Wildman_grafix

I work for a supplier to the auto industry. GM is one of my clients, and that makes me spend alot of time in China at their joint venture. Subaru on the other hand keeps me in Indiana.
GM pushed us to make there parts in mexico and china to reduce the price. This caused us to close a couple of US plants.
Toyota said no way keep the KY plant open that supplies their KY plant, they don't want our junk made in china.
An engineer I work with in china said her friend works at toyota, they work hard at reduceing thieir internal cost and want quality parts from the suppliers. GM constently hammers us for the cheapest we can give them.
Therefore we never give them our latest or best technology.
So it is hard to tell what a "American" car is anymore.

BTW, I will be losing my job becuase of one of the plant closings.

hunster

Don't forget the employer contribution for social security. It's the same as you get deducted from your wages and salaries. That adds up to a nice little sunday surprise !!

rlj676

It is mind boggling the mis-information and ignorance that is out there about GM.

Only in America will the people root for the foriegners and hope for the demise of one of the biggest employers out there in THEIR country.

People need to realize two things I think.

A. Quality and efficiency of the newer domestics is BETTER than the Japanese.

B. Foreign gov'ts do a TON to support and grow their domestics (just try to buy an American brand in Japan for instance).

The fact that the avg person has no idea about this pisses me off to no end, as they sit there against a "bailout" that would never be necessary without WALL ST screwing up lending for both the OEM's, and their customers.

rlj676

I'd say there's a few reasons for this.

The transplants need to appear American (for now) and want localization.

GM on the other hand, has to get the best price because our labor costs are still higher (until 2010), and selling prices are at a signifigant discount to them.

Dean Ferry

Until the BIG 3 get rid of the unions, they will NEVER be able to compete, PERIOD. I don't wish anyone to lose their job, (I Too am unemployed at the moment!) but the unions make the big 3 too expensive and inefficient to compete with the imports.

articfriends

iTrader: (1)

Legacy employees maybe,the replacement employees gm,ford,delphi etc have hired to replace the people forced into retirement over past three years are under a new UAW contract,this is NEVER mentioned by the media even though these employees currently are becoming the MAJORITY of factory workers under UAW contract.
FACT: Under the new contract,non-core employees and new hires (these make up new majority of workers,non-legacy employees) have had the following changes:
1.pay has been trimmed from 28$ a hour to 14$ a hour for assembly line workers/fork truck drivers/cnc operators etc,the only people in my plant making over 18$ a hour are skilled trades and legacy workers.
1. NO health insurance when they retire
2. A 401 k plan where company matches 30% of employees 7 % based on a 40 hour week INSTEAD of a defined retirement plan.(no more free retirement)
3. a watered down 80/20 bcbs insurance plan w/1000$ deductible
4. No more "lay-off pay" (except legacy employees)
5. There are a slew of other benefits that have been trimmed/cut to nothing.
I work in A UAW plant and have seen this first hand,3 years ago we had 950 employees,all legacy employees receiving the glorious benefits so many people are jealous of,today our number is under 600 and there are less then 15 legacy employees left,Smitty

open87

iTrader: (2)

feel for you , i am un employed too..

Wildman_grafix

Articfriends and rlj676 are both correct.

Also having seen some of the new product that will be out starting 2010 model year it looks like at least G.M. will start building stuff that people want. If they get a chance.

I don't see a problem with wanting to see a plan, maybe when they present it thy should fly commercial like everyone else. Might help the perception out, and everyone knows perception is reality in our media driven world.

I have a friend that is one of those "Legacy cost" employees that was forced out. 55 years old, I haven;t talked with him in a little while, wonder what he has to say about this.

boatme

If I want money for my company and I go to the banks I have to have a FULL BLOW business plan in hand or they won’t talk to me.
The car guys go in looking for 25 billion dollars with no plan and a "trust me" attitude


Their arrogance is reason alone to send the Big three packing

PatriYacht

I think the management is arogant and stupid also. Less than 10 years ago, when GM was making a good profit, they wasted billions buying Saab and buying an option on Fiat. After 10 billion spent, neither has returned dime one to the company. Bet they wish they had that money back now. GMAC turned into a money pit by giving out too many bad mortgage loans, after years of being the biggest money earner in the company. Now, however, we're talking about how to save the little guys that had nothing to do with those stupid decisions. Give them the loans with the stipulation that upper management has to go.