Meanwhile, in Georgetown, Kentucky non-union workers at the Toyota plant are still making $28-35 per hour, have full benefits.. heck, they even have a 24-hr day care and university level classes AT the plant.
They also don’t need a 5th shift, because their absentee rate is darn near zero. And, they maintain a low inventory of cars because they adjust their production rate to meet forecasted demand.
It’s not “always the union”, management gets their share of the blame... for poor designs, bad work environments, and for allowing themselves to be bullied into accepting completely unsustainable union demands. GM is reaping what they have sown... and, they have BILLIONS more in losses to go before they get turned around... IF they can even do it.
Those jobs weren’t shipped overseas... they moved to states with more favorable business environments and were SELECTED away by customers deciding to purchase higher quality, foreign-made cars.
But, NO.. I DON’T think, it’s “good”.
New hires in GM will receive fourteen dollars per hour and no benefits starting last Friday. My husband works for the car industry as an engineer. I can tell you, foreign companies do not follow trade rules and nothing is done about it. I know of examples that I have witnessed first hand.
The reason Toyota pays the wages described by you is because it used to be the going wage in the auto industry. When this is no longer true...they will cease to provide this sort of compensation.
If large companies stop paying people middle class type wages then you can count on some form of national health care. What choice will their be? Do you think people making 14.00 per hour can afford health care premiums?I say give tax breaks to companies that take care of their employees in a reasonable manner and tax the heck our of companies that move jobs overseas. Also, companies that hire illegals should be responsible for their employees health care and social service costs-not the tax payer.
Companies that have the robber baron mentality-Walmart is a prime example- and do not provide any sort of health care while paying their employees low wages in order to reap very large profits will usher in a era of socialization. Their behavior is immoral if not illegal in my opinion. Corporations used to behave in a responsible manner; this is no longer true. Unfortunately, irresponsible, short sighted behavior will lead to government regulation which is never a good idea.
In my lifetime, I have seen the steel industry, the electronics industry, and the garment industry destroyed because of the dumping of foreign products. The auto industry is on the ropes and may not survive. The good jobs the global economy was supposed to provide have not materialized. Instead we see jobs in the customer care, tech and other industries being shipped overseas or we see companies using H1 visas to hire cheaper foreign workers. We see large companies like Home Depot and others no longer providing health care for their employees. McCain has said that displaced workers should be ‘retrained’. He would provide funds. I have heard this for years. My question is retrained for what- Walmart greeters? A great country must have industry to remain great. A country with a consumer driven economy will not remain an economic power.