UAW Strike - the last gasp?

[Asher]

During the last contract negotiations in 2003 UAW represented 302,500 employees.. today they represent only 180,000...

[Wezil]

Cheap replacement cost. That's why I went this version of cheap rather than another.

Warranty?! Ran out at 70K but as I've mentioned, it didn't matter.

[Arrian]

Point of clarification: are we talking about pads + rotors, or just new pads?

-Arrian

[Asher]

Originally posted by Arrian
Point of clarification: are we talking about pads + rotors, or just new pads?

-Arrian

He said new brakes, I hope that's very different than new pads?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wezil
Cheap replacement cost. That's why I went this version of cheap rather than another.

Warranty?! Ran out at 70K but as I've mentioned, it didn't matter.

Well, it depends.

Replacement cost for a cheap American car: $1000
Replacement cost on a reliable car: $0

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Arrian
I'm impressed. The Cavalier used to be one of the worst cars ever made.

It's still crap, IMO, but at least it's crap that keeps running, as opposed to crap that was always in the shop.

-Arrian

I worked in the rental industry in a prior life so I got a good compare and contrast with north american vehicles in the first year of use.

For the price, Cavaliers/Sunfires were a good buy. I will never argue they are a good car and are obviously not luxury but when you drive 1000kms a week, cheap and disposable is what you are after. They fit the bill nicely.

[Wezil]

It needed new pads, but since my employer was paying and Midas gives a "lifetime" warranty, I replaced the works, all way round.

[PLATO]

Originally posted by Asher
During the last contract negotiations in 2003 UAW represented 302,500 employees.. today they represent only 180,000...

This about says it all wrt the UAW.

[Arrian]

If all it needed were pads, that's fine at ~80k miles. No problemo.

when you drive 1000kms a week, cheap and disposable is what you are after. They fit the bill nicely.

I suppose. I drive my commuter car ~250 miles per week and I wasn't looking for "cheap & disposable." I was looking for "not horribly expensive and reliable." Granted, I can afford it.

Anyway, even if I'm wrong and GM cars don't generally suck ass, the fact is the company is sucking wind and a good chunk of their workforce may have just committed Seppuku.

-Arrian

[Wezil]

I turn my car over into a new one every 5 years (reliable is important to me as well), but I have no trouble with long trips so I wasn't going for comfort.

As for GM, yeah, not a well run company with a myopic union. They are heading for big time trouble.

[Asher]

Why 5 years? My dad's on a 10 year cycle (his 98 Camry is due for replacing now actually). The only thing he's ever done for his Camry is preventative maintenance, and I think when you factor in resale value and lack of maintenance cost, financially it still makes sense to avoid GM...

[Asher]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070924/UPDATE/709240429

The surest way to eliminate jobs in the global economy is to walk away from them, and the United Auto Workers is doing just that.

The auto union went on strike this morning, idling General Motors Corp. plants across the country because, as UAW President Ron Gettelfinger says, the company hasn't given the union enough assurances that jobs will be guaranteed.

Unfortunately, guarantees only inflate costs and keep the companies operating at a disadvantage with their Asian rivals, which operate at a cost advantage of about $30 an hour. GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC need to run their operations more efficiently and not be constrained by onerous work rules and obligations that have brought the companies to their knees in North America.

Gettelfinger said progress has been made on a number of fronts, including the creation of a health care trust fund to shift those responsibilities to the UAW. That's a significant issue that will help GM cut some of the gap of $1,500 or more per vehicle that the company spends on health care compared with its foreign competitors.

But it's not enough. None of the domestic automakers can guarantee jobs or the committal of new products to specific factories because that's precisely what inflates costs.

GM responded to the strike by saying it is committed to working with the union to reach an agreement. Gettelfinger concurred and said negotiations will continue this afternoon, but that workers will not leave the picket line.

That's a good sign and the sooner a deal is reached, the better. Neither the domestic automakers, the UAW nor Michigan can afford for this to continue.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Asher
Why 5 years? My dad's on a 10 year cycle (his 98 Camry is due for replacing now actually). The only thing he's ever done for his Camry is preventative maintenance, and I think when you factor in resale value and lack of maintenance cost, financially it still makes sense to avoid GM...

You're like Kid on some topics. I'm not going there.

[Asher]

I've had my car just as long as you've had yours, and I've not even had to replace my brakes.

[Wezil]

Not even the same situation.

a) 1000km / week
b) paid for travel (hence the lower my /km cost the better for me)
c) 0% financing on Cav - not so on Camry (or other non-GM)
d) different driving conditions
e) the myriad of other issues this discussion will bring up

Hence, my not going there. Reply if you want but I'm done with the discussion. It's too long and it's a threadjack.