Say, What?
In one of the most bizarre, poorly-written editorials ever published in the history of sentient beings, the NY Times purports to find a reason for government backed universal health care coverage. Unfortunately, a close reading of the editorial suggests that what the editorialist actually had in mind was actually nothing more than a little old fashioned union bashing.
The editorial starts out by referring to the GM offer to "buy out" 74,000 unionized workers in the US. Here's the catch: GM feels free to do so because the UAW agreed in the last contract to allow lower entry level wages and stingier benefit packages to new hires. What GM is now doing is getting rid of the older, more expensive workers so that they can be replaced with cheaper, non-union workers. It's union busting to the core. It's also a nifty way to turn this country into a third-world country when it comes to working conditions and benefits. That doesn't seem to bother the editorialist in the least.
Detroit’s troubles are only partly because of their failure to design cars that Americans want to buy. Labor arrangements put together decades ago, in an era of less competition, have saddled them with an older work force and higher labor costs than the Japanese and Korean companies that have set up plants in union-free states.
Oh, please.
First of all, while Detroit was pumping out the behemoth SUVs that are the terror of the highways and a major reason the Saudis can build an entire new city at the drop of a hat, Japanese automakers were providing smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, the same kind of cars the Big Three American automakers are now building, but only at their plants in Asia. If GM, Ford, or Chrysler had started producing hybrids instead of Tahoes, they would have cleaned up just as much as they did with the Tahoes.
Second, if the Big Three really are tired of having to absorb the costs of health care for their employees and retirees, they should be leading the fight for government backed universal coverage. Instead, like all of the other multinational corporations, they choose to remain silent. It's easier to just not provide it at all. Cheaper, too.
Apparently the editorialist has chosen to ignore all of this.
Moron.
The editorial starts out by referring to the GM offer to "buy out" 74,000 unionized workers in the US. Here's the catch: GM feels free to do so because the UAW agreed in the last contract to allow lower entry level wages and stingier benefit packages to new hires. What GM is now doing is getting rid of the older, more expensive workers so that they can be replaced with cheaper, non-union workers. It's union busting to the core. It's also a nifty way to turn this country into a third-world country when it comes to working conditions and benefits. That doesn't seem to bother the editorialist in the least.
Detroit’s troubles are only partly because of their failure to design cars that Americans want to buy. Labor arrangements put together decades ago, in an era of less competition, have saddled them with an older work force and higher labor costs than the Japanese and Korean companies that have set up plants in union-free states.
Oh, please.
First of all, while Detroit was pumping out the behemoth SUVs that are the terror of the highways and a major reason the Saudis can build an entire new city at the drop of a hat, Japanese automakers were providing smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, the same kind of cars the Big Three American automakers are now building, but only at their plants in Asia. If GM, Ford, or Chrysler had started producing hybrids instead of Tahoes, they would have cleaned up just as much as they did with the Tahoes.
Second, if the Big Three really are tired of having to absorb the costs of health care for their employees and retirees, they should be leading the fight for government backed universal coverage. Instead, like all of the other multinational corporations, they choose to remain silent. It's easier to just not provide it at all. Cheaper, too.
Apparently the editorialist has chosen to ignore all of this.
Moron.
Labels: Health Care, Unions
posted by Diane at 4:16 AM
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