Sunday, March 8, 2009

Where We've Been









Posted by David Berner at 9:57 AM

2 comments:

David in North Burnaby BC said...

Oh my, messiahs certainly have a short shelf life these days, don't they?

http://davidinnorthburnablog.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-told-you-so.html

March 8, 2009 at 3:43 PM
NRF said...

Half of these drawings communicate that the U.A.W. is causing the financial problems of American auto makers. This reflects myths spun by corporatist sources in the U.S. They want to blame unions for the economic meltdown but can't explain failure of the almost union-free banking and brokerage systems. These ideologues despise trade unions, progressive tax rates and universal programs, whether education, health care or otherwise. In fact, they dislike any restraints that interfere with their clients - the rich and famous.

I don't see organized labor as the underlying disease of North American auto making. The Big Three do not design and build cars for the needs of consumers. They make vehicles they think consumers should buy. Instead of upgrading a poor selling car, they reinforce the marketing pitch. By contrast, from the first appearances almost 50 years ago, Japanese cars offered North Americans consistency, reliability, innovation, decent workmanship, service and value.

American car makers voluntarily signed every contract with UAW. In the days before foreign competition, domestic companies worried about style not efficiency. John DeLorean wrote that General Motors was doomed to failure because all the senior executives resided on the prestigious Fourteenth Floor. Just by getting there, every man (not sexist language then) was a multi-millionaire through salaries and bonuses. They worked, dined and socialized together and not one, according to DeLorean, knew a single thing about ordinary consumers.

Death and impairment has not come quickly but has come certainly; not because of unions or external forces,but through self-destruction.

March 8, 2009 at 8:13 PM

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