I have been following the auto bailout and have read the foolish letters blaming the union for the problems.
First of all, United Auto Workers members do not make $70 per hour. They make in the $25 range. Entry level is $14 an hour.
The UAW has made concession after concession to greedy executives, even picking up the tab for many things the company has agreed to pay.
Is $25 an hour too much for a working man with a family who has been on the job 15 or 20 years? What should he make?
The Republican Party has always hated organized labor. Look back. They were against even child labor laws.
While I am aware of some of the same greed that exists in unions, let us not forget blood was shed to gain the right to organize, to get eight-hour days, vacations, sick days, etc. People died for these rights.
The fact is the labor cost per auto is 8 percent. That's not much. Labor plus parts is 26 percent. That leaves 74 percent per auto. Where do you suppose it comes from? Maybe it's the nine corporate jets General Motors owns or countless chartered flights or the millions in salary and stock options they give themselves. Or maybe it's the 14 layers of management.
I am not saying the UAW shouldn't make yet another compromise, but to blame this on the working man is just not right. The situation is clearly management's fault. Workers have no say in what kinds of cars are made and how it comes down the line and when it reaches them. They perform their assigned task like any other working person.
While I agree healthcare is a costly problem -- hopefully one that will be addressed by the new administration -- should workers not have medical plans?
Check out all the shady deals that were made in those Southern states to bring Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, etc. there. After the UAW is crushed, they will start working on the workers in these plants also.
Shall we go back to 16-hour days, no breaks, no vacation, child labor and horrible working conditions? I think not.
-- Frank Colletto, Simi Valley