Chrysler files for Bankrupcy

Chrysler just filed Chapter 11.

GM may follow.

Not surprised, not surprised at all.

I have to say I am not surprised at all, I believe it is the only way for them to become efficient operators once again. I certainly don’t think govt handout over handout would have been the way to solve the problem, time to rip the band-aids off quick and start over…IMHO

It’s good that the government dropped that dime on them a couple months ago, looks like it was worth it.

Does anyone leading this country have the foresight to discern anything further than what is for lunch today?

This is truely the only way to “fix” what has been broken all these years. The other options they were pursuing, just prolonged the inevitable….. this should help level the playing field, which has been the problem for decades, since the imports started building vehicle in the US without unions. I believe your right Chris, GM will follow shortly… and then… dare I say Ford… and then major suppliers who are unionized… and so on…

big G

The details on this should be interesting. Good thing they government gave them those “loans” instead of letting this happen months ago. Hopefully they come out the other side a more efficient, forward thinking company…even if they end up completely owned by a foreign company.

Cars that wrecked Chrysler

I thought this was an interesting. Goes through how the 300C was so promising and then all the junk that came after that. The last slide talks about how the Dodge Challenger, 2009 Ram and 2011 Cherokee are signs that the company is “getting it” again.

I wonder how Mr. Gettlefinger will survive this?

Adult lamprey’s will feed by attaching themselves to a fish, and will then secrete a powerful anticoagulant that may last for weeks or months.
They will fall off the host fish when they are either full and satisfied or the host fish dies.

big G

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Gettlefinger

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another invasive species!

Unions Amen for minimum wage for everyone

I’m not for or against unions, simply because I don’t know anything about them. I’ve never been a member of one either. I’ve only seen the negative side of one where good people got bumped from postions simply due to tenure, not based on quality of work. I also saw good people get fired because of tenure, not quality.

So my question is this, why do we need unions in today’s world?? I think they should be commended for what they provided back when they were first created. Our country needed them at one point!!

Damned unions will be the ruin of this country.
Give me back the day when you had mandatory 14 hour work day with only one break of 15 minutes, 6 days per week, no overtime pay, no vacations, getting fired if you get hurt and can’t work, no unemployment insurance when laid off or fired, no workman’s comp.
Whether you’re a member or not, somewhere in the past a union negotiator made life better for all of us. Those monkeybutts!
Oh, by the way, I believe it was my union negotiated wages and vacation time that allowed my to book a few guided fishing trips.

The way the union contracts have been being written, were with a “blank” check. Health care costs/pensions basically took them down(legacy costs). Let’s face it, people are living longer, health care costs have skyrocketed in recent years and imports being built in the US without unionized workers, have all crippled what “was” the big 3…. anybody who couldn’t see it coming, had the blinders on. Toyota and Honda workers are hardly making minimum wage….

big G

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Give me back the day when you had mandatory 14 hour work day with only one break of 15 minutes, 6 days per week, no overtime pay, no vacations, getting fired if you get hurt and can’t work, no unemployment insurance when laid off or fired, no workman’s comp.

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I didn’t know you worked where I’m currently employed….

Imported products is what is killing this country. Buy american and stay away from Walmart

I don’t think you will see GM in bankruptcy. Obummer may not want to take the risk of ending up with a bankruptcy judge that would go tough on the UAW as the unions had alot to do with him getting elected.

Instead, by way of stock/loan/bond swaps it looks like GM will be 50% owned by the government with another 20 something % owned by the unions. GM will stand for Government Motors. GM bondholders will be the biggest losers along with future GM products produced. It will be interesting to see what those cars will look like. Even tougher emission, milage, carbon foot print standards than the ones that Detroit cannot already meet (and make a profit at the same time).

You’re dead wrong with the blank check comment. Company negotiators only signed off on what they could afford to at the time, and in most cases it was ussually for much less than what they figuired. And for the last 25 years, the unions have given a LOT back in concessions.
As for tenure/seniority, that issue is probably the most important for any union member. If you didn’t operate by seniority, there wouldn’t be any room left under the supervisor’s desk.

Do think the money Toyota and Honda are making stays in the USA ????? The employees at these companies are getting good pay and benefits because a UNION set the standard for workers in this country

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As for tenure/seniority, that issue is probably the most important for any union member. If you didn’t operate by seniority, there wouldn’t be any room left under the supervisor’s desk.

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That to me is very confusing. Let’s assume, you have been with the company 5 more years than me, I can put together more parts than you with better quality, yet I get fired during a layoff period?? I guess working in a nonunion setting all these years I probably just won’t understand how it’s nice to have the umbrella protecting my job.

I worked 3rd shift for Caterpillar in Aurora, Ill. right out of high school for one year. I hadn’t been there more than a month when a “union representative” approached me and asked me what I was trying to do here. He told me that I was running my production numbers way too high and it was making it hard on workers on the other shifts and this had to stop. Well needless to say I had to slow down my production to a more “union” average. At one point on some parts I could run a shift production rate in 3 hours!!!! Most rates could be done in 5-6 hours. I worked in the “heat-treat” area of the plant, which is the hardening and tempering area and there was a lot of area where the furnaces were that was “unexplored” by management on 3 shift. These were the areas where you could find the hardcore “union workers” sleeping on cardboard…..but just for a couple of hours. But I’m sure that has gotten better since 1969…….yeah right!!!!

From this you pretty much know what my opinion of unions is . There was a time when unions were necessary in this country but now with all the “PC monitors” in place, they have outgrown there usefulness. But if you want to donate part of your check every week to some leeches…so be it. That’s my $.02…….

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Imported products is what is killing this country. Buy american and stay away from Walmart

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This statement is right on the money. But until you can stop the imports from producing a better product, at an equal/cheaper price, it will never happen. It is being proven right now. People will always buy the better product at the better price, yourself included. The best analogy I have read is, to take a drive through your local public schools parking lot… all the teachers are in a union… now look what they drive… imported non-union built cars….

big G

It was explained to me for example, 3M in Hutchinson paid very good wages just to keep the plants union free.

Kooty, that scenerio is a management problem. If I can’t do the job fast enough with the proper quality, I should have been fired or relocated someplace else in the plant a long time ago. But if I was relocated, I still retain my seniority, meaning when it came time to layoff, last one in will be the first one out. No union wants to see that happen to anyone. But it’s the best anyone, company and union could come up with.
Getting back to what I said about being fired. If I should be let go, by Federal Law, the union has to try to save my job. If management really wanted to get rid of me, they could. Most times they will not.

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Oh, by the way, I believe it was my union negotiated wages and vacation time that allowed my to book a few guided fishing trips.

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That there is really funny. I’ve never worked for a union, haven’t been in a senior management position, but I have been able to take some nice vacations, fishing trips, etc. I also know several others that don’t work in a union environment that do just fine too.

Who do I need to give credit for allowing me to enjoy these things?

Up till now, I credited my parents for providing me with an education and work ethic.

A few questions for the union guys, and please answer honestly.

Have you done the math and determined what you make after the union takes out their money? Do you know who pays your vacation, disability, insurance, etc. The union does not exist without your money. Let me say that again, YOUR MONEY.

Their will always be unions, and their will always be guys who love them, and guys who loath them. No different then anything else, but for your own sake, please do the math, and honestly determine that it is better for YOU. Don’t let the “Bo” convince you without a decent evaluation.

Soapbox.

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Jumping down

Jim, how was that the union’s fault? Sounds to me like management and company time study wasn’t doing their job. I think no matter where you work, factory or office, you’ll have slackers who take advantage of the system. Isn’t up to management to correct this?

My dues were 2 hours pay per month. Standard UAW dues. The math proves it was well worth it. Especially in retiremnet.

So glad I could provide you with a laugh BZZSAW

Old fart ramblings ahead:
My Dad started in the coal mines at the ripe old age of 11. He told stories of going in on weekends on his own time to prepare the coal so he could get more out come Monday. He was disabled at the ripe old age of 45 due to Black Lung. He was a union man for life because if they hadn’t came in when they did he wouldn’t have made 45 at all. Unions were a crucial part of our history in that they protected the masses from an unbalanced situation where the owners had all the power. Like most things in life, power corrupts and unlimited power unlimitly corrupts! Unions got out of control and caused a lot of negative effects because there were people in power who had no idea what to do. I have never worked in a union job in my life but I am smart enough to realize that the wages I make are affected by what unions do. My company benchmarks our wages and the companies that pay their employees well are the union shops. If all unions went away I am afraid we would see a return to days of old. Do any of you really believe that companies would pay better than they had to out of the goodness of their hearts? It is a scary time in the history of our country right now and I pray the situation works itself out. Unions are part of the problem but I don’t think the answer is the dismantling of all unions. There has to be a middle ground and I sure hope someone finds it soon.

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Adult lamprey’s will feed by attaching themselves to a fish, and will then secrete a powerful anticoagulant that may last for weeks or months.
They will fall off the host fish when they are either full and satisfied or the host fish dies. Well said sir and funny to top it off.

big G

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