Makeastand

Im not sure how the trade laws work so I don't understand how using American made materials on a "new project" would violate trade laws if we maintain our current trade levels. Can anyone explain this please?

The union is olny as strong as its members.

Anyone that thinks that Gettlefinger is doing a bad job needs to get their head out of their asses. Ron has more pressure on him right now than any other president in the UAWs history. The whole country wants us to take a pay cut along with our government. The only support Ron has is a hand full of auto workers and obviously you all are not supporting him. The whole country is running him into the ground including the people he is trying to defend! Ungrateful bastards! We haven’t even seen what we are going to be voting on yet and you all are criticizing him already, what a bunch of whiney little bitches. That is exactly what gives us a bad name. I agree the union could help give us some positive press and I even seen a union commercial just the other day, but you guys need to quit being such cry babies. Pitch in and help out if you don't like how the union is performing. How can you expect the general public to appreciate the union when its members does not?

Yall are nuts

Well I have to agree with Obama when he said that the execs are being rewarded for failure. These execs are the same ones who drove their businesses and the economy into the ground and they are still getting bonuses (with American tax dollars) while congress was demanding that GM's ceo should be fired. They want the Big 3 auto workers to align their pay with the transplants but the execs don't have to? Toyotas ceo makes under a million a year in total compensation. American execs make far more than their foreign counterparts. Something needs to be done about this double standard. I also would like to hear what Obama has to say about these same Wall street execs firing tens of thousands of their American employees then applying for work visias for immigrants to step into those jobs.

Canada has always been a good neighbor. They have helped us in every major US war and somehow stayed out of the lime light. I have never met a Canadian that I didn't like. Just because they have a few American plants doesn't mean they stole our jobs. The automotive companies put them there and at least they pay a decent wage unlike the plants in Mexico. Who cares about what their beer taste like. You must not know very much about the history of beer. You people bitching about Canada really ought to get a hold of yourselves. Sounds like you are bitching just to be bitching and it makes Americans look bad.

GM and Chrysler butouts Click Here

GM and Chrysler buyouts. Click Here

Well I live in his state and I have never met anyone who likes him, I don't know who the hell keeps voting for him but he only won by like 1 or 2 percent in this last election. He said in his campaign that he is the only reason that KTP and LAP are still open, but when Ford met with our local officials I never heard Mitch McConnells name mentioned. I heard several others but never his. Although I did hear him foaming at the mouth against the bailout. I will be praying with ya brother.

Bitch McConnell only won by like 1 or maybe 2 percent of the vote. Like HWT said we don't like him in louisville. As far as the trade wars go, who f*cking cares. We got ourselves into this mess in part by "free trade". We need to end trade all together but I don't see how a few infrastructure projects that use only American made materials could cause trade wars if we still keep our normal rate of trade going. I understand that we are Chinas biggest customer and we have made them rich. I understad that a trade war could lead to a full blown war. I understand that they also hold trillions of dollars of our bonds that they could cash and pemanently devistate our economy. Their military out numbers our by like 3-1. They have invested in the latest military technologies. So with our military being exhausted (thanks Bush) and smaller, now is not the time to piss them off so we should just maintain the current level of trade (for now) but stimulate our own economy by means of infrastructure using American made materials. WTF is wrong with that? As fas as the 4% mortage loans, Im not sure that it would help may Americans because you have to have impeccable credit and Im not sure but you may also need to have 20% down. Most Americans don't have either. The tax cut is a joke, the gop is trying to make it look like they care about the lower and middle class. A couple dollars a week isn't going to stimulate the economy. That is another reason we are in a recession. Bush cut taxes and increased spending and here we are. Obamas plan may cut taxes and will increase spending. We cannot do both but it looks like Bitch McConnell wants both. We need to make sure they do not just print more money either.

What did you tell him? There are a lot of things I would like to tell him but they probably would come looking for me. I've sent him a few letters before but it doesn't look like he read them.

Thats a good song. I heard that song on the radio last night on my way home from work. I was giving it a hell yea the rest of the way home. Heres another good one. Click Here

Look, this is America and we deserve an honest wage. As far as the buy outs, I don't plan on taking one but if they are being offered then any worker should have the right to take it. Although I do understand what you mean about the workers with self-entitlement issues, it is not to your discretion as to what Ford workers are worth. Maybe you are even shorting your own self worth. By the way, speaking of what a person is worth, look at what our great banking system is doing now. Not only has our country been out sourcing manufacturing jobs, now they are out sourcing all of our jobs. Click Here

Its not our fault that you like to nibble on the crumbs that are under the the rich mans feet. If you don't work at Ford then you need to keep your comments to yourself and go to another forum. You have no clue.

If they are going to make a rule for automakers then they should make it for everybody, oh yea those rich f*cking pricks need their quarter million dollar cars. F*ck California! Every body Iv'e ever met from there has been a pussy anyway! Same goes for politicians, greedy bastards. Someone should hang-em upside-down and feed-em ex-lax!

I had a 1999 F-250 with the 7.3. I put a chip in it, an air intake system, a thing called a turbo spacer, and a few other tweaks to the engine. It would burn all four tires like a scalded dog. I put dual exhaust on it and that got a lot of attention until others in my are started doing it. I put 12.5 lift on it and took it to truck shows all over. Mostly Indianapolis and Lima Ohio for the 4 wheel Drive Jamboree. I got scared to drive that truck because it was my baby and I didn't want to put a lot of miles on it or have someone wreck into me, so I sold it. It sat most of the time and that is a diesel engines worst enemy. The seals start rotting and all that stuff when an engine sits. Now I wish I wouldn't have sold it. I miss my 7.3.

I couldn't agree more.

Hard to say what will happen. A few years ago a rumor was going around KTP that Ford was in talks with Caterpiller but I'm pretty sure that didn't pan out. Would have been great though. Navistar still has a plant in Alabama that is capable of building our engines but I believe they are non union. I think the Indi plant was the last of their union plants. Ford better have a plan because we sell a lot of trucks just because of that engine.

Ford Brazil There used to be a longer video that provided more info but I cannot seem to find it.

I believe that the term "legacy cost" came from a financial adviser that GM hired during contract negotiations. Not a %100 sure though. The media constantly bitches about our pay and legacy costs and now the gop jumped on the band wagon. The general public doesn't know any better. I totally agree with you and we all feel your pain but now is not the time to give up Trim. We have to be strong and keep spreading the word about ourselves. Yes it would be nice to get the union officials and the company to help and thats why we need ideas like what Maislebandit is talking about and act on them. Your a smart guy Trim, I know you have some good ideas and I know you can act on them.

That is most ingenius. How do we follow through with that idea? Do we get our locals to contact the local news channels or what?

Sorry to hear about the broken home thing, been there done that myself. I have never heard Ford bad-mouth us or say we are over paid. I have heard the media say it. Chrysler, nor GM are eager to say hey "these workers earn every penny they make". Although Bill Ford said on tv that we are not over paid.

Now that makes more sense.

I can't believe this. This is bad. More free welfare for anyone who doesn't wan't to work.

A nation wide strike of all unions in support of one union would be a sympathy strike which was outlawed by the Taft-Hartley act in 1947, though I do not know what the repercussions would be if any. It would definitely make a statement to companies though, and hopefully only be needed once. I would hate for the education of all children to suffer when teachers strike to support the workers at say, Jim Beam. I am not against the idea but there are a few flaws in it. One being the fact that our government pays companies incentives to fire us and move operations to China where they force children to work in sweat shops. We go on a national strike, the government pays them to move out. The reason we are in this mess is the governments fault anyway. They pay companies to move out of the country now there are no jobs, unemployment is way up. What about "FREE TRADE" what a freaking joke. How about China, Japan, and Korea align their money fairly so it is at least comparable to ours. Toyota still imports a lot of parts from home that they buy in yen or "okane", which is worth nothing and sell it on the dollar. Might as well say "FREE PARTS" huh. Part of the union’s problem is the membership voting for people like Bush. Can anyone tell me what he has done for the working class? Everyone new from the get go that he wasn't very bright but he won 2 elections. Oh that’s right, W. is a good Christian man who is against abortion and gay rights. I forgot. Well then he must be qualified. After all his daddy was a president so it’s ok. I hope Obama can do us some good but I don't agree with his tax cuts. Bush cut taxes and spent $10-$12 billion a month on a war that will never benefit us or Iraq. Cut taxes + increase spending = broke. George proved that. What I’m saying is our own government is the enemy because they allow the companies we work for to screw us. We need policy change that will support the middle class and Americans in general. The gop will never do this unless we pay them to, and the dems want to give welfare junkies and immigrants more of “OUR” money.