what would any of you do when asked to do your job for 60-75 percent less with huge med costs out of pocket less than 2 weeks after they announced giving the ceo a 3 million signing bonus? not to mention the many others that got 1-2 million to stay on. but hey steve miller is going to work the next year for only 1 dollar, don't make me puke. I would work for the next 10 years for 1 dollar, ohh heck free, if you gave me a 3 million signing bonus. now the key to my anger the workers are being told they do not deserve the wages they are making, but the ceo and other big shots that have taken the company stock from much more than 20 dollars a share to around 1 do? what gives steve? you took them into bankruptcy and now you earned 3 million bonus :lmao: ? I can say not, and most share holders will agree. now the thing to look for is the 40's sit down strike to come to your plants, after all thats the wage you want to pay right? just quickly figure how many years you will work to get 3 million, for me to live in the plant 7 days 12 hours I might get it in 30 years. mind you at the wages I make not their offer to their people. IN solidarity I stand. lucky for me its across the street.

Feel for you, here's hoping for the best.

I have several friends working at Delphi-they are the largest employer in Niagara County-we are all worried-if they close the plant everyone loses. I think they need to hold the white collar execs liable for the mismanagement of funds. The workers I know say they can do health care or a pay cut-there's no way to survive both.

If the plant closes or the workers get cut in pay, the bankruptcies will kill the tax base and the real estate market and end up costing the rest of us even more in our over-taxed area.

I'm right in the middle here where I live, Flint and Saginaw are big Delphi towns. I have friends that work in management and friends that work the line, its tough too takes any sides. I'm hoping things get resolved very quickly or many people like myself in smaller businesses are going to get pinched as well.

dooman......We are thinking of you and all the Delphi employees... Rick ( snowmutt ) worked at the Saginaw Delphi plant #3 until last may when he transferred out and back to GM. Rick started at the coldwater plant which closed down and that's when he went to Delphi but he had GM flow back rights and he used them ( thankfully ) last Spring.

We have many friends still at the Delphi plant up there in Saginaw and are worried for them as well. These are people who work Hard for the pay they get and have bills that's matched the income they are getting today, how can they afford to be cut 60% and make it??
We were very lucky, but our thoughts are for everyone this is going to effect.. Not just Delphi employees but like Jason said....its going to trickle down and effect alot of people. :(

dooman works for daimlerchryslers kokomo trans plant, which is across the highway from the world head quarters for the delphi safety, and original radio plants , which my father retired from. luckily he got the gm benefits, so his widow I worry less about.

Not to get too deep in this, but I am one of those who think linemen(& women) are paid graciously for their work. However, this monster was created over many years and the CEO's should take as big a cut as the employees are asked to take...if not more. It just kills me to see heads of a company ask the employees to sacrifice, but then you see the heads still living the lives they've become used to.

The Ford plant here in St Louis is down to one shift, and the Chrysler plant is threatening to pull out if the city of Fenton doesn't bend over and give them million$ in tax incentives.....I bet if they're given the incentives, the CEO's will still receive their cushy salaries and bonus'. :hallo1:

jim I hear you but remember your mini vans did not get cheaper when they saved those big bucks building them in mexico, my truck sure did not get cheaper coming from mexico instead of from my fellow bros in st louis, thats a fact. if any of you get savings from having your american branded vehicle built in mexico for 2.30 /hr please speak now I will drop my protest. I have a link to local paper http://www.kokomoperspective.com

I work at american axle and have been watching very closely to what goes on with Delphi.I hope the members get a fair deal as far as wages/benefits go.I think we all realize we need to cut costs to compete with the import market, but lets be realistic.Higher co pays and reduced coverage,reduced pensions are things we can expect but a 60% pay cut is just crazy.Delphi is on of the worlds largest automotive suppiers,i would think if they all stick together they should be able to strike a fair deal.Good luck,best wishes to all.

jim I hear you but remember your mini vans did not get cheaper when they saved those big bucks building them in mexico, my truck sure did not get cheaper coming from mexico instead of from my fellow bros in st louis, thats a fact. if any of you get savings from having your american branded vehicle built in mexico for 2.30 /hr please speak now I will drop my protest. I have a link to local paper http://www.kokomoperspective.com
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I hear ya Barry...corporate greed and disfunctional management need to be taken care of with a short rope and a tall tree.

I hear ya Barry...corporate greed and disfunctional management need to be taken care of with a short rope and a tall tree.
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I here you there. I was working for Michigan Rivet Corp. The ppl that bought it ran it right in the ground. The bank told them they had to close one if it's plant, and it just happened to be the one that i was working at in Petoskey. We (the union) bargained a severance package, and I was the only one that got the whole thing. The company is so broke that they can hardly buy the materails to make product for there customers. They also built a plant in China, and the bank told them they had to sell that one also. Everyone that I have talked to said that the company will not last after aThanksgiving. Poor mgt. sucks. I think that if they wouldv'e let my union local run the show for awhile thing would be different, but now I'm outta a job and there really insn't any jobs up here where I live. I'm hoping to get TRA training, and hopefully take some classes and start my own bussiness

our daily paper link http://www.kokomotribune.com for those wanting more info. :thumbsup:

Dooman-

I guess I wa more tlaking about the MILLIONS in bonus money paid out to Delphi Executives a few weeks before they filed for bankruptcy. It should be a crime-then demand a 60% pay cut from the rank and file, plus take on their own medical. It's just plain wrong.

If the plants close these execs hav a few million to tide them over until some other big corporatuion hires them and the gravy train starts rolling again.

this topic had me thinking, since I know some think we are overpaid. I done some research into ceo pay and was really floored at what I found. in 2003 the ave. unemployment rate rose to 6 from 5.8 % the year before, 8.8 million workers were out of a job. production worker pay rose 2.1 % over the year , which is not with inflation however the ceo's of the countrys largest companies ,the year was great, their pay rose 9% for the year.

some quick facts the average ceo's pay 8.1 million in 2003, which technically is 9.1% higher than in 02. the gap between ceo pay and worker pay is huge, ceos made 301 times as much as the average production worker. much more severe in inequality than in 1982 it was only 42 times more then.

heres one that will floor you had minimum wage kept up with the ceo rate of increase it would now be $15.76 not $5.15/hr.the aveage worker would now make $75,388/yr not $26,899. workers wages have only increased with the rate of inflation since 1990 leaving us with the same buying power ,were as they have risin 315%. which outperforms the S&P 500 by 75% points.

IN 2003

boeing paid their CEO 3.8Million,

general dynamics= 9.6,

dana =1.7,

delphi=3.7,

eaton=8.2,

navistar=1,

paccar=3.2,

caterpillar=5.6,

deere=5.,

you can bet the workers was not even close and they put in much longer hours. most companys ,whom have uaw workers, made 8.1 million average. well below the top 20 I might add which I found a high of 141.1 million for Rueben Mark of colgate-palmolive to 20th on the list @ 30.2 which is R. Lawrence Montgomery of Kohls. ceo's which outsource at the top 50 largest outsourcers were paid 10.4 million in 2003, compared with the average of 8.1 ,they get more to outsource.

how does that compare with the wages of the workers in india where much of the outsourced work goes? assuming the ceo works full-time year round he makes 5,022/hr.an indian call center pays 1.50/hr replacing the u.s. call center wokers @the average of 12.57/hr.

I am done, but remember these are facts if you research you will find I am not pulling your legs. I guess I do make to much :rolleyes:

Can you say "REVOLUTION"?
Time to lock and load!

man this is worse than i thought. i can see domino effect if this goes as they want it to.you know there is alot more eyes watching this deal closely. sounds like a good case of take the money and run. hell with everybody else.i wish all affected by this at this time. that it can be resolved in a more equal manner.

Dooman-

I guess I wa more tlaking about the MILLIONS in bonus money paid out to Delphi Executives a few weeks before they filed for bankruptcy. It should be a crime-then demand a 60% pay cut from the rank and file, plus take on their own medical. It's just plain wrong.

If the plants close these execs hav a few million to tide them over until some other big corporatuion hires them and the gravy train starts rolling again.
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Yeah, and they put Martha Stewart in jail!! :crazy:
How do these people keep getting away with this, time and time again??

Barry, I didn't change anything in your post. I just broke it up to make it easier to read.

What else is wrong.

Someone working the line, approximately my age, with no degree (sometimes not even a diploma) makes as much as I do with a college degree and has better benefits. And I still have to pay the loans for my education. So the moral of the story... sometimes life is not fair.

thanks revrnd. the moral of my story is that the guys at the top are saying we are paid to much at 26 an hour when they make 5,000+, total bull. I say the governement should make all companys take the cuts from the top down . I bet they would save more companys and good jobs if they did. you might find they save themselves before ever get to the middle class workers. a quick figure in my head has the ceo pay as equal to 200 + workers, hmmm. NOBODY IS WORTH THAT KIND OF MONEY, education or not you do not earn that.

I've never worked on the line, but as a tradesman I've worked in the GM car & truck plants in Oshawa since '83. I know guys that have worked over 30 years on it. The workforce is fairly stable, if there is such a description. If the Big 3 paid its workers minimum wage/McD's benefits, I bet the turnover would be terrible.

hmmm,so if i don't have a degree i'm not worthy ? mr budda get off your ego trip good buddy. you must work with your brain ha. i work with my hands and my brain !

hmmm,so if i don't have a degree i'm not worthy ? mr budda get off your ego trip good buddy. you must work with your brain ha. i work with my hands and my brain !
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Pretty lame reply.
You don't seem to realize that there are lots of people in other places that are willing to do the same work with their 'hands and brain' for a lot less than the UAW's going rate.
The world is a small place, and getting smaller every day.
There's still lots of jobs for someone coming out of high school to make $60k+/yr. but it ain't going to be in Michigan or Southern Ontario (and you will probably be working outside).

Pretty lame reply.
You don't seem to realize that there are lots of people in other places that are willing to do the same work with their 'hands and brain' for a lot less than the UAW's going rate.
The world is a small place, and getting smaller every day.
There's still lots of jobs for someone coming out of high school to make $60k+/yr. but it ain't going to be in Michigan or Southern Ontario (and you will probably be working outside).
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correct ,the toyo corolla yes the #1 seller is built here by a UAW worker, as is the tacoma. I could go on and on with many more of them that are, how can they make money with UAW worker? but remember to stay on topic so it will not get closed. I have this for people interested in the delphi trouble. which I have no new news about.

Your topic will not be closed dooman but it also should be noted that there is always two sides to every problem.

When can we start discussion on the UAW fork truck driver making 6 digits that was recently headlined in MI article? Or how about the UAW sanitation trade earning + $120,000.

Again, two sides to every story. Are top brass historically overpaid? YES. Are some UAW jobs raping corporate America? YES. There comes a time when society wakes up and starts supporting average UAW jobs at average $40,000 / year wages. There is nothing wrong with supporting a family, I am all for it. But let's stop paying the CEO 6 million a year AND let's stop paying the sweeper $100,000.

Fair enough?

Corey, we have a sweeper in my plant working doubles all the time & making more than I choose to. If management would hire another worker to sweep on the second shift, this guy wouldn't be working OT doing the jobs of 2 people.

I have been told it is cheaper for the company to pay piles of OT to 1 person rather than hire another person & pay for his or her benefits :crazy: .

I can second that revrnd. the guy doing 12-16 hour days x7 is earning that money. think the guy still has to do 27 or so years to get the bonus steve took. no 12-16 hr days for me.

line work sucks

I did that for 5+yrs quit in june after landing a new job somewhere else

I feel much better now physically at my new job were I am constantly moving

You would believe how hard just standing there doing the same thing over and over again is on your body

I am earning less now(which is pathetic yet have the chance to move up the pay scale much quicker) but am a much happier person and now get weekends off :p

I'll try not to become too opinionated or upsetting in this subject, but I do live in an area north of saginaw where Delphi employs a good portion of people along with Dow... I have to honestly say that I believe the UAW is just as much at fault for these failures as the CEO's. Should CEO's be getting huge bonus's right now, absolutely not. I also don't think that UAW members should be making the kind of money they are. Argue it all you want but my town is covered in plastic factories and the highest paid individuals on the floor are making within $2.00 what starting floor workers at Delphi are pulling in. Just my opinion but I think it is time for UAW employees to come back down to everyone else's, in comparable labor forces, level...
Wayne

Don't blame workers

blame WALMART and consumers

they are the ones that started the MADE in China trend

even if the workers were making $8an hr they would still lose the jobs to China where a $1-2 an hr is living good

How can any company Justify cutting workers wages by 60% ?? These hard working ,Union paying, people have built thier lives around the wages they have today. 60% spending would get cut out of the economy you can bet your booty on that. Keep in mind now, the worker has to swallow the fact that the CEO's are taking in huge bonuses. How can a company Justify that? You bet your butt the Union is going to fight for its members.. Solidarity Forever !!!



Snow4

Don't blame workers

blame WALMART and consumers

they are the ones that started the MADE in China trend

even if the workers were making $8an hr they would still lose the jobs to China where a $1-2 an hr is living good
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And yet, ironically, WalMart is known as a blue collar store.....

I think its funny that as manufacturers send more and more over sea`s for production that fewer and fewer people are able to afford that product ,gm and ford are scratching thaire heads about why sales are down

Even before all of this, the majority of GM workers i knew drove honda's and toyota's anyhow. I just can't put all the blame on the CEO's with wages that the Union was demanding, it was bound to happen :confused:
Wayne