Toyota produced 9,5 million cars this year. GM:s plans expected 9,259 million cars to be produced this year
Toyota estimates that sales have increased 6% from the year 2006 and will be 9,36 million cars. Next year Toyota plans to sell 9,85 million cars and make a record sales. Former sales record for one year was 9,55 million cars made by GM the year 1978.
Who cares were the profit goes? At least Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai are hiring people, they aren't shutting down plants and sending the production to Mexico or China like GM. Plenty of Americans make damn good livings off of those companies.
Oh yea, Walmart is the company "running Americans out of jobs"
One reason why the monster truck Dad just gave Mom for Christmas is a Chevy. He also bought her a dress suit so she can drive around in the truck while looking like Jacqueline Kennedy.
GM can't afford to spend the billions of dollars in research and development that Toyota does. All of the Big 3's money goes to union wages. Thankfully the day of the union is passing, American automakers will have to hit bottom to get rid of the union but that is coming. I'm not really anti union but in the past 30 yrs the UAW has went from protecting workers to milking automakers for all they are worth. It costs nearly $60.00/hr including benefits to keep a unproductive union worker. Toyota does it for about $40.00 a hour and they can fire your lazy arse if you don't want to do your job. That is why Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and a few others I probably haven't mentioned can make a profit. They build factories in States with "Right to Work" laws allowing them to keep the UAW out. I know alot of people who work in the auto industry, both in Detroit and elsewhere. Go to Georgetown,KY and try to get a job at Toyota, it aint easy. They treat people right, pay them a fair wage so there is not a high turnover rate and that also keeps the union at bay. Go to a GM plant, the employees think they are better than everyone else, want more money and job protection and damn you if you expect them to work.
Actually, it was $60 to $80 per hour just for wages, not including pension, etc... Toyota's wage is about $20 after 3 years. GM's new UAW agreement is that starting wages be about $25 per hour.
Hell. you guys are both full of shit. I heard the janitors make over $120.00 an hour+benefits. Plus the union makes the company give everybody a new car of their choice and furnish the gas for the length of the contract. You're right about "expecting them to work". Damn good thing those cars know how to build themselves.
You guys must pull numbers from your ass. I retired as a GM skilled tradesman 3 years ago, and my hourly wage then was .05. production workers made about 3-4 dollars an hour less.
Everyone talks ablut benefit costs. Has anyone ever seen a breakdown of each benefit, with it's hourly cost? I've never kknown GM, or any manufacturer to do that; all they say is benefits cost X dollard per hour. No documentation is ever provided.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Retired Shop Rat: 14,647 days in a GM plant. Speak softly and carry a loaded .45 Lifetime member; Vast Right Wing Conspiricy Web Site:
Not a bad wage. Even a production worker at $26 is about $54,000 a year, above average from what numbers I recall.
There are manyways to calculate these numbers. The simple part is holiday pay, vacation pay, medical insurance. You just add up those costs and divide by 40 hours. What we often don't (want to) see are associated costs such as FICA contributions, even parking at some companies whee it would cost you in a downtown location. Easy to forget about bereavement pay, jury duty, sick pay, disability insurance, pension contributions and other lesser used compensations. Some companies susbidise cafeterias, provide free doffee and other small benefits that do have a cost tot he company associated with them that benefits the employee. I understand GM pays for some time when you are out of work, such as at model changeover.
The company also has other costs associated with your employment that are part of the overhead costs. Workman's Compensation insurance is a big one. Maybe the company nurse that gives you a couple of aspirin. The company is taxed for Unemployment benefits also, based on use in most states.
OK, you have me curious. That divides out to 40 years. Did you work 40 years with no days off? If you worked a 5 day week, it would be about 58 years. I'm also curious as to whether this is a brag or a complaint :)
As a former business owner "labor" costs for a company includes all the cost associated with employing those that provide the labor, from the HR guy that gave you your job down to the guy that pays you on pay day and everything in between as mentioned above.
Hours worked is what you receive on payday based on 2080 work hours in a year. Generally labor cost run around 20% of the cost of doing business, with the largest cost being taxes at around 45%, a percentage generally greater than R&D and materials combined.
What gives the Japanese an advantage in assembling vehicles in the US, of mostly imported parts and materials, is thy do not need to pay US federal corporate income taxes
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