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

[Ron Porter]

Along those lines, there was a big front-page article in the Detroit News a
few weeks ago about how all of the "expertise" is being lost as the older
employees (basically, Boomer-age) will be laid off or will be retiring.

Before getting into the article, I assumed that it would be about skilled
trades or engineers. No!! They interviewed a hi-lo operator (one of the
$100k-year-with-OT-guys....by his own admission), who said that it would
take at least 6 months for someone to learn his job.

EXCUUUUUSE ME (to do a cheap rip-off of a really old Steve Martin routine)!!
How about 2 days max to learn the hi-lo operation, and maybe another 2-3
days to learn where to get the parts and drop them off at the workstation!!
Now, learning where to park the hi-lo and take a nap without being caught
may take a few weeks........

There are thousands of folks out there who could/would gladly handle a hi-o
job for half what these folks make(unless the education system is far worse
than I already believe it is!!)

These guys are clueless!!!! Things haven't changed since I became a UAW
member in a Chevy plant many years ago!!

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Nunnally [mailto:marknunnally@joimail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 4:11 PM
To: Ron Porter; 'G Kerby Haltom'; 'Shotimes'; 'SHO Tech'; 'V8List SHO'
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] Re: (OT) How to avoid the pitfalls of pricing Former
Porsche boss: There's no 'right price' for a car

>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