P71_CrownVic Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Ford's plan to lower its labor costs is a two-stage process. First, buy-out highly-paid union workers. Second, replace them with lower-paid workers. If Ford's experience at their Ranger plant in St. Paul (MN) is anything to go by, the Blue Oval Boyz are failing at the first hurdle. The Star Tribune reports that 236 out of 240 workers have refused buy-out packages worth $50k to $140k. Seems those who've wanted to leave, have. "Only four to six workers applied for the buyout out of about 240 eligible production workers, said Roger Terveen, president of United Auto Workers Local 879. There are only 980 workers left in the plant, after buyouts in 2006 and the shutdown of the night shift." The paper hints that resurgent Ranger sales have emboldened the "survivors." "March Ranger sales rose 7.9 percent from a year ago to 8,620 units. Sales of the light truck rose 24 percent in February. Sales have picked up steam thanks to the falling U.S. dollar, rising demand in Canada and high fuel costs." Or maybe they're waiting for a better offer. Star Tribune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Or maybe they are realists and see that them getting another job at this point in time might be hard.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P71_CrownVic Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Or maybe they are realists and see that them getting another job at this point in time might be hard.... What does that matter? The plant is closing next year anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 So how much do they get if (or when) the plant closes next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Local1111 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 So how much do they get if (or when) the plant closes next year? How much do you get paid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) Not what I meant, is Ford likely to offer more if they close the plant down? Pretty hard to know what to do in uncertain times, Edited April 7, 2008 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Local1111 Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Not what I meant, is Ford likely to offer more if they close the plant down?Pretty hard to know what to do in uncertain times, No, It's a relevant question. Now the world seems to want to know everything an autoworker does, what he makes, every benefit he gets. With that info, they deem him overpaid and under worked and blame the fall of company's upon him. IF your an Autoworker, it doesn't make much sense asking what the weather will be like next month or next year. If your not an autoworker, I wanted to know what you make. I wanted to see you tell the world how much you make. When the plant closes he gets to see the fruit of his labor come to a retching halt. He gets to see a decline in living standards in the city crumble. He gets to watch other company's that built their business around his work, start to file for bankruptcy. He gets to watch the tax base dwindle and taxes rise to offset the loss of those jobs. He gets to watch people turn into dogs fighting for the scraps of jobs, that are left and undercut the next guy by a downward spiral for competition of what few jobs are left. He gets to accept a lot less money if he's lucky to find someone that will hire him. He gets to watch his kids that were mediocre in school, look forward to a 'good job' within the military or flight out of where they grew up and a move to another location because someone said, they were jobs someplace else. Basically it's something the workers have to deal with. Kinda like a family loss. Kinda like 'Enron'. And yet, the world still turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 When the plant closes he gets to see the fruit of his labor come to a retching halt. He gets to see a decline in living standards in the city crumble. He gets to watch other company's that built their business around his work, start to file for bankruptcy. He gets to watch the tax base dwindle and taxes rise to offset the loss of those jobs. He gets to watch people turn into dogs fighting for the scraps of jobs, that are left and undercut the next guy by a downward spiral for competition of what few jobs are left. He gets to accept a lot less money if he's lucky to find someone that will hire him. He gets to watch his kids that were mediocre in school, look forward to a 'good job' within the military or flight out of where they grew up and a move to another location because someone said, they were jobs someplace else. Basically it's something the workers have to deal with. Kinda like a family loss. Kinda like 'Enron'. And yet, the world still turns. Exactly, there are no givens in life and having expectations that you'll have a job at one place for the rest of your life is downright stupid...you should take control of your own life and minimize your exposure to what might come down the pike... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 (edited) How much do you get paid? Lots - but really, it's the lifestyle I love Edited April 8, 2008 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P71_CrownVic Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 No, It's a relevant question. No, it's not... Kinda like a family loss. Kinda like 'Enron'. And yet, the world still turns. How is shutting down the Ranger plant 'kinda like' the chairman of a company stealing the retirements of hundreds of workers? jdp80 asked a legit question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 (edited) No, it's not... How is shutting down the Ranger plant 'kinda like' the chairman of a company stealing the retirements of hundreds of workers? jdp80 asked a legit question. That's OK P, I probably hit a raw nerve there. Sorry, Local1111 - no disrespect intended to you or your brother workers. Edited April 8, 2008 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.