[Shotimes] Re: (OT) How to avoid the pitfalls of pricing Former Porsche boss: There's no 'right price' for a car

[Peter Chase]

Yeah, with the NY MTA strike going on right now (god bless any of y'all who
work in NYC), it makes me wonder (even more) why we still have unions.  I
totally understand how during the industrial revolution, unions allowed
workers better bargaining power for REASONABLE wages, better safety in
plants, and keeping limits on # of hours worked per day, week, etc.  Now
that we have federal minimum wage rates, OSHA, and other labor laws, aren't
unions kind of unnecesary these days?  (Leaving myself wide open for
enlightenment if I seem ignorant, here)


Pete


On 12/20/05, Mark Nunnally <marknunnally@joimail.com> wrote:
>
> >Remember one of the major issues with the "employee pricing". The Big 3
> are
> >saddled with the "pay me anyway" UAW contracts, so they don't save squat
> >when they shut down a line.
>
> That and the obvious healthcare costs (at least for GM), are what are
> killing them (or have already killed them).  That and the endless line
(save
> a few) of ho hum cars that nobody cares about anyway!
>
> The '98 convention plant tour of the 3.0L and 2.5L duratech motors was a
> real eye opener for me.  The little 5th grade reading level charts (with
> pictures!) at each of the various work stations so they could just swap
> workers around and "learn" a new skill and fill in at any station.  I will
> never forget the connecting rod station, where a box of 6 end caps and rods
> would come floating down the line at 1/2 mph while 6 workers (3 on each
> side) sat on cushy stools dropping bearings in the caps and rods.  A stupid
> 5th grader could do that, was 7 yrs ago, and they were probably making
close
> to 2x then what I make now in 2005!
>
> mark
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