Upcoming UAW Strike

R&R, I normally always agree with you & I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you now but........

Look, there's a difference between making a good living at a good job with good benefits etc. But the auto workers have gone way beyond that. They're already making $40+ per hour & nothing wrong with that if the industry can internally or externally support that. But the auto workers are now wanting a 40% increase... 40%! Plus get paid for 5 days while only working a 4 day week! That is truly insane. Beyond good benefits & wages. But its not just that, as I noted above, its not so bad if an industry can sustain that but the auto industry can't. This is a world wide industry where it affects the economy. When it starts affecting the economy & everyone else's livelihood, now its a problem. It becomes a national problem... and world economy problem. This ain't just about the UAW. Its about getting the whole nation out of whack. Its about putting the nations citizens livelihoods in jeopardy. It don't just affect the auto industry, it affects the indirect industries until it has the economy is headed into destruction.
What's going to happen when auto prices get so high that, say 85% of the people cant afford a car... or at least a new car? If there are no one to buy the cars, cars wont be sold. If they cant sell them, they wont build them. If they cant build them, now we have a couple of million+ people, both direct & indirect jobs who wont be working. That will hurt this country & the economy even worse. And, believe me when I repeat what I've already said, the auto industry cant back up the UAW contracts so it cant go but one way, & thats up. UP can only do one thing, increasingly hurt the economy & drive this country deeper into despair.

As I noted earlier, car prices will continue to go higher & higher until nobody... or at least the majority... cant afford a car, which is where we basically are now.. certainly on the verge of that. Greedy automaker profits & greedy UAW workers are seriously having an affect on the economy. Its a chain reaction that causes everybody's (industry) prices to climb.

I like to see people better themselves but not at the expense of the country, its citizens livelihoods & wellbeing. What the auto industry is doing is not healthy for this country or anyone who lives here. That's when & why it matters separately from some other situations.

Its time to force the auto industry into a different direction & stop this nonsense. I am pro union......... not not like this.

 

Roger, Oh no, don't get me wrong in that I am blaming the entire mess the economy is in on wage increases. Not that by any means, but again, with the big 3's status as a big market share of the economy, yes it can easily throw a market in a huge tail spin.
Look at the past... back in the 70's when we had to bail them out because of what it was doing to the economy & what it would have done if left alone. I don't necessarily agree with the bail outs as such, but just making the point of how much one industry (the big 3) & one organization (the UAW) & these ridiculous wage & benefit packages can affect the economy.
Look at the 80's with the S&L's that Reagan had to contend with. Its not that the S&Ls are responsible for the entire collapse of the economy, but just within the last year, one or two banks fail & the economy falls apart.

This just goes to show how one industry such as the car industry (and its powerful UAW foe) can cripple an economy when it is in control of so much money & power within the economy.
I don't think wage increases within one industry alone is generally anything to worry about, but an industry as big as the Big 3 & the UAW, with an already crippled economy could very easily put this thing over the top.... easily.

I just wish Lee Iacocca was still around......