Originally Posted by
knobster
I believe Roody to be correct. The auto industry is doomed as this small amount of money (in the larger picture) will not allow them to re-tool enough to revive their sales. Even if they do, they don't have the customers that they once did. What they need to do is scale back dramatically. Fire everyone that is a union employee and rehire them back but with the understanding no union workers will be hired. No idea if that would work or not though as there may be laws and such preventing that. But like Roody states, without some sort of bailout, we're going to be in a depression like no other. Personally, I think we're headed there regardless of what we do.
The last thing I want is to see auto workers fired or forced to take permanent pay cuts. For one thing, this would cripple the industry, because you can't find people to do this kind of fatiguing and monotonous work unless you pay them well. And every worker in the world deserves a good pension and health care.
The UAW indicated yesterday that they're willing to take "sweeping pay cuts" and many other concessions. Don't forgot that they already agreed to cut the starting pay of many new hires IN HALF, so they clearly are willing to make sacrifices for their company. Let's see if the boards of directors care enough to make some sacrifices of their own.
(disclosure--I'm a member of the UAW and I live in one of the major car towns in Michigan, but I don't work in the auto industry.)