Ford and GM soon bankrupt?

[elef]

Rumours in Europe now that Ford and GM are bankrupt and that Standard & Poor has placed the companies on its warning list.

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

This wouldn't surprise me at all. Great way for the company to force paycuts on it's employees. After they do that and emerge, watch for the execs to give themselves HUGE bonuses. Pricks.

[keith doug]

i assume your not in uk ,, i can assure you its hell here banks closing ,, gigantic job losses , businesses/shops closing, houses down in freefall value , interest rates down,,shares down..

[sanddawg1]

This wouldn't surprise me at all. Great way for the company to force paycuts on it's employees. After they do that and emerge, watch for the execs to give themselves HUGE bonuses. Pricks.

 

Good I hope they do bust the union cut thier wages that's what those cry-baby's have coming. How many UAW workers do you personnaly know? They have some of the best pay and benifits of anyone in the country; so much so that the companies can't stay competitive.

 

I'm surprised they have not went under already.

 

[cavanami]

...when they person sweeping the floor makes $80K+ a year, yes with OT, but WTF...

 

Blame should be placed on management for taking the easy route and caving in to all the union "demands"...grow some balls and just say NO!

[unit731]

 

Good I hope they do bust the union cut thier wages that's what those cry-baby's have coming. How many UAW workers do you personnaly know? They have some of the best pay and benifits of anyone in the country; so much so that the companies can't stay competitive.

 

I'm surprised they have not went under already.

 

 

Well, I worked for GM assembling Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, and Chevrolets. On the line.

 

Been there, done that. They deserve every nickle.

 

The true blame goes to the decision makers.

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

Good answer. Agree to a contract with your unions and then shortly after, cry bankruptcy so give us some cutbacks or we'll go under. That is what's called bargaining in bad faith. Illegal. If all parties agreed to the contract signed, quit whining and move on.

Similar to a player in a pro sport who has just signed a contract, goes on to have a great year and then wants to renegotiate cuz he thinks he's worth more. Bullshit.....you signed it, suck it up and finish out your contract.

I was a union employee and hated the union but I hated the company more. I have been through several contract negotiations and the company, at least the one I worked for, liked to throw around the B word if we didn't give in. Never did until they filed bankruptcy with over 4 billion dollars in cash on hand.

Anyway, before I get way off track (too late)if a large corp agrees to a contract with their employees, no matter if you think it's too much or not, they are obligated to abide by the terms. Pay up and find the money elsewhere, like foregoing their bonuses!!

[sanddawg1]

I too worked in a union shop for 13 years HATED IT!!! Unions were great in thier time and help set alot of wrongs right; but now they are just as corrupt as the big businesses.

 

There are some good hard working people in unions but the unions protect dead-beats as well as the good people.

 

S1

[Steve]

I think its two fold, both unions and managment share in the blame but I put more onus on management. They make the strategic decisions. In the 70s the big 3 were very arrogant. They didn't respect the Japanese car makers and were making cars that they wanted instead of what the market wanted or what the trends were.

 

American cars were poorly made. I don't blame the unions for that. The workers work with what they are given and under the guidelines of the company. The workers don't decide the design or the engine or the parts.

 

I recall Ford being called 'Fix Or Repair Daily'. I don't know how true it is but it was said that the car companies intentionally made cars that wouldn't last but a few years so the public will have to buy another one. They thought that Americans would continue to buy American made cars and also that people were loyal to a car company. Which was true to some extent. Families grew up Buick for example and the sons grew up with their dads telling them he was a Buick man. Generational loyalty but oil prices, and other factors eroded that loyalty.

 

The Japanese have been making great running cars for years.

 

Can anyone say that the American car makers have as good quality? Maybe but they don't have that reputation. Frankly, I buy Japanese or Korean. When I need to get another car I must confess its a Toyota or Honda I look at first.

[Guest lazyphil]

my folks have a honda jazz, runs on fresh air, i'd love one or a toyota yaris. my tired old rover 400 (91 model) is only still working because it has the honda transmission and engine, its a known thing the rover 400 with the rover guts was horrible......body work is pretty tired though, reminds me i need to get my mate to get his mig welder on the job

 

btw i was pretty shocked about the amount of small japanese cars on LA roads when we drove around, very low proportion of US cars. an LA thing because of strict emissions or nation wide?