US jobs

[Mark #2]

Gee do you think that there is any correlation between the first two and the third one?

http://thestaronline.com/news/story.asp?file=/2005/5/28/latest/20050528160741&sec=Latest

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-03/08/content_312666.htm

http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/07/news/fortune500/gm_closings/index.htm?cnn=yes

I think we are becoming way too dependant on China's cheap labor, everything you pick up is made in China.

[98Cobra]

Yup - cant say I blame them though. Dont have to pay big benefits and 401ks to all those Chinese. Plus demand for GM product is falling here in the US - for instance, being able to get Employee Cost on any GM vehicle right now* - people would have laughed at the idea ten years ago...

* - Except for 2005 Corvette

[Silver_2000]

Im not sure I follow.
These are GM plants in China for the manufacture of cars for the china market ...

How does that connect to plant closings here ?

[Mark #2]

Im not sure I follow.
These are GM plants in China for the manufacture of cars for the china market ...

How does that connect to plant closings here ?

Plans call for it to also build the Cadillac CTS luxury sedan in the future. I presumed that these would be comint to the US.

[Silver_2000]

Plans call for it to also build the Cadillac CTS luxury sedan in the future. I presumed that these would be comint to the US.


The new South Plant at GM's facility in eastern Shanghai's Pudong district immediately began production of the mid-sized Buick Excelle sedan. Plans call for it to also build the Cadillac CTS luxury sedan in the future.


The new factory will have an initial production capacity of 160,000 vehicles, employing 941 workers, GM officials said. It "gives us the ability to continue expanding our product lineup in order to capture more opportunities in what is expected to remain the world's fastest-growing vehicle market,'' said Chris Gubby, executive vice president of Shanghai GM.
China has become the world's fastest-growing auto market, although GM and other automakers have seen growth in sales slow sharply due to rising competition and efforts by the Chinese government to slow economic growth. - AP

I read it to mean they were building cars for that market

[Mark #2]

I have too much insight to this process, eventually it means that all of the markets will be supplied from this efficient Chinese factory.

Unions had their place, but they killed US steel making, railroads. They are working on the airline and automobile industries now.

Mark

[cpeapea]

unions are also having a bad effect on the freight industry. yellow, roadway, abf are all sinking compared to all the non-union docks like saia, old dominion, etc. Consolidated freightways was the number 2 largest LTL freight shipper next to Roadway, the company got so cluttered and choked with union crap that they closed the company and opened it up under a different name so that they could be non union (Con-Way).

Anymore its all Union-vs-Contract, Ups is union, Fedex drivers are all contract, they actually own their own vehicles. the problem with union is they have too much overhead due to having to pay their workers more. Contract screws the employees of benefits. what ever happened to good ol regular employment? I just got lucky and fell into a good employment job i guess.
this is my take on it anyway.

[Tex Arcana]

GM to cut 25,000 jobs by '08
CEO says automaker plans unspecified number of plant closings.

It's beginning... at least for GM. The flight of jobs overseas began ostensibly with India, but has been going to China for years before then.

And given that little statement about how GM's market here is drying up, it's not just because the cars suck, it's because people do'nt have as much to buy with anymore, and alot of that because of either a reduction in pay to keep working, or losing jobs outright.

I predict we'll all be living out of cardboard boxes, using laptops on WiFi hotspots to post on TALON; or living out of the bed of our Ls, that we can't afford to drive because of gas prices and no incomes. :(

[dboat]

It's beginning... at least for GM. agreed
The flight of jobs overseas began ostensibly with India, but has been going to China for years before then. dont agree

And given that little statement about how GM's market here is drying up, it's not just because the cars suck,agree it's because people do'nt have as much to buy with anymore, and alot of that because of either a reduction in pay to keep working, or losing jobs outright. dont agree

I predict we'll all be living out of cardboard boxes, using laptops on WiFi hotspots to post on TALON; or living out of the bed of our Ls, that we can't afford to drive because of gas prices and no incomes. dont agree :(

Tex,
I know you would want MY opinion on this. :twitch:
Dana

The fact that their cars just plain suck, except for a few, is the main reason why. The other reason is that they are just too top heavy with management.
Why is it that the other car companies can make it happen for them? Because they get it and GM doesnt anymore.

[Tex Arcana]

Tex,
I know you would want MY opinion on this. :twitch:
Dana

The fact that their cars just plain suck, except for a few, is the main reason why. The other reason is that they are just too top heavy with management.
Why is it that the other car companies can make it happen for them? Because they get it and GM doesnt anymore.

You are absolutely right about that. And that's a major part of the situation. The otehr part of it, tho, I beleive, is the economy itself, and this move to send EVERYTHING overseas isn't helping. Every American that loses a job, means that much LESS American money being spent here; and that is killing the economy.

[dboat]

You are absolutely right about that. And that's a major part of the situation. The otehr part of it, tho, I beleive, is the economy itself, and this move to send EVERYTHING overseas isn't helping. Every American that loses a job, means that much LESS American money being spent here; and that is killing the economy.

I agree that there is some movement in that direction. Furthermore, some sectors of the economy are seeing that more than others. Overall, the economy is pretty robust right now. Not everywhere mind you, but overall it is and all the indicators say so.

Some of the move of the jobs overseas is due to union activity and some to the fact that some folks worked themselves out of a job due to salary demands.
However, in the IT industry, some of it had to do with a shortage of certain types of workers and the availability of workers elsewhere.

Unfortunately, we dont have the space here to get into the details, but some of the movement overseas is due to us...
IMHO
Dana

[Tex Arcana]

I agree that there is some movement in that direction. Furthermore, some sectors of the economy are seeing that more than others. Overall, the economy is pretty robust right now. Not everywhere mind you, but overall it is and all the indicators say so.

Some of the move of the jobs overseas is due to union activity and some to the fact that some folks worked themselves out of a job due to salary demands.
However, in the IT industry, some of it had to do with a shortage of certain types of workers and the availability of workers elsewhere.

Unfortunately, we dont have the space here to get into the details, but some of the movement overseas is due to us...
IMHO
Dana


To a certain extent I agree, because certain segments of the workforce demanded so much in compensation (yes, unions). Where I disagree is the overall picture: yes, labor is the most expnsive thing of any operation; but it's the people that make a company valuable (ask Doug about that!). The disparity in salaries between the grunts and the top management is so wide that the top dogs are doing everything they can to maintain their own incomes, at the expense of the needed workforce AND the company's health.

I think this percieved robustness is for the most part artificial, via some companies artificially inflating the bottom line. So I think we will see a nice bottoming in the near future, while the head guys skate off to non-extradiction countries to enjoy their spoils, and we Americans are left to sift thru the ashes and toil for foreign ownership who's busy milking the nation dry.

[Beaudee]

This is easy, lets sum it up quickly. http://www.funlol.com/pictures/0423.html

[Tex Arcana]

This is easy, lets sum it up quickly. http://www.funlol.com/pictures/0423.html

Don't laugh... if the oil gets cut off, we'll be back to that in short order... :(

[Beaudee]

Don't laugh... if the oil gets cut off, we'll be back to that in short order... :( Actually there is always someone willing to do it for less, but forget the quality! :vomit:

[my2002lightning]

"Improvise, adapt and overcome".:cool:

Words to live by in this economy while surviving in this "mart of competitive commerce".:D

[Tex Arcana]

"Improvise, adapt and overcome".:cool:

Words to live by in this economy while surviving in this "mart of competitive commerce".:D

I'll just hide under your stairwell and mug ya every other day... :evil