GM plant / United Auto Workers Local 23

[Armed Citizen]

Congratulations to the UAW local 23 for standing together and rejecting an offer that would have kept the Indianapolis metal plant open. Congratulations on the lose of 650 production workers and more than 50 salaried workers jobs. Where was the win in your stance? What did you gain? How does your decision affect Indianapolis down the road? Here we go, IMO this is exactly the reason why a foreign auto maker is the #1 selling vehicle in the US today. I don't see the logic in closing a plant, sure I can understand your issue with a wage cut (by nearly half). But like momma always said "a half glass of milk is better than no milk". According to the unemployment statistics I'm sure there are thousands of unemployed people that would love to have a job paying $15.50 per hour.
I just don't understand, I guess it all comes down to GREED.
Congratulations on your WIN !!!!!! What will your unemployment checks breakdown to per hour???? Not $15.50 per hour.

 

[Joe Williams]

I can't blame them. Who wouldn't rather be unemployed rather than have a job? There are plenty others out there, after all. And who the heck can provide for a family on only $15.50 an hour? That's only almost twice what I make.

I understand getting your pay whacked that much would suck... I don't understand the simple failure to comprehend reality.

 

[BloodEclipse]

Congratulations to the UAW local 23 for standing together and rejecting an offer that would have kept the Indianapolis metal plant open. Congratulations on the lose of 650 production workers and more than 50 salaried workers jobs. Where was the win in your stance? What did you gain? How does your decision affect Indianapolis down the road? Here we go, IMO this is exactly the reason why a foreign auto maker is the #1 selling vehicle in the US today. I don't see the logic in closing a plant, sure I can understand your issue with a wage cut (by nearly half). But like momma always said "a half glass of milk is better than no milk". According to the unemployment statistics I'm sure there are thousands of unemployed people that would love to have a job paying $15.50 per hour.
I just don't understand, I guess it all comes down to GREED.
Congratulations on your WIN !!!!!! What will your unemployment checks breakdown to per hour???? Not $15.50 per hour.

You want to stay at your job for half the pay and none of the benefits?
It is easy to tell others that they should, but if it is your household do you fold and allow the company to get those concessions?
If you do, they feel emboldened and soon will be asking for more cuts.
Most people are weak and cave for the sake of a job while others won't stand for it.

 

[femurphy77]

I don't know how I would react in this situation but it is true that I couldn't make it on half what I'm making now. Might as well go to flipping burgers in my case. It sounded like a win situation for the newer employees in having employment down the road and a win for the old timers who were going to get a bonus and transfer to another plant for current wages. I guess maybe they think GM will blink, don't know but not a smart move in my lowly opinion.

 

[jd4320t]

I'm not in their shoes and hope to never be but losing 750 jobs in Indy is something everyone should be against. I have no idea how the UAW really works but if those people want to keep their money and move away then I say more power to them.

 

[4sarge]

Do NOT Fear, Obama is Near. The US TaxPayer will Provide $$'s to the UAW for those Lost (Forfeited Jobs). Social Justice & Redistribution of Wealth will Not allow UAW Democratic Voters to go unprovided for. After all, this is the CHANGE that the Socialist UAW Voted for

 

[AllenM]

I love the smell of sarcasm in the morning

 

[melensdad]

I guess maybe they think GM will blink

GM is selling the plant OR closing it down. The new buyer offered to buy the plant and even take the workers but not at the GM/UAW wages. The new buyer has plants in other parts of the world, it is no skin off its back if this plant is in some other nation or if it is in Indiana.

GM already announced the closing, so that is official.

I don't blame workers for not wanting to take the offer. But that said, I think they are freaking idiots.

Why would you hire workers to make your product and then pay them outrageous wages to make something that is NOT what they were making? This is a simple stamping plant. They can stamp anything from complicated car parts to simply parts for toasters or toys. Sorry but I'm not paying workers high wages to make parts that I can make at one of my other plants for less.

Idiots.

Its no wonder that America has lost almost all of its manufacturing jobs.

 

[Arm America]

I have been following this as well. A sad day indeed.
I failed to notice the grocery stores offering to cut these families bill in half,
I failed to notice the utility companies offering to cut their bills in half,
I missed the article offering a them lower property taxes on their current homes provided they continued to work for half the wage.

I won't be a slave to any employer, cut my wages in half,
give me two checks and a road map.

 

[Joe Williams]

Wonder if the new company will be hiring new workers? I'll take that $15.50 in a heartbeat. It would be a God send.

Could do a lot for my family on that kind of money!

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I have been following this as well. A sad day indeed.
I failed to notice the grocery stores offering to cut these families bill in half,
I failed to notice the utility companies offering to cut their bills in half,
I missed the article offering a them lower property taxes on their current homes provided they continued to work for half the wage.

I won't be a slave to any employer, cut my wages in half,
give me two checks and a road map.

When I was on Active Duty the last time, I was making $75K a year. I went from that to unemployment. I would have taken a 50% pay cut in a heartbeat to have money coming in. But, I've been out of work before...

 

[Armed Citizen]

They sure weren't making a stand when GM went to the feds for a "Bail-Out" package. This decision will have a ripple effect on more than just the plant employees, what about the local supply vendors, the truckers that haul rolls of steel into the facility and finished products out. What about the millions and millions of dollars of tax money that the Indiana economy just lost.
To me it's a no-brainer. If I came to my wife and told her that the company that I was working for is closing down, BUT another company has offered to purchase the company and keep it open but I will make half of what I did before, she would tell me to jump on it. Stay employed and if it dosen't work out find something else.
But see here is where the problem lies, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE!!!
THE ECONOMY, THE JOB MARKET, SUCKS!!!!!!!

 

[copper]

I am so happy that I just started my new job...After looking for the past 10 months...$14.48/ hr....about 1/2 of what i was making in 2008...and i'm not being sarcastic ...

 

[jd4320t]

On the drive home this morning I came to a conclusion. These people are crazy! I've worked in an automotive stamping plant. We made parts for the "big 3" and many others. We were NOT UAW. I remember hearing guys talk about other UAW stamping plants including the one in Indy and how they made twice as much money as us and worked half as hard.

I'm very happy for the UAW employess who make a great wage but the time is coming to an end. I'm not saying it's right but I'm saying it's coming. I agree that $15.50/hour is a great starting wage for a factory job.

We all need to remember that we don't own our jobs...we are simply paid for our time.

 

[Tripp11]

IMO, these UAW workers are complete morons. Now they are ALL without a job, and the job market isn't booming in case they haven't noticed.

Pay cuts are a fact of life these last few years. My wife is an architect and her firm cut everyone's pay by 20% two years ago and another 20% six months ago. The business owners made a tough decision and informed everyone of their plan, but their business has dropped off significantly and they had to cut expenses everywhere they could. Moving to a cheaper leased location, cutting back on supplies, cutting back on publications/periodicals, and cutting pay. So, either they started firing people or they could reduce pay. No one is hiring, so it was a no brainer for our household.

Everyone in this economy needs to adapt, and that includes UAW workers who are accustomed to making $40 an hour for a job that is currently going for $20 an hour.

 

[Armed Citizen]

On the drive home this morning I came to a conclusion. These people are crazy! I've worked in an automotive stamping plant. We made parts for the "big 3" and many others. We were NOT UAW. I remember hearing guys talk about other UAW stamping plants including the one in Indy and how they made twice as much money as us and worked half as hard.

I'm very happy for the UAW employess who make a great wage but the time is coming to an end. I'm not saying it's right but I'm saying it's coming. I agree that $15.50/hour is a great starting wage for a factory job.

We all need to remember that we don't own our jobs...we are simply paid for our time.

The Perfect Quote!!!!!

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

If you're unwilling to do the job you're asked to do under the terms the company is offering you should quit and find a new job. Let people who will work under those terms have it. It is that simple.

When did a job become a bloodright? When did a company become your parents? It isn't and they aren't.

There's still a lot of manufacturing going on in America. It is being done on Chinese and Japanese CNC equipment by a fraction of the staff it used to take. I talked to a guy yesterday that used to run a machine shop with about 40 operators. They kept driving wages up, finally to a point the owner decided he had enough. He bought two CNC turning centers, a conveyor system, a bar feed. After the bar feeder is filled no one touches the equipment or the product. As soon as he got everything in place he let all but three of the people go. The three people that he kept were the ones that always acted like they worked for him, not the ones that acted like he owed them something. So he ended up making more money and getting rid of all his employment problems. Good on him I say.

See the secret is that if non-communists lose a job, we have to live on $340 a week unemployment. If you're a member of the thugocracy then you get 90% of your wages and you're on a list to get moved someplace else. So they voted to take a 10% rather than a 50% pay cut. Simple math.

The union doesn't care for a minute about the economic impact on Indianapolis. These people are the locust of the field. The mob at the coliseum. As soon as they've stripped an area bare, they move along to find another field to destroy. That's exactly what they've done.

 

[BloodEclipse]

Everyone in this economy needs to adapt, and that includes UAW workers who are accustomed to making $40 an hour for a job that is currently going for $20 an hour.

More like $28 and new hires are $14.

 

[noname1]

They should not be allowed to receive unemployment. In my mind they essentially quit and burned the building on the way out. If you don't want to work for what is being offered, find a new job. Great job losers, you just cut hundreds of jobs that will still pay nearly twice minimum wage from the region. China loves you!

 

[The Keymaster]

And now the rest of us have to pay them for doing nothing.