Chrysler on Strike, is it important?

[greg334]

I got in this after noon to hear that all 45,000 employees are on strike and many think it is a well deserved. The number that the idiot radio stations here put out was incorrect, selected plants went out on strike and a few plants are open.

I listened to the radio as they were interviewing people at the Sterling Heights plant and one said "this strike we'll get some better gains and get a better contract and more pay, the company owes us" yea, right. You dummy! you should be kissing the companies butt because you are the highest paid autoworker in the world.

 

[layoutshooter]

You tell um Greg, bet the Gov is on thier side, more pay, more taxes. That is till the whole place falls apart. Did you see Dingell-Berry's plan to raise the gas tax by $.50? What a great idea. If the gas price at $3 was too high and it was Bush's fault how is $3.50 ok if a Dem comes up with the idea? What a bunch of coon dung.

Layoutshooter

 

[unorthodoxneon]

What strike?

 

[greg334]

Yea, what strike is right. The strike is about over and it has been wall to wall coverage on the local channels - big deal.

 

[Jack_Berry]

>You tell um Greg, bet the Gov is on thier side, more pay,
>more taxes. That is till the whole place falls apart. Did
>you see Dingell-Berry's plan to raise the gas tax by $.50?
>What a great idea. If the gas price at $3 was too high and
>it was Bush's fault how is $3.50 ok if a Dem comes up with
>the idea? What a bunch of coon dung.
>
>Layoutshooter



i am not associated with any political party endorsing higher taxes. i just want that known. i am in favor of waaaaaay less expensive diesel fuel.


Jack Berry

 

[unorthodoxneon]

I'm glad the strike ended real quick and Chryco decided to not sell off the Mopar unit. So now my dad has a job for the next 4 years!!!

Now on the other hand i heard the transportation side might of been axed so that could mean more chrysler freight for us. Which i'm kinda excited about and get to see some of the cars be built.

 

[greg334]

Randy,
Here is what I was told.

The strike was a show of force, nothing more than a news story with an asterisk.

I understand that if there was a real strike, it would not be something that the company would be concerned about, they would simply settle the strike and start moving more manufacturing across both borders.

After being told (and reading a few articles) that these guy deserve more, it kinda makes me rather sick with everything they get already and greed of the UAW and the workers. Maybe they need to BUY their own products and not lease them.

 

[unorthodoxneon]

Well what i was afraid of is that the new chryco is very unexperianced in the whole contract talks. The CEO was the ex-HomeDepot guy (who is worthless if you look at his track record) Then there is Tom Lasorda who has been around and played the contract game. And then the other big player was an Ex Toyota (non union) exec and of course Cerebus who's never delt with this situation before. And rumor had it that if Cerebus didnt get their way they were just going to dismantle chrysler and sell everything off. Also the rumors that have been flying around is that the big 3 should of had pay cuts comming to their employees on top of everything else but i have yet to hear that from any of the contract agreements so far. Do employees at the Big 3 make too much money? Probably. And if you ask a few they will agree they make too much but who is going to complain. To say they need more money is a very cocky thing to do but hey sports players get paid a ton to do what exactly? And employees actually need to go out and buy their own product, i'm shocked how many places i goto and see nothing but Honda/Toyota/Nissan ect in the emp parking lots!

 

[arkjarhead]

I went to a ford plant once and there was special employee parking for those who drove fords. It was closer to the building. I'm sure alot of plants do this. The funny thing was that all the Fords were old junkers. I asked the shipping boss about it, and he said alot of people buy old ford pickups and cars for a few hundred bucks just to drive to work and get the closer spot. He also said most of those people's main ride was a non ford product. That made me decide I didn't want to own a ford. I wouldn't be upset if the Chrysler plant in Sterling Hts shut down. The there are butt holes and go out of the way to be nothing but. After 2 or 3 deliveries there I refused to go back.

 

[unorthodoxneon]

Man, i would of loved to seen the Sterling Heights plant. I know a few people that work there. Also where they make the Sebring and the Avenger which would be in my garage right now if i had money or a garage.

 

[layoutshooter]

Hey Jack-Berry,

I was not speaking of you. I was speaking of Congressman John Dingell, Dem, from SE MI, Detroit/Monroe/Ann Arbor area. I forget the district # right now, must be part timers. Wants to raise the gas tax and do a bunch of other things to *fight global warming.* Yea right, like they have contained the costs on Medicare and Medicade, got rid of the fraud in those programs. Like the way they keep up roads and bridges. Like how welfare has eliminated poverty. Like the way they have eliminated crime. Like how they so wisely invested the Social Security surpluses since it started and we now have zillions in the trust fund. Like the way they gutted the Defense department and intel agencies and brought us 9/11. But don't worry, we will keep electing the garden slugs and they will keep on doing it to us and laughing all the way to the bank. SOOO let's give them the $.50 a gallon they want. And strike those auto companys.
Layoutshooter

 

[Jack_Berry]

no offense taken there ls. just had to take the shot ya know?

a six and one half hour strike. why? they would have gotten what they wanted anyway. what is so wrong in this country that all the baby boomers have become petulant demanding children in a business they are losing market share?

this was front page news here because the kenosha engine plant is down the road 15 miles. 'We have to back the union and when they said to strike so that is what we have to do' was one quote.

this was all done so they could get a managed trust for retired workers. i didn't read anything that they got a raise.




Jack Berry

 

[layoutshooter]

NO problem, just did not want you to think that I would EVER compare or mix up an expediter with a politition. Layoutshooter

 

[greg334]

Dingell represents the 15th district and does include Dearborn Heights but not Detroit or Dearborn.

The sad thing is no one in his district has really seen anything returning to Michigan for the 50 plus years of his presents in the house (between him and his father there has never been anyone else in the seat making a dingell in the house for 75 years).

Instead of being concern with his home state, he would rather screw us some more with the increase of a gas tax (between the governor and the feds, we could end up paying $.70 per gallon more), global warming measures that will further hurt all of us and not to assist our state to get people in here for alternative energy manufacturing.

"Like how welfare has eliminated poverty."

Proverty has been eliminated in the US, we have the richest poor people in the world. There is proof of this when a welfare recipient drives a newer car than I do.

 

[x06col]

Just delivered at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and I can asure you the UAW workers don't have a thing on these clowns as far as shamming goes. I was about ready to draw a chalk line around these folks to see if they were moving. Guess it's getting bad most places. Thats why we get the big bucks I guess.

 

[greg334]

Col,
You need to come to Cobo during the autoshow - a lot of them are there just to watch to see if you plug into a socket and then they scream about it, getting 20 people involved to see which union will be needed to plug it in - it is not always the electrical union. The last time I was down there while the autoshow was being setup, I watched two teamsters sitting in a deck chairs, drinking coffee all day long and have lunch delivered to them. The vendor had to wait until they were done to setup their display, these guys were not to be forced out of the spot for the vendor.

It got so bad that when the SAE show was here in 2002, the few German companies complained that there were 7 people to watch 1 to plug the display into the power socket and they had to pay for all 8 people an hour for the 30 seconds of work. This also happened when I was at the Rouge, I had to hire different people to use my tools so I can get the job done.