UAW President Gettelfinger on Ed Schultz Show May 28, 2009

[103moneyg]

"theres no EXCUSE" for companies not to invest in this country??? Since when does this mob boss think he can determine what entrepreneurs do with their capital???

Why doesn't Gettelfinger and the UAW start their OWN company here???

[OldSouthernSoldier]

Frellthat. Toyota doesn't steal my money to run their company. Japan doesn't steal my money either.

[OldSouthernSoldier]

Those car companies could have filed bankruptcy and told the unions to fuck off. But they bought politicians and continue to fuck the american people. I will NEVER buy another american car.Toyota here I come.

[frellthat]

Psst, Toyota's workers are unionized too. See Toyota Motor Workers' Union.

And Japan has universal health coverage as well.

[tsummerlee]

Protectionism proper.

[garyowen4ever]

is stinkfinger a gay jew??????

[jjh15]

Gettelfinger is a dolt. The "American jobs" people are going to regret this in 10 years. Read Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. The same mistakes made during the Great Depression are being made today. The "ripple effect" phenomenon is balderdash. Gettelfinger has never taken a course in economics and it is extremely evident that the policies he promotes will cause America to lose competitiveness. God help us. Please read that book.  It's very easy to understand where we are.

[GodChristLord]

"F" Corporate America, they are afraid of the worker (labor) getting too strong. The middle class is America!

If every business HAD the opportunity of becoming unionized, big business would shit their you-know-whats.

[marek4400]

may I suggest Dr. Zhivago ?

[marksalotp9afault]

if the car companies do decide to go with the small car and they have the union build them... buy the time they are done with the car it will cost way to much to buy. deunionize and pay the auto worker what every body else makes. they are not rocket scientist and should not be payed as such.

[turbomoore]

Automation > ANY & EVERY Union.

[GodChristLord]

That's right. Let a conveyor belt stretching from Detroit to Seattle transport the freight you need to fill a customer order ASAP. LMAO

"What truck or plane, shit we got a 1,600 mile conveyor belt, it automation Mr. White. You'll get your order."

[turbomoore]

Don't think for one second UPS and Fedex aren't working towards an automated sorting process within their hubs. They had people there studying the processes when I worked at the charlotte hub while in school. And as for freight, there are PLENTY of private NON-UNION individuals out there needing the work. I always call them first. Its no wonder all you yankees are moving down here, the unions have ruined that part of the country.

[cpoppenger]

That's brilliant... Big business provides your job and paycheck. You can't work without the company paying you for your work. When will the union employees realize there is a limit to what a company can pay for them to put parts on a vehicle, or load boxes on a truck. Valuable services indeed, but what is the true value of that labor? It works both ways. It's called economics.

[GodChristLord]

Just examining wages and the minimum wage, dating back to 1969, when this stat was kept, I learned that in 1988 the minimum wage should have been $20.37/hour, if it kept in line with the cost of living and inflation. Everyone, what in the hell does everyone think the minimum wage should be respecting the cost of living and inflation in 2009? EASILY over $30/hour! In my view, this should lead to a revolution. I am not trying to reverse 400 years of capitalism, but I would like economic justice.

[cpoppenger]

Good argument point, however there are alot of things that go into Cost of Goods. As a small business owner, I can tell you that I wouldn't survive long paying employees $20-30 / hour, without charging my customers a hefty premium. You have to be competitve in the market, something the Big 3 haven't been able to do because of wage costs. As the owner of the company, I need to make a decent margin to justify the RISK i'm taking to compete in a market. Companies making profit isn't a bad thing.