Detroit Business Daily

Should we force GM to get rid of UAW like they are getting rid of Rick Wagoner before getting more money?

If these guys are really worth what they think they are, they should be able to find comparable jobs elsewhere. The union only protects incompetent lazy workers. Good, productive workers do not need a union. GM can never compete efficiently unless they get rid of the union. Then they can keep thier best, most productive workers, pay them a fair wage to keep them, and get rid of the slugs who do not pull their weight.

Public Comments

1. If you ever notice that when GM goes on strike, the crime rate in Detroit spikes. These workers habits don't stop when their paychecks stop. The UAW has devised a way that makes it so that it takes three people to perform one function. You don't have to force GM to get rid of the UAW, The UAW will destroy GM single handedly. Adam Smith (Economist) wrote a law called the law of the invisible hand. "When a corporation is dishonest with the public, it will dissappear from the marketplace" GM was given money in the 1980's to create more fuel efficient cars by the federal government, they sidestepped this buy creating SUV's. SUV's are trucks and therefore did not have to meet the fuel efficicency guidelines, Dishonesty. They failed to put the proper amount of money into their pension plan, they simply deserve what they are getting. THE LAW OF THE INVISIBLE HAND HAS SPOKEN
2. Ah, if the world were as simple as what Adam Smith saw, and what this asker sees. Guess again. The workers are lazy and unproductive? Is Rick Wagoner really worth $14 million to GM each year? The exercise of power, and the exertion of effort from people, are two entirely different things. UAW is indeed ugly and corrupt, and Rick Wagoner and other incompetent managers are also ugly and corrupt. That the GM share holders were not nimble enough to do something about either of these problems is a fundamental statement about corruption in America. The answers to these problems are far, far more difficult than "let the market handle it" After a certain critical mass has been achieved (and GM is well beyond that point), an organization like GM is ripe for corruption. The free market also would put cocaine in elementary schools. But we don't adjust by asking "who decides?" We reasonably answer these difficult questions by establishing laws carefully and responsibly. In America, when corporations get really big, our corruption looks uglier than in many third world countries. This is what we must fix. The same goes for the banking industry. Very large, equals very corrupt.
3. no, the problem with the auto industry is at the top, and a cultural one. why do american ceo's make more than japanese and german ones, while heading over inferior products? why do americans insist on being addicted to black goop in the ground that isn't here, that poisons us, and that we have to kill for? why do people shrug when their jobs are sent out of the country, as if they have no power? why doesn't the american business community rally for national health coverage to alleviate the competitive burden of providing health care to employees? a bad worker might be a problem, but a few hundred bad ceo's can drive a country into the ground.
4. I don't blame the UAW, I blame GM management. They made the agreement w/ the UAW. Management approved poor designs (Pontiac Aztek, etc). Management should have reduced their brands and near duplicate cars within GM brands. Management is responsible for not adapting to the changing market place. The line workers are only following management's direction. I say fire most of the top management, not only Wagoner.
5. The unions need to be reined in. Also when Wagner's firing hit the press yesterday,it caused not only GM stocks to drop but Asian markets which were in the middle trading,plummeted. Now Asians could blame the UAW for stock losses in thier markets.