Media myths about Big Three workers

one point I made to my wife's friends making these insane assertions (4.00 / 3)

and to preface and certainly not to brag but we live in developments that are priced in the $300k to $400k range.  I'm a professional engineer but I'll go to the mat for the UAW and it's workers.  I acutely understand that my benefits and worker protections are a direct result of actions taken by the UAW and it's workers.

That said, I challenged my wife's friends to tell me how many UAW workers they knew of that lived in our neighborhoods?  In any upper class neighborhood because at $90,000 you could live pretty damn good let alone $110,000/year.  It's ridiculous and shameful the dersision that UAW workers recieve.  Every plant I visit with my work as an Engineer, I am always respectful, polite and just decent to the men and women working thier asses off putting our cars together.  And they work hard folks, many times in dank, musty and dirty conditions, super hot when it's hot out and maybe comfortable when it's cold out.  And these days they are working with an axe hanging over thier heads.  It's just shameful, shameful.

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by: Gaspare @ Mon Nov 24, 2008 at 13:05:15 PM CST

In my neighborhood... (0.00 / 0)

... we have 3 GM engineering, 1 Ford engineer. One of the GM guy has lost his job so far.

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by: Tucker Lebnoch @ Tue Nov 25, 2008 at 08:27:27 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Holy Crap! (4.00 / 2)

Thank you for addressing this incredibly frustrating bit of misinformation.  As I was reading it I was listening to some ReThug on Hardball talk about UAW workers in Detroit and how they make $70/hr.

My father-in-law drove fork lift at a GM plant until he retired a few years ago.  My husband and I had no idea he was so rich! Wait...that's because he's not.  

He probably never made more than $60k/year at most, and probably far less than that most of his 30 years at GM. Not that I don't wish my in-laws were rich, but I've had to face reality.  They're not rich, and someday my husband and I will inherit their garage full of half-finished crap and the world's ugliest beer stein collection.  Thank god the Republicans abolished the "Death Tax" so the government can't take its share of the steins.    

 

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by: DocHopper @ Mon Nov 24, 2008 at 19:51:02 PM CST

Thanks for posting this... (0.00 / 0)

... information and links in this piece.

The big myth is that is NOT about the UAW, which is only a small fraction of the employment affected by the crisis.

Great post.

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by: Tucker Lebnoch @ Tue Nov 25, 2008 at 08:25:25 AM CST

It is about the UAW (0.00 / 0)

The right wing sees their chance to break one of the last powerful unions remaining. That's exactly what it's about.

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by: happy camper @ Tue Nov 25, 2008 at 11:30:29 AM CST

[ Parent ]

That may be... (0.00 / 0)

... but the fact is that only 1 of 12 people directly impacted by all this are in the UAW.

And yes, the UAW is always a target.  People forget their history, remember "In Dubious Battle"?

We are with you 'brother'....

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by: Tucker Lebnoch @ Wed Nov 26, 2008 at 14:51:01 PM CST

[ Parent ]

To make that much (0.00 / 0)

A GM worker would have to work 16 hours a day 365 days a year. Why don't they just include the cost of property taxes, utilities, materials, and executive compensation too? And of course, as GM trims its workforce, that number will rise, since there will be fewer hours worked to spread these "costs" around to. So the leaner the company gets, the more their labor will "cost". Talk about a meaningless measure of anything.

If the UAW negotiated a contract that had their members work for free, the price of a car would drop by 5%. Wow, I'll bet sales would go through the roof!

Most members of the media know bupkis about unions, and most, I dare say, have never worked in a factory. And the only people they ever consult about labor issues are management or members of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, so they cluelessly pass on spin and outright lies. No wonder readership is down.

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by: happy camper @ Tue Nov 25, 2008 at 11:28:47 AM CST