TOPIC: Offers coming in

The unions are the biggest hindrance to US domestic business. They were born of a time when they were need to protect the worker from ruthless business leaders. Those times are long gone. We now have laws to protect workers, but the unions persist. Now the old companies like GM and Ford, the pre-bankruptcy US Steel comes to mind, cannot compete with the newer companies that do not have to fund the incredibly expensive pension and retirement baggage that the old companies do. As was said on TV only yesterday, the US auto industry is thriving but not in Michigan.

    I am sorry, but you should not be happy GM "is dying". I myself agree strongly that unions have served thier purpose and are now just leeches. I am a Tool and Diemaker Journeyman in a family owned shop employing 75 individuals, while we have no direct ties to GM I build all of the high speed precision dies for Tenneco Automotive, or as you might know them Monroe Shocks. I found out today due to GM's pitiful plight that they are closing not 1 or 2 plants but 5! They are loosing 3 smaller ones that are basically satelite plants to be closer to the end user but 2 of them are going to be major plants. Every job laid off or lost by a major automotive plant effects 8 outside, whether it be themselves laid off or lost.<br /> Manufacturing needs to stay here in the USA, but it needs to be ran differently.

There are some companies that we cannot as a country afford to have fail.  GM and Ford are amongst those.  Their failure would impact too many other businesses.<br /><br />Kim

I too agree with the stance that Unions had a Great and useful purpose.. once.  I'm less in agreement that there are laws out there to protect the worker...many regulations are corporation friendly, rather than individual friendly.<br /><br />But.... Unions have set an artificial standard within our country... and as we shift to a Global economy, that is proving a hindrance.  this has been along time cooming, and it would seem that US workers are in for hardtimes, as we struggle to comepete in several areas where it's simply cheaper to make goods outside the country.  Certain trades will be less affected.. Builders for instance... since you can't ship a house easily.<br /><br />Hopefully what will happen is an extension of the Food industry where there's a push to buy local.. we should look to do that as well, and in this the Unions have been looking out for their people by promoting that very thing " Made in the USA".<br />

I also think as we get more crap from China - things painted with lead-based paint, harmful plastics, and food tainted with god knows what, I think we will see a move towards "made in USA" goods.

Made in the USA means more expensive. <br /><br />People saying unions are the problem with the economy do not understand the economy.  Unions play an important role protecting workers and consumers.

Pffft. It's the that they can't be allowed to die that we get these ridiculous zombie companies that constantly verge on the brink of the final death. We should all just bite the bullet and let one of them die already and ride through the problems. There is no reason we need 3 big domestic automakers. Especially when they produce crap products that no one wants and at an exorbitant cost to boot.<br /><br />And ya, unions protect consumers like lions protect gazelles.

<br />Made in the USA means more expensive. <br /><br />People saying unions are the problem with the economy do not understand the economy.  Unions play an important role protecting workers and consumers.<br />

<br /><br /> You are correct.. I should say that unions in some cases are one of the factors of our current ecomnomic problems.<br />They are not the sole issue, and some unions do still work very strongly to protect their workers, and keep their products competative with todays markets.<br /><br />Never the less I am mostly anti - union.<br /><br />Having worked both sides, I've found that I get treated better, and have a better class of co-worker in non union jobs, rather than the union ones... and The pay's about the same, when you take away union dues... but that's simply my experience

As usual Henwy, you speak the naked truth, but with a spiked bludgeon

unions used to stand for better treatment for the workers...40hr week...fire systems...safety measures...etc. these came about from union/lawmaker cooperation. now that so many things have become the law, it seems that unions have lost focus/direction. as a union worker i agree with most of the anti-union sentiment. the problem lies with the inept leadership.

I'm not a big fan of unions (my parents and 2 of my brothers slaved worked for them) but I don't want to see any American company go down just so anyone can prove a point.<br />We need to keep jobs here in the US - not just ship them elsewhere.  We have to cut out the fat-cat bonuses and perks though.  I'm sick of seeing someone run a company into the ground, and then get a big old check for doing so (I got laid off from a company I worked at for 6+ years because that very thing happened).<br /><br />I had more of a point when I started this post, but I'm just too p---'d off to think right now.  I might edit and finish the thought later...

I'm a union member, and it's been very positive.<br />