United Auto Workers union may go on strike yet again; are they and other unions ruining America?

Question

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070924/auto_talks.html?.v=10


"The health care fund -- known as a Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association, or VEBA -- would be a groundbreaking change for the auto industry and has been the major issue in this year's negotiations. GM has around $51 billion in unfunded retiree health care costs but the company isn't required to put the full amount into the VEBA. The UAW and GM have been wrangling over how much GM should put in and how much can be paid in cash or in stock.

GM, which has about 339,000 UAW retirees and spouses, badly wants to pay the union to form the VEBA to get the health care liabilities off its books. In exchange, the UAW was expected to ask for future work guarantees at its U.S. plants"

if you do the math, thats close to $150,000 per person the union is asking for. i read somewhere when ford's financial woes were coming to light that the average assembly line worker (many of whom probably only have a high school education or less) averaged $70,000 per year while the average american family has an income of something like $40,000. meanwhile their companies are billions of dollars in debt and still hemmoraging money and the gov will probably bail them out. unions were great 100 years ago when conditons and wages were horrible, but i think they are getting way out of hand and need to be stopped. they continue to bite the hand that feeds them and this is why american companies cant compete with foreign companies. I will not buy an American car until unions quit their whining.

ill agree there are some responsible unions. teachers unions and police unions tend to be happy with modest pay and benefits, maybe those professions even deserve more. but its ridicoulous how much the auto unions are asking for when their companies are broke and theyre already making double the average american to put a bolt in a door. and their cars still suck. i hope they all lose their jobs to some 10 year old in guatamala that'll work for $5 a day.

Answer 1

No, the more than 1000% increase over the last decade in health care costs is ruining America.

Answer 2

The union has been replaced by the lawsuit, which is proving to be cheaper and more effective.
The UAW is mostly responsible (along with poor management at the top), for the current condition of the Big 3, and the shift to overseas manufacturing. So I say let them strike, then hire a bunch of lackeys off the street (Detroit has a ton of homeless!) and pay them $15/hr to bolt the door on. They'll be glad for the job and the crazy cost of manufacturing is cut out. Or just close up shop in the US and move overseas (sounds familiar, eh?).
The UAW will be nonexistent in 20 years because you can't demand outrageous pay, when the company can simply go overseas and pay someone else 1/10th the wage to do the same thing. Global economy = no unions.

Answer 3

Unions teaming up with the Democratic party will destroy this country. I was a Union delegate in my job, working my way through college. Union's are not out for their workers or the country, their out for themselves. I'm hearing Obama will not touch Unions because the Unions have a contract and this cannot be touched. CEO's have contracts and Obama has no problem touching them. Cap and Trade will hurt this country. Government should not force their beliefs down our throats. The free market will do this. Allow the cost of energy to double and we Americans will learn what efficiency and conserversation is. The free market rewards entrepreneurs instead of the Government picking winners and losers.

Answer 4

I wont say that the unions are bad for America, I will say that unions that have absolute power are bad for America. Unions in America are for the most part unneeded, and seem to be their own corporation. Most of the people that are running the unions, are doing so only for the money, its not like any of them were ever on an assembly line, or doing hard labor anywhere else. No wonder American companies would rather go south or overseas to manufacture their goods.

Answer 5

No. Its a shame that unionized workers have declined so drastically in my generation. Unions make sure that the working class are treated well. The only people who don't like them are NeoCons who think that they are too much of a hardship on billion dollar companies.

Boo Hoo for GM.

Answer 6

You've been watching Faux news, haven't ya? Good old corporate-owned and Republican shill Faux News! These 'tards have changed the country to the Facist States of America.

Unions' days are done? In your corporate-owned dreams, dude. Workers need to get their heads out of their colons and unite. Life in this country was never as good, and will never again be as good, as when the unions were in their prime. Never again, unless and until unions are back, strong and powerfully led. John L. Sullivan, where are you when we need you?

Answer 7

Sure, go after them while they're down, broke and in need of support from their workers. Typical, isn't it? Can you blame them if they move their ENTIRE operations out of this country?

Yes, they continue to ruin us and they also continue to tighten that noose around their own throats.

Answer 8

I put as much faith in unions as I do in Haliburton. Both entities are bad for Americans.

Answer 9

to Heck with UAW, they are anti-American scumbags.

I haven't bought an "American" vehicle since the 1980s and don't plan to unless and untill the UAW is disbanded

Down with Organized Labor!
Down with UAW!