[DeTomaso] Fw: NPC Fw: Now, how many of you have import marque cars sitting in your garages?(was: How can this happen in America)

Tue May 26 17:37:55 EDT 2009

I don't resent people making a middle class income. Is $150K/year middle class?
Will
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jim Hendrickson 
To: 'Ken Green' ; 'Will Demelo' ; detomaso at realbig.com 
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 4:43 PM
Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] NPC Fw: Now, how many of you have import marque cars sitting in your garages?(was: How can this happen in America)

The UAW does not resist modern technology. They try to keep jobs in house. Electronics replaced relays in machine controls. That is why electricians work on computer controlled machines. There are hundreds of "Electronic Technicians" standing at the doors willing to take the computer control part of our jobs for half the wages, but they don't want to get their fingers dirty on the rest of the work.

$150K sounds like a lot of 70 - 84 hour weeks to me. Ford limited us to 84 hours max. John Deere did not have any limits on hours. At one time, during a discussion of overtime, I heard that our benefits package equaled our 40 hour wages. That was why it was cheaper for the company to work the people that they had overtime rather than hire more people. True? I don't know for sure but it sounds reasonable. I've worked a lot of those 84 hour weeks and the top gross that I have had was almost $85,000. That plus $60K in benefits would put me at $145,000. Production workers at Ford Atlanta Assembly would never make that because they only had about a 60hour workweek.

One thing that bugs me about this whole discussion is that management draws multiple millions in bonuses - even when the company is losing money. They are rewarded with increased stock prices when they lay off people or ship jobs out of the country. Politicians piss away Billions on top of what they can steal, and in the end the UAW is the "bad guy". Why would you resent an actual worker having a middle class income?

Jim

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Ken Green [mailto:kenn_green at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 12:21 PM
To: 'Will Demelo'; detomaso at realbig.com; Jim Hendrickson
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC Fw: Now, how many of you have import marque cars sitting in your garages?(was: How can this happen in America)

      Jim,

          I sure won't defend management at large US corporations, and they share a lot of the blame, but what bothers me about the UAW is that they have fought against modernizing and made US automakers uncompetitive.  I've heard that the average costs are $150K/yr for UAW members, but I don't think that meant they made $75/hr, and they may have been making $30/hr, but when you factor in the excellent benefits, and the hours they don't work and are still paid, you can get to $75 an hour.  

          I also wish I could get electrical work done in California for $30/hr (or even $50/hr), and it certainly is not over compensation.  There is a one day job I'd like to get done and I've been quoted over $1,000.

      Ken

      --- On Mon, 5/25/09, Jim Hendrickson <chendric at bellsouth.net> wrote:

        From: Jim Hendrickson <chendric at bellsouth.net>
        Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Fw: Now, how many of you have import marque cars sitting in your garages?(was: How can this happen in America)
        To: "'Will Demelo'" <wdemelo at cogeco.ca>, detomaso at realbig.com
        Date: Monday, May 25, 2009, 11:30 PM

        Why do you people insist on spreading the lies? Try to get the real facts
        instead of malicious lies. I have worked in factories as a maintenance
        Electrician for 35 years - the last 16 in the Ford Atlanta Assembly Plant. I
        made $30/hr as a skilled tradesman. $30+/hr for unskilled labor???
        BULLSHIT!! I do not consider electricians unskilled labor.  

        You don't seem to object to paying $60/hr to your local Toyota stealership
        to get your Japanese car fixed. Why should I repair computer controlled
        machinery for McDonalds wages?

        You don't think poor management and exorbitant executive bonuses have
        anything to do with the financial problems?

        I heard this same crap when FRANK LORENZO RAPED EASTERN AIRLINES. Somehow he
        convinced the news weasels and political pundits that the IAM destroyed
        Eastern. The IAM  and ALPA gave Lorenzo concessions in contract negotiations
        and FRANK LORENZO stole the airlines assets. He destyroyed both Texas Air
        and Eastern by transferring assets to Continental. Yeah, the union did it.

        Jim #04091

        <<<But in simple terms, he can retire at an early age because he picked a 
        career in a Unionized industry
        >where the labor force still has some power>>>>
        And where is that unionized industry now?? $30+/hr for unskilled labor  had 
        to come to end sooner or later.....
        Will ( believes in honest pay)

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