News, Ford gets UAW to accept $55/hour wages. (buy, company, make money)

[renter8319]

Originally Posted by sskkc

Does the $55/hr INCLUDE the 9-13 weeks of paid vacation each year?

What the average person DOESN'T know about the POOR AUTOWORKER has kept the unions going for years.

this number includes everything, be it rate of pay, vacation, holiday pay, benifits, etc.

these numbers are highly skewed. the new contracts are very similar to the contracts i have been under working for one of american axles union plants(not the ones that were on strike) our wage varied depending on the job you did. starting pay was from 12-14 dollars an hour. after passing profiency style tests, those jobs could top off at about 14-18 dollars after about 4 years. skilled trades(electricians and machine repair) had a slightly different contract, the were paid $25 per hour. even including maintenance we were told in a town hall meeting last year that our total hourly rate per employee was $29 per hour including, benefits, vacation, etc.

i must assume that $55 per hour includes retired employe benefits.

[NYMD67]

This is a small part of an article I just read about the concessions that the UAW isn't willing to take... Apparently DELPHI has been told they must come to an agreement with GM very soon in regards to how they are being helped out of bankruptcy...

Nice to see that an actual employee was interviewed and says he makes ONE HUNDRED AND THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS a year operating a forklift??
THAT should be enough to make many people mad they didn't just skip college and go operate a forklift.
Now,with respect to that employee,I am sure it is difficult work,but you know what??
So are a lot of other occupations and they don't get paid anywhere near that amount of money nor do they get full benefits paid or weeks of vacation time.
I for one have had it with the crying from the UAW and what they are not willing to give up.
I know that some have taken huge pay cuts but you know if you are making a six figure income,you can deal with it a little.
My husband works 16 hour days,gets paid for 8 of those 16 hours,sometimes works weekends and doesn't get any ot for that.... We understand that is what comes with a salaried,management job in Engineering,but honestly,he worked really hard to get to where he is,still paying off student loans and it is frustrating beyond belief that these people are crying over what they may have to give up.
Jeopoadizing SECOND HOMES??? are you kidding me? really.




The coming months will be painful for many American autoworkers. Accustomed to a certain lifestyle, they will see their wages cut in half, jeopardizing second homes, college tuitions, and car payments. One blue-collar Delphi worker interviewed by the Detroit News makes $103,000 a year operating a forklift and fears the consequences if his pay is drastically reduced. But many Americans will ask how a forklift operator felt entitled to a six-figure income in the first place (according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average forklift operator wage in the U.S. is $26,000).

[wheelsup]

It's possible that guy that made $100k worked 365 days, sold his vacation, etc. You have absolutely no idea what the whole story is. Since top out pay is around $30/hr we're talking over 3400 hours last year of work. That's 9.4 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Again, don't judge until you learn the whole story. Actual wages are between $14-$28/hr.

[NYMD67]

Originally Posted by wheelsup

It's possible that guy that made $100k worked 365 days, sold his vacation, etc. You have absolutely no idea what the whole story is. Since top out pay is around $30/hr we're talking over 3400 hours last year of work. That's 9.4 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Again, don't judge until you learn the whole story. Actual wages are between $14-$28/hr.

I really am not judging and yes,you are correct,I don't know the entire story.
I do know however,several people who work for the UAW and know that they most certainly do not work 365 days a year 9.4 hours a day and take every ,single vacation day they get.
SO, I highly doubt this man who they interviewed and said he was concerned that his ONE HUNDRED AND THREE THOUSAND dollar a year salary was going to be reduced works every ,single day of the year with no vacation time. Do YOU think he works that much?
Honestly.

[Steve Bagu]

Do not know what a chinese auto assembly line worker makes per day.

Makes no difference if rice is .10c a kilo...rent $20.00 a month...it's all the economy of the country.

Cannot be compared to the US. It is all about numbers and what those numbers will buy.

With low wages and cost to make a product that is sold locally for them it's okay...then again if the product is shipped to say the US it is not sold at the low cost of production but inflated to US standards.

Reverse the situation of what a mfg product costs in the US and try to sell it to a chinese who makes $2.00 a day. Of course the numbers are made up only to illustrate a point and comparison.

Looking back at labor demands over the last 50 yrs...I see a labor force that is begging to cut their own throats with all the demands. A consumer can only pay so much for a product based on the avg pay scale in the US. Many are overpaid for their daily job functions...CEO bonus today is an example.

I do think a pension plan may sound nice to many. Question is "where is the pension money coming from?" No doubt that future car purchase buyers will be paying the pension and not the Auto companys.

Nice when a person can collect a workers pension and also get SS payments every month. One is paid into and the other a FREEBEE.

Thanx but no thanx...I'm not buying into it.

Steve

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by NYMD67

I really am not judging and yes,you are correct,I don't know the entire story.
I do know however,several people who work for the UAW and know that they most certainly do not work 365 days a year 9.4 hours a day and take every ,single vacation day they get.
SO, I highly doubt this man who they interviewed and said he was concerned that his ONE HUNDRED AND THREE THOUSAND dollar a year salary was going to be reduced works every ,single day of the year with no vacation time. Do YOU think he works that much?
Honestly.

Again you have absolutely no idea. I remember a quote the FAA put out about air traffic controllers, making $200k+ a year. It turned out that there were a few that made that much however they were working maximum (forced) overtime, working over vacation, etc.

Those people you are talking about working regular schedules don't make 6 figures either. It's also possible that the guy making $103k was quoting benefits paid and pension contributions. I tend to not believe much of what I read.

[budleigh74]

I'm from an old Detroit area family. We've been auto engineers, been at GM Proving, done research in the Ford emissions lab, been stock boys, worked the machine rooms, quality control, and on the line. What is missing here is an understanding that the whole damn system has cooperated in sinking itself. Costs and work rules and business and production methods have all been too inflexible. Wages and salaries should be tied to the profits of the company; about half the money going to both execs and workers should be reasonable variable bonuses. Work rules, by which I mean the rules that certain people have to do certain jobs, should have been scrapped in 1969, and both UAW and the execs much more concerned with efficiency. Retirement should have been entirely funded by worker and industry contributions through an outside agency or group, as it is for independent college teachers through TIAA-Cref annuities. Most of those profs make much less than the fork-lift driver, and still have a decent retirement, And this without pulling down the industry around the ears of the young workers just entering. I could go on.

The problem is not that "those union workers asked too much." The problem is that the union workers, the executives (with their damnable bonuses), and everyone else planned as if the US auto makers would never have any competition, and that was just plain stupid. As bikers say, "Stupid Hurts."

Walter Ruther, bless his soul, must be turning in his grave to see the fate of an industry and work force he loved.


Yours,
Jim

[wheelsup]

Making workers bonuses half of their compensation is a bad idea. Some amount may be but half? The UAW didn't force GM to build 10 mpg SUV's while foregoing on the high MPG cars. They didn't force GM to outsource products from China, Mexico, and Latin America at the expense of quality while Toyota and Honda ramped up production inside the US. They didn't force GM to make horrendous business and design decisions, and have no say in regards to those decisions.

[smellykat]

Originally Posted by wheelsup

It's possible that guy that made $100k worked 365 days, sold his vacation, etc. You have absolutely no idea what the whole story is. Since top out pay is around $30/hr we're talking over 3400 hours last year of work. That's 9.4 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Again, don't judge until you learn the whole story. Actual wages are between $14-$28/hr.

Yes, this is correct. UAW forklift operator with years of service would be making $28/hr. and newly hired would make $14/hr. as per 2007 contract.
Source: We're a UAW/IBEW family.

[NYMD67]

Here is the thing.. I didn't write the article. I read it. A gentleman who is a forklift operator at DELPHI is concerned about his $103K salary being cut. He won't be able to afford to send his children to college. sad. Others were interviewed and are upset because they don't know how they are going to be able to afford that 2nd home they have anymore. again-sad.
You are correct,I don't know all the facts,maybe he really does work 365 days a year-I don't think he does,but maybe he does.?
I am just quoting something that I read that I find ridiculous. There is no way that anyone operating a forklift should be making a 6figure income,no matter how hard he works.sad but true.

Here is the other thing... seems Delphi & GM have won a step up in their battle for retiree health benefits. Now,I certainly don't agree that they should have been taken away to begin with,certainly they could cut that $103K salary and many other 60-90K salaries they have going on there and not take away health care benefits for people who can't afford them.
So,for those saying that their benefits are going away, don't worry,looks like you are going to be saved afterall.
Oh and here's the thing... my mom is a surgical RN,worked at a hospital for 35 years,you know,saving lives,things like that... guess what?? the hospital was taken over by different management company and oh no-all retirees now have no health care. My mom worked just as hard as that retiree from DELPHI or from GM and you know what-she NEVER made even close to $103K a year to help save lives. Now,she may have to go back to work,just so she can pay for her healthcare. No one is going to give them back their benefits though.
Sad.
SO please,sorry that there are people here who are having a hard time with the criticism of the Auto Industry,GM in particular,but the truth is, you are all very much overpaid for what you do.
I hope that things start picking up for the industry,I really do. I hope people can keep their jobs,but not at the salaries they are making.