Gm Going Down ?

Garabe · February 13, 2008

http://finance.comcast.net/www/news.html?x...2/12/885362.xml

omegafiler · February 13, 2008

Wingnut · February 13, 2008

They're not going down.

But I'm torn on the buyout thing.

It's an effective way of nixing the union's stranglehold on the industry...Paving the way for them to bring people in at $15 an hour in non-union shops...REALLY lowering their overhead.

But then...That's 74,000 people that aren't going to have a job soon (unless they're offered the buyout, AND their old job at half the wage, THAT would be sweet).

minibike132 · February 13, 2008

Yea won't that be great for quality control when everyone on the line has crap benefits and makes slightly more than your average walmart greeter.

Wingnut · February 13, 2008

Yea won't that be great for quality control when everyone on the line has crap benefits and makes slightly more than your average walmart greeter.

It seems to work fine for everybody else.

Schmids5.3l · February 13, 2008

Yea won't that be great for quality control when everyone on the line has crap benefits and makes slightly more than your average walmart greeter.

It seems to work fine for everybody else.

Everybody else? Say Yoda and Honda? Correct sir, they have crap benefits I'm assuming and lower pay, and their history of quality isn't so shabby. It's better than GM using other alternatives to saving money, like lower quality parts for example.

Wingnut · February 13, 2008

Yea won't that be great for quality control when everyone on the line has crap benefits and makes slightly more than your average walmart greeter.

It seems to work fine for everybody else.

Everybody else? Say Yoda and Honda? Correct sir, they have crap benefits I'm assuming and lower pay, and their history of quality isn't so shabby. It's better than GM using other alternatives to saving money, like lower quality parts for example.

Pretty much. I don't think they have crap pay and benefits though. Just more reasonable ones.

Darkanion · February 13, 2008

But then...That's 74,000 people that aren't going to have a job soon (unless they're offered the buyout, AND their old job at half the wage, THAT would be sweet).

Offering a buyout to 74k people doesn't mean they're all going to take it.. and it's not like they're just being given a pink-slip and told to go home.

I agree, though, with the general sentiment. I can't help wondering what halving the salaries is going to do to quality. Kind of makes me glad I bought my truck now and not on down the road...

Wingnut · February 13, 2008

I don't think it'll hurt quality.

The days of the gravy train manufacturing jobs are over. They cost too much to corporations and the stockholders won't stand for it. That's why they've move so many jobs overseas. Unskilled labor shouldn't be making $28 an hour. I know people with PhD's making less than that that.

Hire people at $12-$14 an hour with production-based incentive raises, give them medical benefits, and match their contributions to a private 401k...And people will line up around the block to work there.

Tucson_02Silverado · February 13, 2008

But then...That's 74,000 people that aren't going to have a job soon (unless they're offered the buyout, AND their old job at half the wage, THAT would be sweet).

Offering a buyout to 74k people doesn't mean they're all going to take it.. and it's not like they're just being given a pink-slip and told to go home.

I agree, though, with the general sentiment. I can't help wondering what halving the salaries is going to do to quality. Kind of makes me glad I bought my truck now and not on down the road...

I don't think it'll hurt quality.

The days of the gravy train manufacturing jobs are over. They cost too much to corporations and the stockholders won't stand for it. That's why they've move so many jobs overseas. Unskilled labor shouldn't be making $28 an hour. I know people with PhD's making less than that that.

Hire people at $12-$14 an hour with production-based incentive raises, give them medical benefits, and match their contributions to a private 401k...And people will line up around the block to work there.

While quality has improved over the past 10 years, it is definitely has a long way to go. So, I agree with Wingnut, $28+++ per hour is not getting the quality job done now. And paying more into the existing labor format would be a guarantee of GM's and other demise.

Sometimes it can be a very anti-american show, BBC's Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson is definitely biased against the US, but there are a lot of severe quality issues that he finds on american vehicles that they review.

Wingnut · February 13, 2008

Top Gear had a stellar review of the new G8 if I recall correctly. Comparing it to BMW's in ride, performance, and interior quality. But I may be making that up in my head.

I hope the G8 GT is a smash hit...That means that there will be a glut of cheap GTO's on the market.

overlord1 · February 13, 2008

But then...That's 74,000 people that aren't going to have a job soon (unless they're offered the buyout, AND their old job at half the wage, THAT would be sweet).

Offering a buyout to 74k people doesn't mean they're all going to take it.. and it's not like they're just being given a pink-slip and told to go home.

I agree, though, with the general sentiment. I can't help wondering what halving the salaries is going to do to quality. Kind of makes me glad I bought my truck now and not on down the road...

I don't think it'll hurt quality.

The days of the gravy train manufacturing jobs are over. They cost too much to corporations and the stockholders won't stand for it. That's why they've move so many jobs overseas. Unskilled labor shouldn't be making $28 an hour. I know people with PhD's making less than that that.

Hire people at $12-$14 an hour with production-based incentive raises, give them medical benefits, and match their contributions to a private 401k...And people will line up around the block to work there.

While quality has improved over the past 10 years, it is definitely has a long way to go. So, I agree with Wingnut, $28+++ per hour is not getting the quality job done now. And paying more into the existing labor format would be a guarantee of GM's and other demise.

Sometimes it can be a very anti-american show, BBC's Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson is definitely biased against the US, but there are a lot of severe quality issues that he finds on american vehicles that they review.

GM, Ford nor Chrysler will be able to effectively compete with the competition if they don't reign in their wages and healthcare costs. How can you effectively compete with Toyota and Honda when you have to pay your workforce 2X-4X more per hour PLUS benefits? I see it as inevitable that something drastic has to be done soon to prevent more serious problems down the road.

As for the comment about BBC's Top Gear ragging on American cars, are they friggin kidding! The British have consistently made some of the most unreliable automobiles the world has ever seen. They are neck and neck with the Italians for the most trouble prone cars on earth and they have the nerve to insult American autos. As a matter of fact Jaguar made nothing but junk until Ford bought them out and pumped billions of $$$ into the company and turned them around. The Brits can stick to making tea and other things that they are actually good at

Draenor · February 13, 2008

GM barely retained its title as the world's largest automaker in 2007, selling just 3,000 more vehicles than Toyota Motor Corp. GM sold a total of 9,369,524 vehicles worldwide, up 3 percent from the year before.

Wow just 3,000. It does look like GM may be #2 by the end of this year.

Garabe · February 13, 2008

This is kind off interesting .... I wonder if GM does this...

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/news-blog...get-no-respect/

I didn't read the replys just the link to "Reliable Plant Magazine".

Tucson_02Silverado · February 13, 2008

As for the comment about BBC's Top Gear ragging on American cars, are they friggin kidding! The British have consistently made some of the most unreliable automobiles the world has ever seen. They are neck and neck with the Italians for the most trouble prone cars on earth and they have the nerve to insult American autos. As a matter of fact Jaguar made nothing but junk until Ford bought them out and pumped billions of $$$ into the company and turned them around. The Brits can stick to making tea and other things that they are actually good at

If you watch a few episodes of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, while definitely pro-Brit with Scotts as second-class, he is equally critical of all vehicles of origin. Albeit a bit on the snobbery side.