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I met someone who worked at GM about a decade ago. He had a high school education and was making $150K. Drove a new vehicle every 2-3 years. He told me making a $100K a year was the norm. This is no different than oil workers who were making $250K a year and not putting away any money away for a rainy day.
Unions are the scourge of society. Many of us go to school and have multiple degrees and never make as much. I say good on GM. They got tired of over paying those fat lazy union workers and will take that work elsewhere. I'm sure Mexicans will make less but they will be grateful for those jobs something those unionized workers forgot long ago. A good well paying job is not a right especially for unskilled labour like many of them are or were.
People want cheap products well this is the result. Companies close doors and move elsewhere to pay less wages and general costs to keep profits where they were and not raise the prices of their products from going crazy.
The other thing about GM is they sell shit cars and people want other types of cars now. They want economical cars or SUVs or electric cars. GM didn't grow with the times until it was too late.
People want cheap products well this is the result. Companies close doors and move elsewhere to pay less wages and general costs to keep profits where they were and not raise the prices of their products from going crazy.
The other thing about GM is they sell shit cars and people want other types of cars now. They want economical cars or SUVs or electric cars. GM didn't grow with the times until it was too late.
The purpose of this post is what exactly?
If you think you are better than someone else just because you were born in a different generation. Then news flash....You aren't.
There is no superiority complex involved, it's just a meem, I just know it will get a reaction around these parts - despite how many times I've already posted it.
GM is spiraling toward a black hole, they'll need another bailout within the next two years. Taxpayers will probably have to pony up to keep America great.
And Mexican workers refuse to be treated like dupes, they want better wages and pensions. And the parts delivery network in Mexico is grossly inferior to what's available in Oshawa. GM is as badly run as Nortel, top management is feasting on revenue while cutting back on labour. There is some good news for them - Fiat/Chrysler has withdrawn their bid to merge with Renault...French Government rears its ugly head again. Ford and Toyota are racing ahead of GM in RD, but Daimler Benz and VW are being hit with fraud charges. There is a faint ray of hope for GM.
This will come back to bite GM in the ass.
And Mexican workers refuse to be treated like dupes, they want better wages and pensions. And the parts delivery network in Mexico is grossly inferior to what's available in Oshawa. GM is as badly run as Nortel, top management is feasting on revenue while cutting back on labour. There is some good news for them - Fiat/Chrysler has withdrawn their bid to merge with Renault...French Government rears its ugly head again. Ford and Toyota are racing ahead of GM in RD, but Daimler Benz and VW are being hit with fraud charges. There is a faint ray of hope for GM.
This will come back to bite GM in the ass.
I watched a documentary that showed Mexican workers barely getting by on wages from American manufacturing companies.
That and every family member was gotten a job there over regular hiring. Now whole families are out income.
I never put all my eggs in one basket. This is why multiple income streams from different sources is the only way to live.
Modern unions are problematic. They exist purely to demand more and more (thus "justifying" their existence), which eventually prices them out of competitiveness. Which, of course, is why these jobs are leaving. GM is in a bad spot. Their market share keeps sliding. Why? Because the value just isn't there in their vehicles. They are too expensive to make, and to try to make them more price competitive, they've lowered the quality. The one-two combo of high price, bad quality is the perfect recipe for lost market share. What other options do they have? Outsourcing to cheaper labour markets. I don't blame them.
If unions take issue with that, they should stop blaming GM. It's not GM's fault. Globalization is the culprit. Continuing to blame and milk GM will not improve their situation.
It's hard for me to comprehend the economic wounds to Oshawa from the loss of the last 3,000 workers, never mind 23,000.
Wonder what will happen to the city short term?
Hopefully many will be able to find employment elsewhere but I would guess even if they could, the amount of money they will earn will be less, and in some cases much much lower than their best years with GM. Recently B of M announced the biggest layoffs in years by one of the major banks (2,300 job cuts) but at a huge write down. And this from a hugely profitable company. Another company I know also recently laid off many of their staff in a cost reducing re-structuring. One difference between these companies and GM is that they are not unionized. And for those who think those who work for GM all made six figures, based upon what I have seen, that is not the case. And besides, these days, while making a six figure salary is good for the majority of Canadians, it really is not a lot after taxes and expenses and the odd trip to one of their favorite ladies. I really feel for anyone who loses their job, especially during this time of year, as it has happened to me but I was fortunate to find a another job at the same level of pay soon after.
The next wave of robotics is just starting to have an effect. It will decimate most retail operations.
GM’s problems do not come from union workers or wages. It comes from the fact that they failed to make hard changes to their products/divisions over the last 30 years. No other car manufacturer has as many divisions selling the exact same type of vehicle that GM does. Look at it closely and see that Buick, Chevrolet and GMC each carry the same CUV’S built on the same platform with the same basic mechanical components with the only difference being the sheet metal body work (Chevy t**********se, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia). Each of these “models” gets it’s own brand marketing and is competing with the other models for the same customer dollar... how does that make sense? Even if one tries to use the example of an entry level vs an upscale model that still means that GM has too many divisions to sustain profitability. That isn’t a union labour cost issue that is a management issue.
