We are finally getting to the bottom.

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   rhamsonposted 12 years ago

   With the export of jobs to overseas manufacturers there is little left for the American worker to do to make a decent wage.  The article explains that GM with UAW blessing will now offer jobs at its new plant in Detroit $14.00 an hour, half of the base wages they are paying other UAW workers.  That is to compete with other companies like Ford who pay their workers in Mexico $10.00 an hour.
   
   This race to the bottom is working just fine for the corporate elite and only inproves their bottom line to recieve the next well earned bonus on the backs of the American working man.
   
   http://finance.yahoo.com/news/With-Chev … 0&.v=1

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      KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well there are a lot of other types of jobs out there. We can't live in the past and rely on manufacturing anymore.
      
      And you can blame the union bosses for the fall of the auto industry. If they hadn't been so greedy they wouldn't have driven the auto companies out of business. I agree that workers deserve benefits, but no one deserves a pension and health coverage for life after retiring at the age of 45 or 50. That's unrealistic and unsustainable. It's just common sense.
      
      It's not all on the big bosses at the top, the unions had their part to play as well.

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         Will Apseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah, those damn unions forcing the corporations to head abroad just to find people still willing to be exploited.

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            KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            That may be the way some see it, but I see it as those damn unions fighting for unreal benefits and wages for unskilled workers. When you demand more pay than you're worth you can expect your job to go to someone who will do it for less. It just makes sense, and you can think it's all about greed, but I think it's smart business.

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               rhamsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               What is funny is that the unions are only following what the government example has provided for many years.  A job that someone can base a career on and provide for his or her family with some security.  The individuals that operate outside that arena are left to make it on their own with both high risks and rewards for their hard work.  I don't think it is unreasonable for someone to want to aspire to a middle class wage with middle class benefits because the company squanders much of it's profits on outrageous benefit packages for the higher management.
               
               Mind you I am a self employed individual who is just musing on the structure of our economy that continues to reward the very wealthy through the sweat and hard work of others without wishing to compensate them adequatley

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                  KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Well we live on a county salary in our house as my husband is in law enforcement. He will have a pension thanks to the state of Texas, and could potentially continue his health insurance after retiring if we want to pay for it. I don't think these are extravagant benefits, but they are better than some get. Of course some people have none when they retire, other than what they get from the government. I personally don't think there will be anything left in social security or medicare by the time we retire in about 20 years. Things will certainly have changed by then because of the baby boomers.
                  
                  I agree that many executives get more than they deserve.
                  
                  My grandfather, whom I adored above all others, was the President of a trucking company and was given a huge pension and health coverage for life, which then continued to cover my grandmother until her death. That's pretty extravagant. Did he earn it, yes. He was very good at his job and they appreciated him. He was on the state energy commission and did a lot for the trucking industry in his state. But it's not realistic to give benefits like that to every line worker in a massive auto plant. Without upper management there would be no jobs for those workers.

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      Evan G Rogersposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's not a race to the bottom - it just shows you that "people making cars" isn't worth more than $14/hr to the average consumer. If you think that people are willing to pay for cars made with $30/hr wage-rates, then start your own car company that pays workers $30/hr.
      
      (Psst, don't actually do that: you'll go broke very very very quickly because "car-production labor" isn't even worth $14/hour, it's apparently worth $10)
      
      Or, how bout this, go out and buy a car that was made with $30/hour wage rates! You could probably buy a $17,000 car for $20,000!! That'd be swell, wouldn't it! Paying more money for the same product!
      
      Also, this "don't ship jobs overseas" stuff is just masked racism.
      
      Why don't you want Mexicans to work? Why don't you want other humans on this planet to work?
      
      Obviously foreign labor is worth less than US labor. I'm shocked that GM is offering $14/hr when they could be getting the same product for $10/hr south of the border. ---- But I guess that's what happens when you get a few hundred billion in bailouts from tax payers.
      
      Remind me not to pay taxes - I'm sick of my money going to failed businesses and the murdering of innocents abroad.

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         rhamsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         You say tomato I say tomato.  Your statement shows that you really don't have a grasp on the car industry.  Why do you think the foreign car companies can pay their people so much less?  Could it be the subsidies and state funded healthcare that might make a tinge bit of a difference?  Do you think they pay Mercedes and BMW factory workers the equivalent of $10.00 to $14.00 per hour?  The figure is closer to $30.00 per hour?  Why do you think Mercedes Benz and BMW are relocating facilities here in the US?  There is your car made at $30.00 per hour and their sales are great. The lower wages and benefit packages that they have to pay their European Counterparts and won't have to here.  We are the new mexican labor force to supply these European car companies their labor. The new bottom. 
         
         http://articles.latimes.com/1993-09-30/ … al-alabama
         
         As far as masked racism I guess you are happy to pay less for a product that has had no environmental or safety issues addressed when it comes to their production and the health of the workers let alone the health issues provided to us ie. malamine in dog food, leaded paint in childrens toys, arsenic laced drywall etc.
         
         As far as bailouts I am against it but the tide has rolled the other way against American manufacturing for so long. The debt is too deep and the will is not there to correct it so I guess we will have to settle for the new normal at the bottom of the heap.
         
         I like your altruistic attitude when it comes to employing Mexicans. LOL.
         
         I agree that money should not go to failed businesses and I am 100% behind you on stopping the greedy wars we are now engaged in for Haliburton and the like.

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   Emile Rposted 12 years ago

   My grandfather was a big union supporter. After he retired he was called to help with arbitration on several occasions. He was very well respected by the union. Before he died, he admitted the unions had gone too far and would break America.
   
   But, we have worse problems than that now. The greed within corporations are killing us, with so many jobs going overseas. We need to become a little more protectionist. Not worry so much about the world economy and focus on our own. The Chinese suppressed the value of their currency in order to bump up their exports. We should impose tariffs to level the playing field and even push it in our own favor on our own soil. 
   
   It may cause prices to rise, but they are rising anyway, but at least people would have jobs. You can't sell to the unemployed.

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      rhamsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely there has been many liberties the unions have taken to posture themselves in a more dominating role but where has that left the worker? No representation in a smaller job market driven by companies cutting to their bottom line the fastest way possible.
      
      I think some sort of tarrif system should have always been in place but the race to de-regulation led us through NAFTA and the slime on the hill fed by big business lobbying is looking to open the market to even lower standard of living countries for us to compete with.
      
      It is funny that for this capitalist model to work in our Free society we need a corrupt repressive country to compliment the scene.
      
      Read my blog for more on this.

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         Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Large multi national corporations yes, but not all. I work for a large privately owned company. Excellent pay. Excellent benefits. We have nothing to do with unions.
         
         I believe one of the major problems is with publicly traded companies. Too many people clamoring for profits on too many levels. Too little concern for anything but profit. The worker and the owner are too seperated to care for one another.

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            rhamsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I think the bigger picture is yet to come when we will be part of the EU as globalization works deeper into our economy.  The Japanese got a little shot of that when the Tsunami took out part of their infrastructure.  The car companies could not keep the supply line going and caused some scaling back of operations due to it.
            
            Greece and Italy are facing harsh austerity program cuts because of our meltdown and Spain is on the ropes as well.
            
            Globalization is a tough thing to make happen while carrying on wars with many of the missing links in the process.

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               KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Huh???? Part of the EU??? That's nuts, sorry to tell you. Never gonna happen.

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                  Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  I agree with you. It's not something I could imagine happening.

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                  rhamsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  So who do you think runs things in this country already?  The Federal Reserve and its cohorts.  Just look into it yourself.  The IMF the WTO and the World Bank have already got the biggest chunk of influence there is.  If you can't imagine it then you had better stop dreaming and wake up to it.  The London bankers are calling the shots and who do you think pushed for the EU?

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   optimus grimlockposted 12 years ago

   $10.00 an hour in mexico is like 20-30 an hour here! So you can move to Mexico work for ford and live  like a king! You would have to do alot of persuading so companies would come back to the U.S. It was take to much time and cost to much money to do so, so its easier to move on!

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      rhamsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Easier for who? The 50 ish worker who has age related health problems and no health coverage because he can't get hired or insured due to it.  Easier to get a college loan he would have to pay the rest of his life so he can get one of those non-existent high tech jobs we keep on being promised? Even if he could accomplish all of that he would still be competing with some techie from India who would come in at half the cost to the company.
      
      Your view shows a lack of real thought and careless abandon to the hype we have all been being fed by people who want only to pay the middle class less to line their own pockets.

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   Reality Bytesposted 12 years ago

   Not to be redundant in threads but:
   
   Prisoners in the United States are taking the jobs!  Call centers, manufacturing, you name it and the incarcerated property will do the work.

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   Moderndayslaveposted 12 years ago

   http://endoftheamericandream.com/

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