What might happen with GM?

[Alphacowboy]

Unions are great, if I wasn't in one I would be making 8 bucks an hour instead of 24, and I wouldn't have insurance, and I could be fired for no reason.



People get taught the bad things about unions so they get a negative image, if you actually do some research on them, you will see they are a good thing to have.

:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf



Worked for one... no thanks... I would go furthur but this isnt the political forum.

 

[JGates]

Couldn't agree more Alphacowboy!

 

[FATCAT]

Lets talk service for our trucks in the future.



Will we see the Dodge dealerships all close? Will we have to go to a Chevy dealer for service? What about our warrenties, will they be null and void?

 

[AABEN]

If it was not for the unioms you min wage would not be what it is to day. Yes there is good and bad in all. But have you seen where the big company's has payed there self millions dollars bonus even when they go busted??? Tell me this is ok ?? What happened to the working man 401K??? Large company's are the ones that has ruined this country!! Are GOVERMENT has lot the big boys steel from the working man by passing laws in favor of the RICH!!

 

[CSkal]

The unions cut both ways, they are there to protect the honest hard wotking person, but they also to some degree protect the inept as well. I guess it depends which side of the fence you work on (union vs salary). Either way, the unions can't help you if your company goes out of business and closes the doors.

 

[DavidC]

If you need an example of life with out some sort of oversight just look at Wal-Mart. Seems from a documentary I just watched the medical is almost non exhistent, they promote the employee to seek state and federal aide, no overtime on the clock but the work needs to be done before you go home (if you know what I mean) and the list goes on and on. I recorded that documentary on the dvr just to have a copy of what it would be to work for one of the largest companies in the world with total disregard for the employee and families.



Dave



Dave

 

[WOT]

Good article: How Detroit Drove Into a Ditch - WSJ.com

But to thrive, instead of just survive, Detroit will have to use the brains of its workers instead of just their bodies, and the UAW will have to allow it. Two weeks ago some automation equipment broke down at the Honda factory in Marysville, Ohio, but employees rushed to the scene and devised a temporary solution. There were no negotiations with shop stewards, no parsing of job descriptions. Instead of losing an entire shift of production, Honda lost just 150 cars. The person overseeing Marysville's assembly operations is Brad Alty, still with Honda after nearly 30 years. These days, instead of a Gremlin, he's driving a Honda Pilot -- made at a Honda factory in Alabama.

 

[kenny61]

Treasury says no aid for GM, Chrysler - Oct. 31, 2008

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Chrysler has a few things going for it that will be a huge benefit to GM.



Most important aspect of Chrysler that GM is likely looking at is the reorganization Chrysler went through. All the baggage that Chrysler was dragging along with them was wiped away. Main thing they wiped clean was their retirement plans that GM is still dealing with. If GM picks up Chrysler, you can bet that they will flush out their manpower of anything that Chrysler employees can take over.



Why anyone cares about any of the big 3 "domestic" names any more is really something I don't understand. All 3 of them have turned their backs on the US, they sent their plants out of country, ignored technology that could have kept us from ending up in the energy demands we are facing, and worst of all laughed arrogantly at Toyota and Honda as their quality went down and the Japanese thrived in their complacency. Now the Korean companies are getting the same foot in the door that Honda and Toyota did during the last supposed "oil crisis".



GM sold off Suzuki, which was a viable and profitable part of their corporation, now look at Suzuki's shares. Not bad for a "burden" that GM could not find a future within their boardroom for.



Oil prices are not a valid argument, Worldwide oil market remember?. . Every nation in the world is facing energy issues. The last 2 years in the USA fuel market were internally driven up, look at the huge spiralizing drop in fuel costs a few weeks ago. Barrel price of oil on the world market did not change much. That is a game all it's own, but not something a car manufacturer can point blame at, Toyota and Honda both have U. S. based plants, even playing field on that level. The domestic 3 even get tax credits that Honda and Toyota don't, even if they build within our borders.





Mercedes did not walk away from Chrysler, they dropped it with a huge loss. The idea that Chrysler has "money" left is rather strange to me.







The entire reason we are in that mess is hysteria, complacency and greed, not any of this was a result of legitimate fair capitalist based markets

 

[pcarlson]

Mercedes did not walk away from Chrysler, they dropped it with a huge loss. The idea that Chrysler has "money" left is rather strange to me.

I am not sure what loss Daimler took, the money Chrysler had on the books, $7. 5B when they bought it all went to Germany. The $11. 7M Chrysler has on the books now will go to GM. Cerberus bought 80% for about $12B and Chryslers debt plus what ever Daimler could throw in as debt. So it's all about money. Maybe Dan Quayle as Cerberus Chairman of Global Investments can help the deal.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Do you know who the head schmuck of Chrysler is now?... Bob Nardelli



This is the same wretched smear stain who ran General Electric's appliance division into the ground, then bailed out with the typical stock options of modern day CEO's so he could then take a turn at Home Depot. Nardelli once again sucked the life out of Home Depot with glorious inflated profit manipulations with no regard for the long run life of the coporation.



If you think for a second that good old Bob Nardelli is going to let a dime of Chrysler remain solvent before it's sold, then you have alot more faith in Chrysler's future than I do. GM will NOT be winning any pots of gold with a Chrysler buy-up. This will end up being another big paycheck for the likes of Bob Nardelli and his fellow criminals at large in various corporate board rooms around the nation, all at the expense of the companies they have attached themselves to like leeches #@$%!



I'm holding little faith that the current Chrysler line will survive this decade without serious gov't intervention. Seeing we just dumped a few billion onto the bank bailout so they hand out dividend checks to their investors, I don't see much chance of another "recovery" plan getting very far without serious revolt from the tax payers who didn't want that bailout.



Bottom line, the endless saviour practices of the Fed's is coming to an end, whether they want it to or not.

 

[pcarlson]

I agree with you that Bob Nardelli has taken everything he has been in charge of a just ruined it. the only bonus I would give him is a free kick in the *** on the way out the door. Someone like Bob Lutz would have been a much better choice.

 

[diesel DOG]

Chrysler has a few things going for it that will be a huge benefit to GM.



Most important aspect of Chrysler that GM is likely looking at is the reorganization Chrysler went through. All the baggage that Chrysler was dragging along with them was wiped away. Main thing they wiped clean was their retirement plans that GM is still dealing with. If GM picks up Chrysler, you can bet that they will flush out their manpower of anything that Chrysler employees can take over.



Why anyone cares about any of the big 3 "domestic" names any more is really something I don't understand. All 3 of them have turned their backs on the US, they sent their plants out of country, ignored technology that could have kept us from ending up in the energy demands we are facing, and worst of all laughed arrogantly at Toyota and Honda as their quality went down and the Japanese thrived in their complacency. Now the Korean companies are getting the same foot in the door that Honda and Toyota did during the last supposed "oil crisis".



GM sold off Suzuki, which was a viable and profitable part of their corporation, now look at Suzuki's shares. Not bad for a "burden" that GM could not find a future within their boardroom for.



Oil prices are not a valid argument, Worldwide oil market remember?. . Every nation in the world is facing energy issues. The last 2 years in the USA fuel market were internally driven up, look at the huge spiralizing drop in fuel costs a few weeks ago. Barrel price of oil on the world market did not change much. That is a game all it's own, but not something a car manufacturer can point blame at, Toyota and Honda both have U. S. based plants, even playing field on that level. The domestic 3 even get tax credits that Honda and Toyota don't, even if they build within our borders.





Mercedes did not walk away from Chrysler, they dropped it with a huge loss. The idea that Chrysler has "money" left is rather strange to me.







The entire reason we are in that mess is hysteria, complacency and greed, not any of this was a result of legitimate fair capitalist based markets

Chryser is said to have 11 billion in cash.



Wht car about the big three? If GM goes down it is 2 million jobs gone when you take all the related jobs GM creates.

 

[diesel DOG]

If you want to follow the auto industry closely go to Detroit News Online | Detnews.com | Thursday, November 6, 2008 | News, sports, features, blogs, photos and forums from Detroit and across Michigan . I go there 2-3 times a day and they give you the scoop on what is really happening in autos around the world. Scroll to the bottm and there is more than the upper headline stories.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

GM won't go down, there are too many people with their fingers in that cookie jar. Even if the company tries to fold up due to CEO or board members, it just won't happen. (especially now that the "great America messiah" is coming into office).

Be careful what you believe in the detroit news letters, they rarely offer up the whole truth on things. Chrysler has cashable assets they can liquify, but the money is not going to come overnight. If they had the financial strength to maintain solid cash on hand even 1/2 that amount, they would not be under the threat of a buyout by anyone. Bob Nardelli has once again inflated their public image with his typical smoke and mirrors on the books. Notice how great GE and Home Depot looked right before he bailed out on them with stock options? (Stocks that he immediately dissolved nearly all off before reality hit again... Hmmm. DeJa Vue?... )



GM has urinated on enough of it's staff the past 2 decades that most workers would be better off with them out of work. The related businesses have more than enough marketing options with their products and machining industry to continue. Turning their focus on to other industries will help to reinforce the US product and domestic manufacturing competition again. Just the military contracts alone that AM General has been tasked with developing will cover the majority of the support industry. Which would be better in the end, to let GM and Chrysler die a slow bleeding death, or an abrupt one that allows their contracts support companies to be solvent enough to restructure to another customer or product? The worst thing to do to a company is allow it to see it's projected end coming over several quarters and/or years.



Bailouts will only be effective if they are taken seriously, a hard hit is the only way to push for things to change.



Look at the crooks involved with the banking fiasco right now, they knew the safety net was there, they planned for it and were able to manipulate the assistance into exactly where it ended up.

 

[diesel DOG]

Chrysler GM deal is now dead which is better for all involved in the long run I hope. Especially the working stiff.

 

[Grizzly]

Where's Lee Iacocca, we need him again?

 

[Red_Rattler]

Chrysler needs another K car! lol

 

[Alphacowboy]

Chrysler needs another K car! lol

IIRC, 2010 is full of new line ups and refreshes. The EV vehicles are due out in 2011 I believe, and they have potential of being instant hits and should be profitable I would think. 2010-2011 also introduces small diesel engines into the line up from the half ton all the way down I have heard. Fuel mileage in the compact cars with the small engines is projected in the 40s I believe. IIRC there is a few hybrid models as well hitting the showroom floors over the next couple years.

 

[FFeiller]

the pension funds are always slammed. the workers who busted their butts to make ford, GM, Chrysler the megabusiness they are today are being cheated out of their earnings. how wages work is; if you don't know already, is a person has a wage value put on him say 20 hr. part of that 20 dollars is taken out for insurance, retirement, vacations, sick pay etc. the pensions portion is set aside to gain interest like an annuity to be payed back principal and interest in their retirement years. the crooks at the top of these companies want to keep and spend those monies intrusted to them as if they are theirs. someone mentioned greed?



it isn't the workers who blew the money it was the executives with their perks and bonusas. the Japanese do not reward for failure and do not pay these rediculas wages to their execs. thats how they succeed when american companies fail.