Why Verizon Chose Fairpoint > Getting rid of the unions would be a good thing!

reply to NOCMan

Re: Getting rid of the unions would be a good thing!

No they wouldn't. Air traffic controllers weren't. They were simply fired. The aerospace unions having learned their lesson from the steel and auto industry understand that there is simply no money to be had. The US airlines are just now posting profits again since 2001 and any union action now would mean the death of their host. In that event, everyone loses.

The unions should start buying up failing airlines and run them like credit unions. Take the profits made and divide it up between the workers. 2 things would happen...it works and everyone is happy. It doesn't and they realize running an airline ain't easy.

There's a difference. We do not allow cheap foreign airlines to fly our commuter routes.

The Auto industry failed because they paid their employees way too much. 65 dollars an hour to affix doors on a car?

Foreign autoplants are going all robotic and their employees are getting good pay (They fix the robots) and require fewer of them.

American cars are plain by any standard, lack features that people clearly want at a price point that Americans are able to afford.

Another clue why they're doomed to failure.

Look at these new E85 stickers on the back of cars. Oh yea what cars. Nope you only see them on the backs of those huge SUVs and Trucks and not the cheap ones. They clearly want to protect their high margin vehicles rather than help with the oil problem. That and look at Toyota and some Indian company who will be introducing sub 3000.00 cars into the US auto market.

I'll buy American, I remember when wal-mart was big on that. However when American means I'm buying high priced crap I'll pass and give my money to some company that actually gives a damn.
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Mac Chatter
»www.macchatter.net

A lot of GM's and Ford's cars and light trucks are available with flexfuel (E85) engines. Problem is you can't get E85 anywhere other than the plain-states so they aren't going to put them in their smaller vehicles. So for now FFV is marketed primarily to fleet owners (who don't buy or use small cars). They both make tons of CNG vehicles for fleet use as well. For the masses Ford was first to market with a hybrid SUV and Chevrolet the first to market with a hybrid full size truck and hybrid full size SUV. Saturn will be first to market with a hybrid cross-over SUV. But you'll never see media coverage of this stuff. The oil argument doesn't fly as GM puts out more models that get better than 30 MPG than ANY other car maker. However people still see GM as the gas guzzler maker.

As far as vehicles people don't want, this is contradicted by sales numbers. US small truck sales alone are about the same as the next 7 top cars combined. In 2006 Ford sold more F-Series trucks than Toyota sold Camrys, Solaras and Corolla's combined. So it's not volume that is hurting the industry and it's not the product they make.

I do agree it's the labor costs that are hurting these companies, moreover it's legacy labor costs. It's the money being spent on laborers who no longer produce anything.

If you think American cars suck, that's a different argument. I'm just looking at the numbers which clearly say American vehicles are selling well, there's just no margin in them because of these legacy costs.
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Macintosh Users Group Serving the Inland Empire

reply to NOCMan
Speaking of Wal-Mart, I would be suprised if 10% of the stuff they sell is made anywhere but China.
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"Speak for yourself "Chadmaster" - lesopp

True, but there was a time - honestly, there really was - when Walmart's biggest selling point was that they sold stuff that was actually made in the USA.

wig
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Sometimes a paradox is just a paradox

I believe you, but that isn't the last 10 years. If you want to look at what really is wrong with America, look first to Wal-Mart.
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"Speak for yourself "Chadmaster" - lesopp

reply to ColorBASIC
"GM puts out more models that get better than 30 MPG than ANY other car maker. However people still see GM as the gas guzzler maker."

lmao that's the same stuff that they say on their commercials ahahahahhaah...are you sure you don't work for GM?

Even IF GM does have more models that get 30 mpg, how many models do they have that don't? And GM owns several companies, including: chevy, saturn, pontiac, buick, GMC, cadillac, hummer, opel, saab, vauxhall, and daewoo. Of course they are going to have more MODELS that have 30 mpg, when they own 11 different branches! They put the same engine in different lineups of cars to sell them as luxury, affordable, economy etc. American car manufacturers have ALWAYS been inferior compared to their Japenese brethren. 30 years ago american car manufacturers only competed with other american car manufacturers. The short, sweet success that they experienced, they thought would last forever. Hence the broken promises of today. They simply can't compete on cost, value, mileage, etc.