Wal-Mart Raises Hourly Wage to $11 in Wake of Tax Overhaul

[firstfloor]

The tax ABATEMENTS helped Alabama get the "prize".

[Cow Poke]

Promise PROMISE?

Failed. You're out!

[Joel]

There does exist worker-owners (self-employed). And they do close up shop if they turn out to be unprofitable or go bankrupt. Why would someone want to keep a job if it is expected to continue to cause their income to be negative?

[Psychic Missile]

American car makers like Ford and Chevy have pretty much nearly destroyed themselves because they are all Union shops and what ended up happening is lax union employees creating shoddy cars that were always breaking down. People started buying foreign cars that did not break down. This bankrupted Detroit. The American car makers are just now clawing their way back out and many of them because they are using nonunion workers in foreign countries and making deals with foreign car makers.

The time of the union is over. They are a hindrance not a benefit.

What evidence is there that Ford and Chevrolet's poor performance was due to unions?

[rogue06]

What evidence is there that Ford and Chevrolet's poor performance was due to unions?

It wasn't the only factor. My father was an executive (regional sales manager) for one of the Big 3 and would often complain how much of the price of a new car went to pay labor. Back then (mid 70s) the average car (not a sub-compact, but average car) was less than $4500 and $500 of it went for just paying for health care benefits for UAW workers.

No wonder the Japanese had so little trouble making such massive inroads into the market so rapidly.

[Cow Poke]

It wasn't the only factor. My father was an executive (regional sales manager) for one of the Big 3 and would often complain how much of the price of a new car went to pay labor. Back then (mid 70s) the average car (not a sub-compact, but average car) was less than $4500 and $500 of it went for just paying for health care benefits for UAW workers.

No wonder the Japanese had so little trouble making such massive inroads into the market so rapidly.

My Dad was a Ford Exec in Ohio, and he often pointed out that the benefits package for each worker was so much that it was cheaper to pay two shifts 11 hours each, with all the required overtime, than it was to have three shifts working 8 hours.

During my short stint with the UAW, there were several times that I was paid triple time and a half to work on a Sunday, like during model year change-over, because that was part of the union contract. It was actually kinda fun, cause I objected to working on Sunday because I'd miss Church. My foreman said, "show up at 6 AM, work til time to go to Church, then come back when you're done - "on the clock". Not many people get paid 3.5 times pay to go to Church.