GOP Blames Unions for Detroit's Ills

Mike Papantonio of Air America Radio's Ring of Fire appears on Your World with Neil Cavuto to combat the right wing attack on unions. The GOP is trying to pin the blame for the "Big 3" automakers downfall on union activity, a fact that all available research and analysis proves completely false.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Union
• Bailout
• Economy
• Recession
• Fox
• News
• Big
• Detroit
• Automaker
• UAW
• Neil
• Cavuto
• Taxes
• Mike
• Papantonio
• GoLeft
• TV

[richis2fast4u]

The point of the jobs bank WAS to discourage GM from laying off workers. It was a negotiated deal between the UAW and GM, that said something like 'a layed off worker can sit at home and collect x or he can come in and do nothing and collect x+a percent.' GM, fully knowing this, still continued to ship jobs overseas, causing layoffs domestically and you guessed it, made the jobs bank a much bigger pool than it was ever intended.

[rickbar123]

The Unions beged the car makers to make small cars for years. REFUSED every time.

[checotahbill]

maybe it the cost of high priced advertising.

[tarpumpphillips]

I THINK the problem with the Detroit car industry is that people do not like the cars being built there. With gas prices as high they are now, people prefer more fuel efficient cars and Detroit does not or cannot rise to the challenge. Build the cars the people want and you get to be more competitive.

The other problem is taht there is NOT a good export market for the cars coming form Detroit. That would be a good strategic decision. The auto deals contribute, but is not the main reason.

[SBha30]

Question for Mike Papantonio: How much is the UAW paying you? I am sick and tired of bullying tactics by the UAW. Mike has the same bullying rhetoric of the UAW 3 million jobs are at stake, so PAY UP America!. "Its OK other people are doing it". In this day of lean JIT supply chains and flexible manufacturing, companies simply cant afford to run the risk of a strike, which is basically telling the company pay up or else.

[thinkingrationally]

It's all of GM!! There whole company sucks from the CEO all the way down. Unions have to shoulder SOME of the blame. Unions are a problem in the following sense; US union workers (on average) get higher pay and better benefits than your average non-union worker. Now I ask you which is better-two people having a job with benefits and half the pay or one union worker making twice as much and free benefits? It doesn't take a genius to figure out the right answer is the former.

[rangergranger]

Why is the host shouting like an idiot? And why doesn't he let his guest finish a sentence?

[thinkingrationally]

Papantonio is trying to defend the unions, but Asmund is right when he says that the whole company structure is the problem. The unions have to make concessions as well as the management and the CEO - everyone needs to give a little to repair the company! Papantonio just doesn't get it.

[walterfan95]

So, you're happy to work for minimum wage with no benifits? Well that's nice for you, I'd like to be able to support my family and not go bankrupt if my kid is sick though...

[walterfan95]

Mike P is in no way "bought and paid for" do you even know anything about him? Have you ever heard him on the radio? Unions are why we have a middle class, ever since the '80's and Reagan, the GOP has forced down wages for Americans, the GOP is only interested in big corporations, they don't care about the American worker, hence the blowout in the last two elections!