$65,000 A Year? Bye, U.S. Auto Workers!

The mammoth troubles facing GM, Ford and their auto parts makers are merely a symptom of the global leveling of manufacturing that has been underway for some years.
Stop and think. We're told this week that the average annual wage for a Ford family production line worker is an astounding $65,000! Where else in the world can an uneducated, ignorant, untalented, unskilled slob who tightens bolts make anything approaching that figure? Especially when working for a company that can't move its inventory of unwanted products!
At least in Germany, where auto workers' pay is nearly comparable to their U.S. counterparts, those employees possess technical skills plus a minimum high-school education.
Of course, in South Korea, such workers make about 20 percent of the $65, 000 the American schlubs '"earn." But the Koreans at least possess real skills and a real education. And in China, $650 a year is real good.
So get used to less, beer-bellied Amer'cun slobs! The good old days are never coming again - except for those with education and genuine 21st century skills! Globalism is eatin' your lunch!
Really no surprise.

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Those are some unbelievably low numbers. One problem is the person making 15 k in NYC equates to a guy making 11 k in Sioux City, IA. The government can't realistically think one set of numbers can apply to 48 States.
Lee
2000 SSEi

Lee C. Carpenter wrote:
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To live on the equivalent of $30K in most of the Midwest would take about $80K in northern New Jersey and probably double that in Manhattan.

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The auto industry didn't have this problem until Chimps buddies at Exxon got the price of oil so high that nobody could afford to drive SUVs or big pickups anymore. Granted, there are a lot of ignorant, knuckle dragging morons on Ford and GM assembly lines making $25.00 an hour doing jobs the 16 year old counter girl at Dunkin Donuts could easily do, but until gas got so high, they seemed able to handle their high wages.
Something is beginning to break down in America that has not broken down since the early 1930s.

Worldwide demand has driven up the price of oil. The problem is this. Once the forgein companies built aassembly plants in the US, they were able to deliver cars at the same rate at the American companies.
Competition inproves quality and lowers prices, but the American companies cannot lower prices and make a profit if they have higher labor costs.
The majority, if not all of the forgein manufacturers use less expensive, non-union labor.
US car companies have to cut costs in order to lower prices, in order to move vehicles.
Labor costs make up the majority of any company's costs.
Something has to give.
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Don't forget all the legal fees to fight the frivolous lawsuits...

Don't believe that. That's a bunch of lies. They (exxon and all the rest) want more profits.
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Do you believe the oil companies can control the prices, outside the market forces, to increase their profits? If they actually could do that the price of gasoline would never go down, it would only ever go up. ;)
mike hunt
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If companies did not continually want more profits, they would do a disservice to their owners (shareholders) and lose their reason for existence. Don't blame them for doing their duty just because you are not smart enough to own their stock.

Mark wrote:
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(Okay time to start throwing a little mud...) ;-)
...Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the true and ETHICAL PURPOSE for starting, maintaining said business was to PROVIDE A SERVICE, from which you make profits to CONTINUE providing that service.... Not providing whatever service, JUST and SOLELY to make profits for the owners/shareholders etc? That's the problem with these faceless and greedy corps. Since there's hardly any 1 person to place the blame, they become profit oriented ONLY and they forget or ignore their whole function/purpose... that being- PROVIDE A SERVICE for consumers to consume... Not make PROFIT of those that own/run the corp. The profits are the END sum of providing something of worth. NOT the end all end of why you exist. If that were the case, then why don't the leaders of said corporation just start up their own Britt World Wide "legal" "pyramid" scheme, which basically provides little service at all, except making money for an elite few and relying on the REST of the masses to keep them rich? So... if said corp made say ~2.5billion/yr in profit, and could NOT make anymore than that; do you think for 1 minute that some people wouldn't be trying to figure out how to make MORE, and then MORE and MORE more more more every year, yet providing the same service... hell eventually they would just LOVE for you and I to pay them for little if NOTHING at all! lol Just give them money for being another faceless-corporation, b/c "they" (who? The elite few) are (and or feel) entitled to living the way they want to live...... USA = continent of sell outs. The people that run this country and these corps, don't give a crap about the masses and families that make up their corps. They'd ship 90% of our jobs overseas if they could for MORE profit... Geehs. This is what I love about this brain washing of the middle and lower classes. People with no, or hardly any affluence sticking up for these corporate clowns. These people don't give a shit about you nor I. But somehow the mindless middle class dreamers are conned into believing that they TOO are going to make it BIG BIG BIG and become some affluent, worldly traveled millionaires. HAHA Yeah right, better start playing the lottery! All the while distancing themselves, hating and belittling the people in their own socio-economic class, as if, they are better somehow b/c of their wanna-be affluent day dreaming? Better check up on who you elect - for they (the elected ELITE) don't give a crap about you, nor what your living-check-to-check-lifestyle / class cares about. Wanna-be Republicans you are! Haha or should I say (r)epublicans, because all you are and are going to be to the REAL elite, are little r's. Shit, out of you so-called reps, HOW many of you have been or were invited to a nice $5000/plate dinner to discuss the party's current status and future? ZERO! I'm going to make that bet... Therefore, they don't give a squat about YOU, nor your ambitious day dreams. And YOU are NOT a real/true "Republican." Last time I checked about family values and all this other capital "R" political soap boxing - the country is even MORE divided on issues AND actual policy of education, class, health and overall welfare than EVER in the history of it. So much for Republican leadership paving the way for a united, well-being, and worldly respected United States of America... HAHA! Lastly... the Dems aren't exactly a party of honest Johns either... but they haven't shown their hegemonistic side like the big Reps at the moment. Haha stay poor little republicans!
---Workers unite!

The philosophy that led to my fortune was to follow the business theory that says if one starts a business they must make a product, or offer a service, that will attract new and retain current customers. If one does that, profits and growth will follow. If not you will eventually go out business, period.
mike hunt
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Mike Hunter wrote:
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Of course, some people just inherit it.

Your "fortune," Okay since I know about some real wealth, just what do you consider a "fortune," and don't give me any poser upper-middle-class $300,000K/yr BS. I'm talking million/Multi-million dollar income. Don't say fortune and actually mean "nest egg." As further proof, just what type of stock/investment portfolio do you have? What type of Yacht (Hatteras, Ferretti, Jefferson, Cheoy Lee, a Cigarette maybe?) , luxurious amenities to you possess? Multiple seasonal homes? Precious paintings or art décor? Global trips to multiple countries, staying at 4-5star hotels? Don't reply back with that clichéd "I'm not into materialistic trivialities, I'm just a plain old guy with BANK!" Bs. Can you drop $20,000 on anything you feel like purchasing this week? - THAT is a REAL "fortune," not someone on google groups pretending to have a fortune and really having a couple hundred K stashed away from a few tacobells or small time business ventures. Prove your affluence and true membership in the (R)epublican party, TEN HUT!
BTW- I'm still waiting for an answer about those $5000/plate invitations you've gladly made use of... hrmmm what did you guys talk about at the dinner/meeting - world domination possibly?
Cheers ;-)

Your ignorance is so profound I don't even know what to say to begin to educate you. Try taking some basic business classes. If companies offer a good or service that is in demand at a price people are willing to pay that is above the cost of production, then they tend to make money and stay in business. If they don't then they tend to go out of business.
Try to remember that the wealth created by those with personal ambition and drive is what creates the money the politicians steal from us in taxes to drive the welfare state. It's funny how the Libs love to complain about "big business" and the success of those with a better idea, but they are always looking for more ways to steal from the "wealthy" and distribute that wealth to buy votes from the poor.

Mark wrote:
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The top Libs -- Kerry/Heinz -- are "weathly".
I think they invented welfare to keep ambitions down and protect the Old Money.
Republicans are new money and respect drive and entrepreneurialism.

This is true. If the price of gas is still 99 cents a gallon, honda and toyota would be non-existent.
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65,000 a year should be minimum wage in the usa. That would be $32.50 an hour.
taken a look at your electric bill lately?

Learning Richard, 1/25/2006, 8:54:04 AM,
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If minimum wage = $32.50 Then loaf of bread = $16.75

badgolferman wrote:
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We could swing that without an extra dime of expense if we cut down on things like YOUR (Republican) elected officials accepting bribes and payoffs from corrupt lobbyists.

On 25 Jan 2006 08:48:04 -0800, "Learning Richard"
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They are all corrupt! It doesn't matter which party they are affiliated with. From the start of the term to the end its all about getting re-elected. If you think otherwise then you have a rather large set of blinders over your eyes.
...Ron -- 68'RS Camaro 88'Formula 00'GT Mustang