http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/...806080397/1003

Hummmm.

Bob Wilson

 

Am glad to see GM's greed starting to bite them where it hurts.

 

Gee, they were stunned by the fact that people will not buy vehicles that cost $100 to fill the gas tanks.

Go figure.

 

I work 1/4 mile away from the GM truck plant mentioned in this article, so I've had a front row seat to this. The reason the workers are stunned is that just 2 weeks before GM issued the plant closure notice, GM had concluded a new agreement with the union with promises of a new product for the plant. I think most of the workers understand the reality of the changing market. They went from 3 flat out fast as they could build'em shifts down to 1. They had thought their new agreement would save that one last shift with a new product, but GM then announced the plant closure before the ink was even dry.

 

Tell me again, because based on GM's actions I seem to have forgot the concept since school.

What is the relationship between management and planning?

 

It really makes me wonder what the future holds. While it wouldn't be a bad thing (overall), I can just see that as GM is switching to all fuel efficient cars and closing truck/suv factories that something happens (gov't intervention, etc.) to bring gas prices down and they end up in a losing position again. They seem to be chasing their tails a bit as throwing fuel efficient cars into the marketplace isn't going to help either. They need to be good quality products at a fair price. The Volt, for example, has great possibilities but the price range is up in the air from what I've read. They showcase the Malibu Hybrid as part of their fuel efficient options but it is very, very limited in availability and it isn't even a real option for the typical person in the market for a hybrid. Whatever happens, I see the GM downfall as tragic for a lot of people (the employees). Having always owned a new or used "Big 3" product until my 08 TCH, I felt a great amount of guilt by switching to a "foreign" product. But, GM, Ford and Chrysler haven't really provided any viable options. Yes, the Focus has mid-30s mpg range....on the highway under ideal conditions. I can drive 58-65 mph on Rt. 66 in my TCH with the a/c on and get 38-60 mpg. As someone who has been a major follower of American-made cars and the industry since a child, it just seems surreal to seem them (GM, Ford and Chrysler) crumbling so quickly.

 

Define American made! According to US Customs, the Toyota Sienna mini-van sold in the US and Canada is 90% American made, while the Ford Mustang is less than 65% (parts and labor) American.

"A better way", says Jim Doyle who heads the Level Field Institute, "is to look at the number of jobs -- from research and development to manufacturing to retailing -- each auto maker creates per car sold in the U.S."

"After $28 billion in cumulative North America investment -- and annual purchases of parts reaching $45 billion or more in recent years -- 67 percent of the Japanese-brand cars now sold in North America are made in North America", according to the Japanese Automible Manufacturer's Association.

"As the son of a union member, I'll admit that free trade is an issue with which I've struggled," says Republican Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, who has a Nissan Titan pickup truck in his garage. But he adds: "Remember that every Nissan built in Canton also was engineered by Americans, for Americans."

source = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06131/689345-185.stm

It isn't really black and white anymore! Nor is it made any easier when giant US corporations put corporate interests ahead of national or even global ones!

 

American-originated is more of what I meant. In the end, too, GM, Ford and Chrysler are located in the US. I just felt a bit like a traitor for buying a Japanese car. It's funny, really. Did Toyota and Honda make major in-roads in the US in the 70s due to GM, Ford and Chrysler building big, inefficient vehicles when the gas crisis hit? History repeating itself again...

 

GM killed their company when they decided to CRUSH the EV1s in 03. They had one of the most advanced machines on the road but they decided to crush the technology and replace it with the HUMMERS!! Not only did they crush the EV1s, they sold the battery rights to Chevron Texaco- how smart was that?

Now that was not only the death of the electric car but the kiss of death for GM. They do not listen to consumers. They are so HEAVILY influenced by BIG OIL that consumers really do not matter. Just look at their lineup--- TRUCKS, TRUCKS, TRUCKS. Oh and designing a Tahoe hybrid- Why even bother?? GM's solution- the VOLT? Let's see, by that the time that hits the road- Nissan will have their electric car out, Honda will have three hybrids to choose from and Toyota will (hopefully) have their plug-in hybrid. So I guess GM has what is coming to them. It is just a shame that EXTREMELY POOR MGMT will put hard working people out of jobs.

 

Let's see . . . the employees are threatening to strike because the plant is closing. Apparently they're too dense to figure out that they're on the street either way. I'd love to see an employee IQ graph; the top of that particular bell curve is likely around 90.