Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you don't buy much in the way of new vehicles, period...American or otherwise. From what I have seen, most of the vehicles you have written about (and worked on) in your posts seem to be older, used models.

 

I bought 3 dodge trucks new, the last one was so bad I abandoned the concept of buying new cars. The last one had so many issues I took a step back and asked myself what was I REALLY paying for and if it was worth it or not, I then decided to drift my way toward what I have now with the logic of if I am going to have to work on it anyway might as well get something amazing instead of mediocre.

I did however buy 27k worth of US made guns, a 4kl reloading setup, and 2k in holsters this year so I did my part for American workers.

 

I don't know how I feel about this strike.

We all try to negotiate the best compensation for our labor and services but push too far and the customer will look elsewhere.

The customer in this case is the car manufacturer.

 

Issue is legacy automakers are stuck with the UAW so they have no choice but to move manufacturing overseas. That’s why outside of Tesla, who is also not bound to the UAW, all the major auto companies who manufacture the most cars in the US are foreign. Thanks UAW!

 

Good chance they do that anyway. Why? Because people want cheaper products. I saw the same mentality decimate the once proud southern textile industry.

We are coming to a very bad place.

People want the impossible. They want themselves and others to have a flexible, high paying job here in America. They want the products and services they buy to be high quality and last a long time, but be low in price. And they want companies to make a lot of profit so their 401ks grow for retirement.

Something has to give. That give usually starts at the bottom.

 

Not quite 75%, but way more than I would have thought.


https://pro.morningconsult.com/insta...port-americans

 

While management cries poverty....
"Auto Giants Refusing Union Demands Paid Just 1% in Federal Taxes on $42 Billion in Profits: Analysis"

https://www.commondreams.org/news/corporate-tax-dodgers

 

I support the strike but not the original demands of the UAW. That's just theater so it doesn't bother me. A healthy middle class should exist and a signficant pay bump is in order. If they can manage a ~23% increase and stick to the 40 hour work week that will be a big win imo. What's more contentious from my view is the elimination of the two tier system they have going. I don't have a real opinion on that yet.

 

I personally believe two-tier pay structures are horrible and abusive, in every industry. They're a an institutionalization of permanently lower wages going forward, and as such, a long-term shafting of younger workers today and tomorrow. They violate basic fairness in not paying workers side-by-side the same pay to do the same job. And they're a cynical strategy by management to divide the workforce by giving the older, higher-paid workers an economic incentive to let their younger colleagues get less.

 

That because as net operating loss carryforward. When the auto industry was "saved" last time in 2009, the new GM was allowed to keep all the tax credits for losses from the old GM. So, instead of saying they "bailed out" GM, they just killed the old company, created a new one, and somehow allowed the new company to keep $14 billion in tax credits going forward for the new 20 years. That was special for GM and the UAW. Other companies hadn't been allowed to do that.

 

Why didn't you cite sources? And your claim isn't true.
Middle class will end up paying more for vehicles.

 

So they end up going used. Better that than less money to save for retirement and support their families.

 

Which means less revenue for companies that employ UAW workers.
You just said people will buy used, less sales of new vehicles. Less revenue. There is no magic money pot although the UAW seems to think so.

 

Bought 1 American car in the last 20 years, a 2019 Corvette. The rest of my cars are Lexus and Toyota models that were made in Japan, not the US. All 5 made in Japan vehicles have been flawless for service and quality. The Toyota brand is superb!

 

You're making a lot of assumptions here though. Yes there's no free money pot, but we don't know if a 23% raise is going to dent the revenues/profit margins so severely that the automaker will have no choice but to either significantly increase MSRP or cut total employee count. I'm willing to bet that the an increase in pay over the span of 3 years or so isn't going to cut these manufacturers too deep, especially if they keep the 2 tier system.