Jump to content

Len_A

Member
  • Posts

    2,021
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    8

Everything posted by Len_A

  1. Couldn't agree with you more. Thankfully, the ratified contract is no where near anything like that. And as the spouse of a "tiered" court employee, who took six freaking years to reach "tier one" status, I'm glad to be done with tiers. Now time for national legislation, to ban the use of "permatemps" at any other company. Aside from that, companies must have flexibility to respond to market conditions. Otherwise, like you said, stockholders will flee. Berkshire Hathaway already dumped their entire position in GM stock, citing both the cost of electrification AND this contract.
  2. I have worked for the American subsidiaries of two Germán companies and one Swedish company. It's very different, compared to here. Very different.
  3. Asian company's CEO's income isn't reported to the same standards as USA CEO's. Japanese CEO's compensation always includes private school and college tuition for their kids, multiple homes bought for and given to the CEO's, sedan service to and from work, private jet use for personal use. All adds up, but isn't reported like it would have to be here. You failed to mention that, after decades of not making as much as North American CEO's, that European CEO's not match or exceed their American CEO counterpart's income. And to answer the rest of your post, Tier One and Tier Two supplier employee make way less than Big Three.
  4. I hear you. My wife is a member of the Police Officers Association Of Michigan. Her health insurance is so top notch, it's even better than the UAW health care negotiated Detroit Three health care coverage. I just had a knee replacement in May. Total costs of that, including physical therapy and almost a dozen prescriptions, was north of $49,750. My share? $248. Can't beat collective bargaining. But that being said, neither court employees like my wife, nor most corrections officers like yourself (for profit prisons notwithstanding), your unions really don't have to deal with competition. All of the Detroit Three's North American car and truck manufacturing competition is nonunion. Even VW, who at one time was UAW, when they had an assembly plant in Pennsylvania, in the 1980's. Now they're back in the USA, in Tennessee, and they're nonunion. And the customer base needed to support all the automakers, is overwhelming tilted in favor to nonunion, 58% to 42%. That makes this strike very risky, short term and long term, to the Detroit Three's ability to compete. And small share holders like us....we count for shit. The shareholders who matter are the mutual funds, pension funds, and hedge funds. They got the majority of the shares, and they could give a f*ck what you and I think. They will still support the CEO pay packages, and if these UAW negotiations give the workers half of what they are demanding, plan on the stock taking a three to four year hit. Enough big shareholders will see this in a negative light, and reduce their position in each company, to reduce their exposure to the increased risk they see. Twenty three years ago, Wall Street didn't regard GM, Ford and Chrysler as automakers. They regarded them as big pension and healthcare providers that happened to make cars to pay for it all. That is a verifiable fact. We may be heading back there.
  5. CEO pay has nothing to do with line worker pay, regardless of how organized labor and politicians like Bernie Sanders try to make a connection. If more competent CEO candidates were in large supply, then salaries would go down. The fact is, there aren't enough candidates, and their effectiveness varies a lot. Even with the lower number of job candidates, it's still easier to fill 100 production openings than I is to find 10 decent CEO candidates. Is what it is.
  6. Keep in mind the Asians, because they're disclosure laws are completely different, regarding executive compensation, they also, by our standards, hide more than seven figures a year of paid "benefits".
  7. CEO pay sucks. That's a given. But the ratio of CEO pay to their workers pay is completely, 100% irrelevant. The UAW has no right to demand as much as they are. It's ridiculous, I give a damn how backwards their members buying power is. Absolutely not a single one of you have to right to make those insane demands. You're already uncompetitive with the transplants. And yes, the transplants CEO pay is ridiculous, as well. They've just better at hiding it (mansions, private school tuition for their kids, college education, even overseas, paid for). Battling the corporations is never going to solve it. Every CEO, at every corporation in the USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia/New Zeeland, Japan and South Korea all pay their CEOs ridiculous amounts of money. All this battle is going to do is create even more negativity toward anything union made. I'm done trying to be a cheerleader for the Detroit (We ain't big anymore) Three. All that's done is subject me to ridicule and damage my career. NO more. I'm firmly on the other side, even though my Cadillac/Lincoln level health insurance is because of my wife's union. My wife, with TWO college degrees, who dispite the great health insurance, is drastically underpaid, even with a CBA. So my attitude now, as the adult child of an hourly Ford retiree, that attitude now is f**k you. You're losing supporters and customers. See me in five years when the Detroit Three's collective market share is below 40%. Below 35%. The asshole who had the laughing emoji - see who is laughing then, mother******.
  8. Every worker has a right to be pissed about CEO pay, but if they want to bitch about it, go bitch at the shareholders who approve these ridiculous compensation packages. And who are some of the biggest shareholders? Other union pension funds. You read that right - "Solidarity Forever" my ass. The California State Teachers’ Retirement System. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas. New York State Common Retirement Fund. Teamsters Pension Trust Fund . The Teamsters Central States Pensions The UAW's own VEBA. Every one of them always vote with the CEO's. And whether anyone believes it or not, each union has some degree of influence. Not one f*cking one ever votes against CEO compensation. Every single large share holder vote is a matter of public record. Don't like CEO compensation? Tell some of the biggest shareholders to do something about it.
  9. Will never happen. The ramifications of this bullshit move can not be under estimated. Those workers who voted for that idiot Fain, can thank each other for driving everyone over a cliff. Scares the hell out me. I can't retire, and at 64, trying to find another industrial sales gig scares the crap out of me. And being the adult child of an hourly (now deceased) Ford employee, I've had, four times in my career, had to deal with a coworkers or managers bigotry toward the hourly UAW employees, and don't think their very adult children should be in any white collar business career, unless it's a supervisors position. My late father's narrowminded reaction was two fold - "do I have to watch every g*d damn thing I say?" (yes, you f*cking do) and secondly, "can't you get another job?" (I don't want to - I'm really god at what I do). Because the way they think. When I pointed out, to several of my dad's hourly coworkers, that their behavior is an incredibly bad look, (just like this strike and Fain's behavior and theatrics are), their very typical response is that it's not their problem and sales & marketing need to deal with it. It's an infuriating attitude, and this strike is just an extension of that.
  10. Well, they walked. Shawn Fain is leading them all to disaster, and I say that as someone vehemently prounion and pro Detroit Three (ain't big any more). They have to accept the fact that they don't have the market share that's big enough to really give the union any real strength. And they have to accept, and I mean they have to accept, that the Detroit Three aren't the Big Three anymore, and combined, their market share, especially considering that three three auto makers only sell 42%, isn't even close to what it used to be. I, for one, now own my last union built car. My ex-salaried Ford manager brother, owns a Volvo, as does one of his best friends, even though they have employee discount for life. We're done. Yes, they gave up a lot. Tough. It's now a major part of the business model, the Detroit Three lost market share, y'all make more than any of the transplants, or Tesla, that's life, f***ing get over it. And I am vehemently prounion. Just about every nonmanufacturing union worker - health, education, etc - are aghast at Shawn Fain's conduct, riling up the rank-and-file, and making demands that many nonmanufacturing union employee think are ridiculous. And now, Fain and his merry band of idiiots, are riling up the union haters. Way to go. I know of two HVAC contractors, whose employee are union, because they have to be to get business in Detroit, that cancelled their truck orders of F-150 and Silverado's, and ordered Toyota and Nissan trucks instead. They're that pissed off.
  11. And you have to accept, and I mean you have to accept, that the Detroit Three aren't the Big Three anymore, and combined, their market share, especially considering that three three auto makers only sell 42%. I, for one, now own my last union built car. My ex-salaried Ford manager brother, owns a Volvo, as does one of his best friends. We're done. Yes, you gave up a lot. Tough. It's now a major part of the business model, the Detroit Three lost market share, y'all make more than any of the transplants, or Tesla, that's life, f***ing get over it. And I am vehemently prounion. Just about every nonmanufacturing union worker - health, education, etc - are aghast at Shawn Fain's conduct, riling up the rank-and-file, and making demands that many nonmanufacturing union employee think are ridiculous. And now, Fain and his merry band of idiiots, are riling up the union haters. Way to go. I know of two unionized HVAC contractors, who cancelled F-150 and Silverado orders, and are getting Toyota and Nissan trucks instead. They are that pissed off.
  12. One of the reasons that GM is now (actually the last couple of years), in their owners manuals, advising against DIY waxing. Then they contradict themselves. Example right here: That last sentence is a bit of self serving nonsense. If you go to any GM brand website and "build" a vehicle, you'll find that in the dealer accessories section at the end, GM is peddling products from Adam's Polishes, including both DIY ceramics and full wax/sealant kits with an orbital polisher. One of my cousins used to be the paint line manager for one of GM's assembly plants. A big reason for their push away from DIY waxing, sealants and coatings is that misapplication often results in a DIYer using an abrasive polish to take off a layer of fully cured ceramic DIT coating, and occasionally taking off a paint sealant that way. Eventually, these "geniuses" cut through the clearcoat, then rush to the dealer screaming about clearcoat failure and warranty work. I'm not a pro, but I'm 63 and have been detailing cars since I was 15. My advise - if you want coatings, ceramic, graphene or otherwise, go to a professional and pay for it. If you're going to wax yourself, Meguiar's Mirror Glaze M21 Synthetic Sealant is good. Griot's sealants are pretty good. Collinite No. 845 Insulator Wax can be a bit of work, but lasts a long time.
  13. The so-called mini console? I don't believe so. I found a copy of the owners manual. See if the answer to your question is in there. 2020-Ford-Explorer-GasHEV-Owners-Manual-version-2_om_EN-US_06_2019.pdf
  14. This may be what's happening with yours: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2019/09/13/ford-2020-explorer-lincoln-aviator-delivery/2292795001/
  15. I was exchanging emails all day Friday, and then over the weekend, with Ms. Howard. She has a lot of sources inside Ford that are anonymously feeding her information. She's not that naive - it isn't just that there are new model birthing pains. It's Ford having so many repairs, that CAP can't handle them - physically running out of space. Even I'm shocked at how many problems they're having with the Explorer and Aviator. I've had three products, over the years, built at CAP, two of them first year models, and even with first model year blues, it was nothing like this.
  16. I enjoy talking about Ford and Ford vehicles, but the Off Topic forum WAS set up for political discussions, and I know that for an absolute fact, because it happened right after I posted a political post in the Employees forum that they created the Off Topic and moved that thread. That happened some time prior to 2003. Then the Off Topic became very heated, very politically charged. Then they dropped the hammer, due to a lot of personal attacks, and then this forum lost a lot of people who felt that there were too many restrictions on what the felt were their free speech rights, not acknowledging that, essentially, BOF is private property, and as such, can impose whatever rules they want. Not the first time I've seen this. One other website I used to frequent completely deleted the politics forum, rather than attempt to moderate it. Again, their property, their rights. I acknowledge it, but I don't have to like it.
  17. I like the back-and-forth of the political discussions. Frankly, without them, this place became kind of dull. That's one reason I'm not around as much, and if you look back far enough, I was a prolific poster of all things political.
  18. Yes, I do miss them. They were fun in a twisted sort of way.
  19. One alternative to clay bars are the synthetic pads/mitts like this one: https://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-fine-prep-mitt.html Two advantages - last way longer than clay and if you drop them, while using them, you just rinse them off, and get back to work.
  20. You're right. Was true for 2018. They can keep their Active-X. I hate vinyl. And I'll add that bring back vinyl, under any name, is not a desirable change, in my book. I'd rather have cloth.
  21. 2019 and 2018 Explorer XLT had leather available as part of the Comfort Package, which in turn, is part of Package 202A. 2019MY Explorer Order Guide, page 19.pdf
  22. Don't like the lack of leather in the XLT. Active-X material replaces leather in the XLT's - otherwise known as vinyl. Yuck. Leather standard on Limited, ST, and Platinum.
  23. You can't resolve it, not quickly anyway. You think POTUS knows what he's doing on this? Farmers are already getting hammered on multiple fronts, with foreign customers going else where for soybeans, corn and pork, among other commodities, Trumps multi billion dollar one time bail out for farmers doesn't even come close enough to help them (their words, not mine). My industry is seeing some softening of demand due to price increases. Plugging the hole by printing money - we agree, that's a nonstarter. There is no readily available solution. The absolute FACT is that our exports have dropped a little, over the last few months, and our imports went UP, even with Trumps stupid-ass tariffs (all of it in consumer goods). A solution for solving the trade deficit? Short of a massive recession to cut demand, that out strips U.S. suppliers capacity to manufacture at low prices that the market is demanding? Never going to happen. The fact is we have whole low price retail, on line and brick & mortar, built around cheap supply from Asia, including, but not limited, to China. Another fact is that the international auto industry's supply chain is built around different parts, coming from different countries, moving back and forth across international borders. This administrations moves to cut imports is disrupting a supply chain that can never move production quickly. Once a country of origin changes, on any vehicle part, due diligence demands long term testing for product liability and warranty liability reasons, plus anything in the power train has to meet further testing for emissions reasons. Those conditions are chiseled in stone, with very, very few exceptions. Parts supplier's contracts no longer allow for price increases due to raw material price increases, so now some suppliers very existence is threatened. So resolve a huge trade deficit without it hurting a little? Can't be done, and it won't hurt a little - it'll hurt a lot and contribute to cause or exacerbating the next downturn.
  24. Well I'm not. no one wins in a trade war, and Ford, and the UAW, are already getting hammered in (more) political forums, by the usual non auto industry employee crowd, complaining that this further puts new cars out of their grasp, to the benefit of more highly paid hourly & salaried Ford workers. Doesn't matter one iota that the union had exactly zip to do with this decision, and that this was never going to be a big seller anyway. In the meantime, my industrial sales organization is going through our second round - SECOND freaking round already - of price hikes and surcharges, due to steel and aluminum prices going up. Our product line is 95% plus American made, and the net result is customers are postponing or canceling orders if existing equipment can be repairs or jury-rigged to continue to work. And a full third of our customers are Tier One & Tier Two auto parts suppliers. So, no. I'm not with the administration or any of their supporters on this. Not one damn bit.
  25. https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2018/08/31/citing-trade-war-ford-cancels-plan-import-small-suv-china/1156427002/ https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2018/08/31/ford-wont-sell-new-focus-crossover-u-s/1156315002/
×
×
  • Create New...