Detroit Press Slams UAW

[Z-06]

Detroit Media Reaction

The lead headline on the Detroit Free Press’s Web site this morning asks: “How long can the strike last?” In theory, the paper says, the answer is: a long time. The UAW has a strike fund that could keep workers off the job for a year, the newspaper reports. “But the frightening effects a national strike would have on UAW members, their households and the many other businesses and individuals who rely on GM for their livelihoods likely would come much sooner.”

In the paper’s main editorial on the opinion page, the headline reads: “It’s hard to see any winners in strike.”

“Coupled with state government’s impending meltdown for lack of a budget, let’s just say this is probably not a great week to be recruiting new businesses and employers to Michigan,” the paper writes.

Freep columnist Tom Walsh points out that the union has few good options these days: “It’s an institution with declining influence, fewer and fewer friends and one big weapon it can ill afford to use without destroying itself in the process”

Detroit News blogger George Bullard offered a blunt assessment of the UAW’s use of that weapon:

“Only one thing could be dumber than the run up to the $1.8 billion state budget deficit. And that’s a major strike that further hoses down the economy. Now we have both,” he wrote.

News columnist Daniel Howes registered similar sentiments: “Just when it looked like Detroit’s auto industry was poised for a breakthrough deal, the United Auto Workers strikes General Motors Corp. and we’re back to 1970 all over again.”

The News topped its opinion page with an editorial titled: “What’s good for GM is good for the UAW”

“A national strike of General Motors Corp. by the United Auto Workers doesn’t help anyone,” the paper writes, “but it certainly hurts — the workers, the company, the domestic auto industry and Michigan.”

“But it’s not 1970, except here in Michigan. GM doesn’t dominate its home market; foreign-owned rivals do. The UAW doesn’t represent the growing work forces at rivals operating down South — and probably won’t anytime soon should this walkout become a recruiting poster for anti-UAW forces from Alabama to Texas.”

[Camino LS6]

Time to read the writing on the wall , UAW!

[Intrepidation]

GM should just fie them all and retrain non-union workers..it's costly but i bet they'd be better off in the long run.

[Z-06]

I think strategically GM has won the strike.

The results would be better had Ford and Chry stepped in. It is not 50's where the other two watched on the side lines as UAW scape goated one, and then went on to bargain with the others. In short term the other two saw their Market Share increase, but in long term they gave more to the UAW, thus coming out as losers. Big three are already losing, by letting UAW play the same dirty trick, they will lose more.

Wake up Cerebrus and Mullaly, you are in deeper doo-doo than GM, if UAW wins this battle with GM, you will lose big time.

[Drew Dowdell]

Ford and Chrysler should lock out UAW members in retaliation.

[Lamar]

Ford and Chrysler should lock out UAW members in retaliation.

Agreed.

Or, let their UAW members know that if they strike, they don't have to bother about coming back.

[SoCalCTS]

I think there is a secret deal between GM and the Union. The Union gets to flex its muscle showing that they will strike. GM gets to save money by shutting down its plants for a few days and reducing inventory. After a few days, they come back to the bargaining table work out some deal that was inevitable and walk away looking like winners on both sides.

[2QuickZ's]

I think there is a secret deal between GM and the Union. The Union gets to flex its muscle showing that they will strike. GM gets to save money by shutting down its plants for a few days and reducing inventory. After a few days, they come back to the bargaining table work out some deal that was inevitable and walk away looking like winners on both sides.

Agreed. I was just discussing that with my coworkers yesterday. I told them I thought the strike would likely last only 2-3 days with a week being the maximum.

[BigPontiac]

I think there is a secret deal between GM and the Union. The Union gets to flex its muscle showing that they will strike. GM gets to save money by shutting down its plants for a few days and reducing inventory. After a few days, they come back to the bargaining table work out some deal that was inevitable and walk away looking like winners on both sides.

Agreed. I think the UAW needed to strike in order to sell the GM deal to it's membership.

Nice article in CNNMoney about it yesterday. LINK

[CARBIZ]

I think there is a secret deal between GM and the Union. The Union gets to flex its muscle showing that they will strike. GM gets to save money by shutting down its plants for a few days and reducing inventory. After a few days, they come back to the bargaining table work out some deal that was inevitable and walk away looking like winners on both sides.

Yeah, the brass on both sides probably sit around, drinking beer, talking about the latest baseball game for 8-9 hours, then pshyche themselves up to storm out in a huff!

[MyerShift]

UAW You're In Trouble!!!!

[Simon C]

Ford and Chrysler should lock out UAW members in retaliation.

Dude, what the heck are you talking about? They want GM & the UAW to setup the pattern of the contracts.

"retaliation"?? Retaliation for what ... striking another company?

It ain't going to happen.

[Simon C]

I think there is a secret deal between GM and the Union. The Union gets to flex its muscle showing that they will strike. GM gets to save money by shutting down its plants for a few days and reducing inventory. After a few days, they come back to the bargaining table work out some deal that was inevitable and walk away looking like winners on both sides.

I think you hit it right on.

[Newbiewar]

I think there is a secret deal between GM and the Union. The Union gets to flex its muscle showing that they will strike. GM gets to save money by shutting down its plants for a few days and reducing inventory. After a few days, they come back to the bargaining table work out some deal that was inevitable and walk away looking like winners on both sides.

if GM gets away with a considerable amount of consessions, they could probably comit a lot of new jobs to the UAW, but... they must cut deep!

when was it GM said it would be the largest and most profitiable auto company in the world? 2012?

[enzl]

I tend to agree with the conspiracy theorists that this 'action' was pre-ordained, allowing the UAW to appear strong and GM to look like they're finally not agreeing to business as usual, vis-a-vis the UAW.

If the strike cuts a few weeks of inventory, relieves GM of the burden of pay for the days off & results in a historic deal that the Union can sell to membership, its all good.

Of course, if the UAW isn't careful, they may be killing their golden goose.

[Newbiewar]

I tend to agree with the conspiracy theorists that this 'action' was pre-ordained, allowing the UAW to appear strong and GM to look like they're finally not agreeing to business as usual, vis-a-vis the UAW.

If the strike cuts a few weeks of inventory, relieves GM of the burden of pay for the days off & results in a historic deal that the Union can sell to membership, its all good.

Of course, if the UAW isn't careful, they may be killing their golden goose.

as it has been aware, UAW already analyze all of GM's books to make sure the money isnt going bad places, and they already understand how critical the need is...

this is unlike previous deal arrangments... because GM could claim the need, yet be hiding certain financial information that is lucrative to the UAW...

but this time, UAW and GM both know how bad the situation is...

and while GM is the healthiest of the big 3, its really a bunch of big 3 losers...

[Fletch Radford]

as it has been aware, UAW already analyze all of GM's books to make sure the money isnt going bad places, and they already understand how critical the need is...

this is unlike previous deal arrangments... because GM could claim the need, yet be hiding certain financial information that is lucrative to the UAW...

but this time, UAW and GM both know how bad the situation is...

and while GM is the healthiest of the big 3, its really a bunch of big 3 losers...

QUOTE(enzl @ Sep 25 2007, 01:16 PM)

I tend to agree with the conspiracy theorists that this 'action' was pre-ordained, allowing the UAW to appear strong and GM to look like they're finally not agreeing to business as usual, vis-a-vis the UAW.

If the strike cuts a few weeks of inventory, relieves GM of the burden of pay for the days off & results in a historic deal that the Union can sell to membership, its all good.

Of course, if the UAW isn't careful, they may be killing their golden goose.

Interesting, just to add fuel to the fire while all this was going on at Delphi (at least my plant) they were really pushing us to get our "strike banks" in (for GM) while they laid off 400 workers, and then today (9/26/07) out of the blue our goals were all completed (my bank still had 60,000+ parts to go for what GM paid for back in Feburary) and most of the laid off workers are getting call backs.

Edited September 26, 2007 by Fletch Radford

[hyperv6]

Don't count the UAW out. They now have a purpose in maintaining the large health care fund. The officals will make a big draw off of the money to pay themselves for maintaining it. I hope the goverment watches over this close so there are no sticky fingers.

Here in Akron we Killed the United Rubber Workers Union off. They dropped the torch and the United Steel Worker weak in membership offered to represent the Rubber workers. I fear if the UAW fails the Teamsters will pick up what is left.

Unions will combine and spit the little that they have left as few Union reps want to go out and have to really work for a living.

Unions are going to change and be weaker but I don't see them going away soon.