needactsv

For lack of better words, We The People Of The United States, fired your ***!
Here's the link.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/gm_wagoner

needactsv

I guess I would have quit too, if I was only making $1/year. The unions screwed the american motor companies.

JOHN_DEERE_LS6

iTrader: (10)

unions dint ruin the big 3 jackass... a shitty economy and 4$ a gallon gas did...

of course its easy for the uneducated public to blame the unions for the downfall in detroit by providing securities and health care to retirees case in point: "legacy costs"...

yeah the unions have there issues but the good they provide far out weigh the bad... all non union people should thank the unions for setting the pay scale as high as it is, for if there wasnt a union wage scale to base the "scab hourly rate" people would be makin farless than they are now...

i assume you live in a "right to work, FOR LESS" state......

GhettoTy

iTrader: (2)

It's different if only the domestic auto makers have to pay these rates and benefits and then try to compete with the foreign automakers. It's all supply and demand, yes they make more money, thats why the car costs more. There was a great article in Motor Trend (yes I'm as surprised as you) saying that Ford still sold 2x the amount of F-150's than Toyota sold Prius'. Doesn't seem to smart to me to give up those numbers even with the 4 bucks a gallon.

JonCR96Z

iTrader: (33)

The unions are one of the biggest problems the big 3 have faced. If thee ecomony and gas price was to blame, the Japanese automakers wouldn't be gaining ground either. The problem is lack of appeal/quality and legacy costs.

We should thank them for the extremely high amounts that people are getting paid. After all, that's what keeps China and Japan in business, right?

rand49er

"We The People Of The United States ..." bull ****! It was our socialist President and his pointy-head group of leftists who've never made an honest buck in their lives that ousted him.

Mr. Wagoner was a very smart, very dedicated hard-working guy. He was an outstanding leader of some very smart people.

Mr. Obama wants to control all private enterprise, what their employees are paid, what they produce, and what they charge for their products. The arrogance in Washington DC is beyond incredible.

Brentman2007

I agree totally. If this doesn't scream dictator I don't know what does.

Norm '88 GT

Unions may have been the biggest problem they are also the easiest target. With only about 10% the cost of a car these days being labor, when it comes to GM's problems they have to look elsewhere. The politicans have said before that the unions have made more strides than the company in the last almost decade. So I don't look for anything more from them except restructuring of labor's top. GM for gone their February loan payout and will only need the 60 days of short term aid until investment in the economy starts again. Obama is not helping by pinching both ends by implying taxes on the very people that do the hiring, the most wealthy. The least wealthy do not do the hiring needed to turn around our economy.

The financials will continue to respond as they have with the worst Dow Jones one month average since 1933 after he took office. There is no incentive to invest which eventually creates jobs.

From now GM will be known as Government Motors.

TheRooster

iTrader: (1)

......With a large involvement in the upcoming mandats by feds and EPA standards. The gov't kills their business, then takes them over. Nice communist country we live in now.

JOHN_DEERE_LS6

iTrader: (10)

actually honda and toyota have came forward and sed they are "enduring grave times" as well.... but youd have to read past the front pages of your jewish owned newspapers to read something like that.... honda has lowered there forecasted earning for 09' 3 times....

and as for gm's quality... take a peek at jd power latley? gm leads quite a few segments as i recall... the gm of the 80's and early 90's everyone loved to hate is no more im sorry... and now that the jobs bank (which was actually a really good idea intended for model changes and temporary plant closures, that a handfull of skilled trades misused and took advantage of and ruined for everyone else) is gone the public shouldnt have anything else to dwell on and complain about...


the problem is americans think its cool to go out and buy jap autos so they have somehtign to talk about to all there friends on how classy they think they are by sending money over to japan...

its your typical small town whtie girl brings home a black guy to meet mom and dad to be different and get some attention..... and it makes me sick

JonCR96Z

iTrader: (33)

Well no ****. The whole world is in the *******, but Japanese buyers aren't losing confidence as fast as Domestic consumers.

Yeah appeal and quality are up now, but everyone knows that's too little too late.

Doesn't change the fact that GM (and the other 2) made bland, boring, undependable cars for so long at too high of a price. You can sell bland boring **** all day long if it's cheap enough. However, that isn't the easiest thing to pull off with the support of the unions.

cmb570

iTrader: (2)

I think i would rather see this tough approach on the banks instead of the car makers

Mercutio

So "jewish owned newspapers" are biased and unacceptable but JD Power is cool, right? Just checking.

People ought to buy the car that fits their needs best no matter where that car is built or where that company's corporate headquarters is located. Blind allegiance to buying American means that as long as the car companies know you'll do that they have no reason to build cars better than the Japanese or Europeans. But if they think you'll look elsewhere for your next purchase then it gives them a definite incentive to improve their product. As it happens I only own American cars at the moment, but if a foreign company built a car I liked more than an American car you bet your *** I'd buy it.

By the way, about your signature: traders trade things. Traitors betray their country.

jmilz28

iTrader: (13)

Legacy costs are a huge problem, the biggest one is Unions, period. Why?
1. They created a wacko requirement for healthcare and pensions, which makes up over 30% of the cost of US cars.
2. They drove wages above market value, hourly rates at UAW are over 50% higher for US than Jap manfs.
Combine this with the fact that the US made absolute **** cars (as a whole) for about 2 decades, and you get the point (hopefully). Who wants an inferior product?

Only since about 2005 have US cars been competitive overall, often better, than their foreign counterparts. Imagine providing better cars for 25% less than now and where would GM be...?
Who needs a bailout?
Toyota who?

Unions are outdated appendages that have metastizized into a cancer which is threatening to kill American cars. Anytime you're against secret ballots, that speaks VOLUMES about your motivation and corruption level. Can't rely on merit, have to bully. Unions helped the worker once upon a time, now they simply enslave those who don't want to think for themselves and are colluding with corrupt politicians to strangle productive business.

This is not a simple equation by any stretch but Unions are at the top of the list of those to blame. Let's not even talk about EPA, CAFE, fair trade or currency risk in this equation. I am amazed GM survived this long.

onebadcad

iTrader: (1)

DEAD F'ING ON DUDE-YOU NAILED IT!!!!!!!!
GM is begging the Government to help, therefore they have to adhere to their rules, sounds crappy, but they have no other choices.
Unions, 'only good for those that belong to them', not needed today as we have great Labor Laws, and about a bizillion attorneys to help you if laws are not adhered to. The UAW, NEA, et al,,, are jokes, feeding the coffers of the Liberal Politicians, influencing their members to vote at a more than 90% majority for the Lib Politicians. Teachers will not suffer the same percentage of job loss as all other industries during our recession, as they are protected, not sure why, as 30 kids in a classroom worked fine when I was in school. So why does the NEA exist, for better work conditions and wages, you are an idiot to believe that, here's why. "ALL TEACHERS WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT, NO NEED TO HAVE A UNION REPRESENT YOU". Oh, and the union arguement for better wages, this is America, if you do not like the wage your employer is paying, update your resume and move on!!
The UAW is toast, good f'ing riddance, they always want more, what have their concessions been the last 3 years????
The POTUS and his Congress are pushing for more unions, why???--SIMPLE, THEY WANT MORE POLITICAL ALLIES, WHAT A F'ING JOKE, THE MAFIA HAS MORE SCRUPLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again, Unions work only for its members, but even more so for its management,,,

OH, btw, The POTUS and Congress will do everything they can to save The Big Three and create more unions, as they like their do-nothing jobs, and they cannot afford to lose the vote in MI, PA, OH, IN, etc,,, in 2012.

,,, and not that I will be asked, but not one more penny of my hard-earned tax dollars should be utilized to preserve the over-paid salaries of the under-performing workers in failed American industries,,, let them die off!!!

Norm '88 GT

Legacy costs are changing daily. You guys need to update your facts. In 2010, next year, when VEBA kicks in it will costs domestics (1%) one percentage more to produce a vehicle than it's Jap counterpart. And all the domestics will be here next year but probably not in the future. They are already charging more than the competition for each vehicle sold so we can say they are pretty close now.

And as time goes by guess who's is going to have the biggest legacy cost down the road? Domestics are replacing people with lower wage than the Jap's which are and will see slight increases but unless the Jap's lower their wage incoming workers will see their costs per person increase at a faster rate. The Jap's cannot stop production and pay workers to paint parks or sit in training for months and months like they have been since last year. I know of no company that can pay someone to not do they're job. If you know someone who is, are they hiring? . So it's just not a union thing. These oligopolies cannot survive forever paying 100% salaries for idle workers like the Jap's do.

JD03Cobra

The Unions voted in Obama and now he's going to Bankrupt GM and oust the Unions...Government Motors. Socialism at it's best and it's just beginning.

onebadcad

iTrader: (1)

To quote the great Margaret Thatcher:
"SOCIALISM WORKS FINE UNTIL THE GUY PAYING ALL THE BILLS RUNS OUT OF MONEY!

onebadcad

iTrader: (1)

Norm,
Along with the facts, you provide good insight. Regarding The Big Three, it is hard to look to future and the 'what ifs', as their present problems are so enormous, to the extent that their future may have already been decided. I think all of us here can agree that WE DO NOT WANT GM TO FAIL, but if the cost is too high, the future is not well-planned, the Unions are unwilling to make concessions and the Government is too involved, etc... we are wearing blinders.

rottnrog

Do you really think he was working for $1/year?

That is one BIG joke!!!