe me no value no job.


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[newdude]

I can speak from a smaller dealer stand point on this if I may.  We will be getting ZERO parts other than items that come from certain facilities.  Anything from our facing GM warehouse?  No parts due to the strike.  The freight company that delivers our daily runs is still running however, allowing for us to send in core returns and other types of returns.  For now, we will get NO GM re-stock of parts, no special order parts, etc.  It also means added costs for emergency purchases from other dealerships. 

 

We've got some downed vehicles that will be downed even longer until they figure this crap out, which better be soon.   

[j-ten-ner]

Let's put it this way, I never had to ask for a raise. It was given to me in appreciation for my efforts.

Sitting now way above the average income in my industry and still climbing.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[muddkatt]

Since we are going to stoke the fire, here is my $0.02. Both the workers AND the CEO is overpaid! I agree with the unions in keeping the US plants open. Hell, they need to reopen some closed ones and move production for the Silverado out of Mexico. Only 8 billion in profit last year...pathetic right? How about lowering the cost of cars and trucks and only make a billion. The workers need to get back to work and be damn glad they have a $63.00 per hour job.

[silveradosid]

i agree get back to work before GM shuts down more plants and moves them else where. you can ask for more and end up with no job. it is no different in canada just ask the people in oshawa what there greed got them

[NWI Denali]

So do the guys who think UAW workers are overpaid at $70k also think Mary Barra is overpaid making $21M? 

[Mandalorian]

Nothing against unions, most of them are hard working people doing honest work. That being said, the UAW leadership has proven itself corrupt and inept time and again. They say they're looking out for the working man while pulling down nearly 7 figure salaries and taking lavish vacations. Spending union dues to look out from the working man from the prow of their yachts, maybe.