http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/...e_20050914.htm

September 14, 2005


The Canadian Auto Workers union might go on strike against DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group because the company wants to outsource hundreds of jobs in Canada, the head of the union said.

"Unless they have a change of heart, there will be a strike at Chrysler," CAW President Buzz Hargrove said in an interview in Toronto.

The company wants to close a Toronto casting plant employing about 440 people and outsource hundreds of more jobs at Ontario factories in Brampton and Windsor, Hargrove said. The Brampton factory makes the company's 300 sedan, and the Windsor plant produces minivans. Chrysler doesn't expect a strike, CEO Thomas LaSorda told reporters at the Frankfurt, Germany, auto show.

"There are some tough issues, but we'll get them worked out," LaSorda said.

 

I am going to take a step back here and ask clear minded people one question:

"How can people agree with Chrysler in this instance?"

Answer...........NOW:

 

i don't see how anyone can.

 

Nope. It's not like Chrysler is hurting or hasn't already cut their workforce by something like 33% in the past 4 or 5 years.

 

Exactly. Welcome to 2005 where employers will try EVERYTHING to screw their employees due to overwhelming unemployment levels both in the U.S. and abroad.

Sick, sad world.

 

Hrm...y'all just dont know. I'm not a Chrysler employee, but I do work at a Chrysler dealership, and Chrysler is taking good care of me and my associates. They have a good reason for doing what they are doing, I'm sure. Unions like to exaggerate(sp) things and rock the boat alot. Good example was the Teamsters strike on UPS. They got a slap in the face when they realized the damaged caused by the strike didn't allow them to get what they were striking for.

 

Actually unemployement is very low in the US. In fact unemployement is lower now then it was in the 70's, 80's and most of the 1990's.

The fact the unemployement is so low in the US eventhough the population has grown exponentially since the 1970's is quite amazing.

If you want to look at horrible unemployment look at most South American Countries and even European countries like France and Germany have employemnt between 9%-12%.

 

I'll take a crack at it. If Chrysler sits back on their accomplishments, they will not be able to continue to grow. Outsourcing the jobs would make Chrysler more efficient. The increase in efficiency will lead to an increase in available capital with which allow Chrysler to develop and introduce new cars to market without having to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy first.

There, how's that?

 

OK, could you draft 440 letters to that fact telling those employees and their families that their services will no longer be required.

Thanks.

 

Do we measure unemployment the same way as they do in Europe? I don't know about their method, but I know ours undervalues the real number of people unemployed that want to work.

 

Tell them that's what they get for taking advantage of a situation created by the union that allows them to be overcompensated and under worked. Ask them what they thought would happen when you force the company that employs you to pay you even if they cant utilize you.

I don't really know the situation. I just thought I'd throw that out there as a view on it. I could be totally wrong on that view. I just think that the unions have too much of a head lock on the US auto manufactures. I understand both sides, but I find myself on the big 2.5's side more than the unions and their employees.

 

It's good........ in an efficient heartless kind of way.

But why outsource for efficiency? Decreasing the workforce through attrition and buyout packages while creating new ways of doing the same job with less manhours seems to be better.

 

Sure!

Here it is:

I'll just draft one and send it to Kinkos.

 

Do you have any facts that proves our system significantly undervalues the amount of people who are unemployed?

I wont argue that there is room for error but there is no doubt that the US's economy is far stronger and more robust then Europe, South America, and virtually all the export-only economies of the Asian Tigers.

Of course the US economy faces some major challenges in 2006 and the chance of a resecession in 06/07 is a real possibility but don't forget that America even on its "worse-day" is far better the most countries on their "best-day" .

 

Come to michigan and tell that to the hundreds of unemployed workers like myself. Companies in Michigan are laying off their employees left and right. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the entire country.