Should Ford break all ties with UAW and become a non-union operation?

[All Tell]

My views on unions have been discussed before. I think that their demands are one of the major reasons the auto industry is in the shape it's in now. The UAW has now become part owner of two of the big three which now in effect has Ford negotiating with a competitor. A clear conflict of interest as I see it.

 

Opinions?

[swamprat]

They do manufacturing primarily in Closed Shop states. Under the laws of these states, a union cannot be denied the workers, if they want it, and once a union is voted in, all workers fitting the union's criteria must belong to the union to work there (basically extortion). Generally, in "Open Shop" or "Right To Work" states, even though a union exists at a particular company, not everybody fitting the union's criteria must be a member of the union to work there; however, unions cannot be denied to those who wish to be represented by the union.

 

Ford can't even attempt cut ties, unless they move all manufacturing to Open Shop or Right to Work states or out of the country.

[titletownclown]

My views on unions have been discussed before. I think that their demands are one of the major reasons the auto industry is in the shape it's in now. The UAW has now become part owner of two of the big three which now in effect has Ford negotiating with a competitor. A clear conflict of interest as I see it.

 

Opinions?

 

Now that GM and Chrysler have been ripped from the investor's hands, and partially given to the UAW (in effect), I have made a personal decision to never EVER EVER EVER EVER buy a GM or Chrysler product EVER EVER EVER again. I will also urge friends and acquaintances in my area who are also anti-union to do the same. And, if anybody on this board doesn't like that, tough.

[PepRock01]

Now that GM and Chrysler have been ripped from the investor's hands, and partially given to the UAW (in effect), I have made a personal decision to never EVER EVER EVER EVER buy a GM or Chrysler product EVER EVER EVER again. I will also urge friends and acquaintances in my area who are also anti-union to do the same. And, if anybody on this board doesn't like that, tough.

 

I have been of this mindset for some time now. Not for identical reasons, but for similar ones.

[clipper]

I totally agree with titletownclown.

[Mr.Network]

The necessity for unions has long since passed.

[FC]

The necessity for unions has long since passed.

 

:thumb: Agreed.

[leatherneck]

The necessity for unions has long since passed.

 

Bingo. There was a time when unions were necessary, but those needs have greatly diminished due to all the wage and safety laws that have been enacted.

 

All Tell, while I agree with a lot of your original post, I don't place the blame solely on the unions. Management agreed to every one of those collective bargaining agreements that have saddled the no longer Big 3 with excessive costs.

[titletownclown]

All Tell, while I agree with a lot of your original post, I don't place the blame solely on the unions. Management agreed to every one of those collective bargaining agreements that have saddled the no longer Big 3 with excessive costs.

 

Yes, but had management NOT agreed to these CB agreements, a whole new set of problems would have been produced (strikes/walkouts/holding your breath til you turn blue/etc).

[HHSDad]

Yes they should. But it will never happen.

[All Tell]

Bingo. There was a time when unions were necessary, but those needs have greatly diminished due to all the wage and safety laws that have been enacted.

 

All Tell, while I agree with a lot of your original post, I don't place the blame solely on the unions. Management agreed to every one of those collective bargaining agreements that have saddled the no longer Big 3 with excessive costs.

 

I don't blame is solely on the unions. And had management not agreed to the union demands they then face strikes that put them out of business because we all know there's no way UAW lets their demands go unheeded and if they try to hire non-union to replace the union workers as someone else pointed out the ancillary industries won't do business with them. They are sort of over the barrel.

 

I own a Chevy S-10, my third one in fact. I love it. This one has an extended cab with a third door. That door has a recessed release handle. I've owned the truck for 5 years and replaced that handle 3 times. The first two I took it to a dealership, paid 50 bucks for the part and 20 bucks for it to be installed and waited for an hour while it was done. The last time it broke I did some Internet research and found a guy who sold replacements for this handle made out of cast aluminum (rather the the plastic the original was made of) on E-bay. He sold the part for 10 bucks and there was a 2 dollar shipping charge. I figured what the heck. Long story short it took me every bit of 15 minutes the change out the part and cost a bunch less. The guy also says that if this one breaks he'll replace it free of charge.

 

The reason for my diatribe, the original part was made of plastic and was well known to break very easily yet GM continued to use plastic. That same lack of attention to detail as well as the seeming apathy for the expense that their shoddy manufacturing placed on the consumer has now come back to haunt them. That in addition to union demands have driven them to this.

[All Tell]

Yes they should. But it will never happen.

 

I don't think it will either but it should.

[swamprat]

The necessity for unions has long since passed.

No doubt. Most state labor laws exceed the protection the unions provided back when they were needed.

[swamprat]

Yes, but had management NOT agreed to these CB agreements, a whole new set of problems would have been produced (strikes/walkouts/holding your breath til you turn blue/etc).

But at the time, the big 3 could have held out and got better terms. The problem was, that they did not want to give up one dime of profit due to down time for such a hold out. In the long run, they ended up spending billions to save a penny of profit they might have lost.

[2 Humped Camel]

Bingo. There was a time when unions were necessary, but those needs have greatly diminished due to all the wage and safety laws that have been enacted.

 

All Tell, while I agree with a lot of your original post, I don't place the blame solely on the unions. Management agreed to every one of those collective bargaining agreements that have saddled the no longer Big 3 with excessive costs.

 

:thumb: