Big Detroit Auto News Week - Detroit Auto Show & a UAW Strike?

[Lowell]

It never occurred to me that these two events could collide when the moving of the winter Detroit Auto Show to September was made. But here we have it.

With the stiff demands of the UAW led by newly-elected militant outsider President Sean Fain a strike seems inevitable. Well maybe all those strike laid-off workers will boost the show's attendance?

What is your opinion, especially those of you in the auto industry or those dependent on it in some manner? [Maybe that's all of us in some way.] Will there be strike? If so, will it be a long one? What will be the outcomes?

And is anyone going to the show?

[JBMcB]

I think a strike was a forgone conclusion. The UAW members I know are pretty upset with the upper management regarding the last five years or so of corruption scandals. The best way to fix this, from management's perspective, is to give their members another target to be angry about. Also, a strike "proves" that they aren't taking bribes to avoid a strike any more. Either legitimately, or, you know, wink-wink nudge-nudge.

[401don]

The auto show's days as a major event appear to be over. Are any journalists even showing up any more? It's a major hit to the city and tax revenue.

[Richard]

Estimated economic impact of a strike = $5.6 billion in 10 days.

Good thing they are UAW and not independent truckers,we know how that went and hopefully they are not striking in Canada it would be another excuse to declare martial law and strip everybody of their rights.

Why is it justifiable for one organization to stop production with an economic impact in the billions while another that does the same thing are called Nazis and right wing wakos?

Kinda strange how all of that works,one would think economic impact is economic impact.

[stasu1213]

Why was the Auto Show moved to September from it's original month which was June. I know that the pandemic caused the cancelation of the show. However, why wasn't it ot held in June of last year when the show restarted in Detroit? September is an iffy month weather wise especially for outdoor events. Look how chilly it is now

[Richard]

Competition

• The 2021 Detroit Auto Show has been moved from June to late September due to a scheduling conflictwith the Los Angeles Auto Show and New York International Auto Show.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/09...20Auto%20Show.

It would be interesting to see the tourist numbers in relation to the move,in June kids would be out of school and is usually peak tourist times,that had to be a bigger economic impact to the region then just the show.

[401don]

Estimated economic impact of a strike = $5.6 billion in 10 days.

Good thing they are UAW and not independent truckers,we know how that went and hopefully they are not striking in Canada it would be another excuse to declare martial law and strip everybody of their rights.

Why is it justifiable for one organization to stop production with an economic impact in the billions while another that does the same thing are called Nazis and right wing wakos?

Kinda strange how all of that works,one would think economic impact is economic impact.

A person from Florida talking about rights in Canada. That's rich.

[Richard]

A person from Florida talking about rights in Canada. That's rich.

It’s actually Richard and locusts have a tendency to spread,you missed where Michigan taxpayers are giving the CCP $500 million to set up shop there,see how quick that style of support
spread.

If the UAW strikes does it effect Canada economically and if it does will Canada declare martial law and arrest family members and freeze the bank accounts of the strikers?

Its not a complicated question and a fair one. I would hate to think one worker is considered better then another one and shown favoritism.

And yes a UAW strike will also have an economic impact on Florida and pretty much every other state in the country in one form or another,no different then a trucker strike. So why should they be handled differently?

If we are going to based response on level of economic impact the response should be based on level of economic impact no matter who is effecting it,correct?

[Danny]

Way to go Shawn Fain. That is a real outstanding UAW President. Calling for the a Neo-Bolshevism global wide auto union strike. What to do for a strike is during the Detroit Auto Show.

Show your support to the UAW!

Solidarity Forever.

[JBMcB]

Calling for the a Neo-Bolshevism global wide auto union strike.

Which will be meaningless to Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Daimler, Volkswagen or BMW, as none of those plants are unionized. It'll be a boon to them, especially as supply chains of new vehicles are still constrained.

[Henry Whalley]

...Calling for the a Neo-Bolshevism....

If you're putting those words in Fain's mouth, you may be committing defamation libel, unless he really said it.

P.S. Labor unions were forbidden in the USSR, Iraq, Cuba, North Korea, People's Republic of China, Vietnam, etc. Unions exist only in free nations where citizens have basic human rights.

[Henry Whalley]

A person from Florida talking about rights in Canada. That's rich.

Richard may be off his meds again.

[Richard]

Which will be meaningless to Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Daimler, Volkswagen or BMW, as none of those plants are unionized. It'll be a boon to them, especially as supply chains of new vehicles are still constrained.

Whats up with that? Lots of people still waiting on delivery of F250 SDs months on end with no expected delivery date.

The writing is already on the wall,the 3 set up EV production under a different entity,once the transition is over,they will just bankrupt the current entities and everybody will be out of a job anyways.

It happened in AC when the hospitality union went on strike,casinos closed the doors and 14,000 lost their jobs overnight which caused the city to pretty much folded,so in addition to the job loss people had to move to find work in other states.

I am not getting the whole,you are making money,you can afford to pay us more.

[Richard]

If you're putting those words in Fain's mouth, you may be committing defamation libel, unless he really said it.

P.S. Labor unions were forbidden in the USSR, Iraq, Cuba, North Korea, People's Republic of China, Vietnam, etc. Unions exist only in free nations where citizens have basic human rights.

He is not wrong,it’s favoring one workers party over another,and it is a free society,everybody is free to get another job.

The federal government has guidelines in place to protect workers rights and workplace conditions standards,so the only argument left is over pay with the ability to hold the company and national economy hostage with immunity.

In another not so free country,there was a tractor parts manufacturing company,the workers did not go on strike,they just did not show up,company went bankrupt.

The workers got together and formed a Co-Op of sorts and took control of the factory,they did okay,first contract they got was John Deer.

It was all employee run,the workers all voted in new hires as a collective.

The lesson they learned was they did not make anymore money then they did when they were not in control and actually made less in the slow times.

So the only thing they really gained was the ability to say it is our workplace,what they lost was the income in the slow months and had to vote on who they were going to let go in order to keep the doors open.

That’s why it is always a see-saw with unions and business,when times are good they want more money,when times are bad the company has to do cut backs in order to survive,so it is back to the table.

I Kinda think as a worker if you are expecting gains in the good times you should be also willing to except the losses in the slow times and kick money back into the company to cover the bills,because that’s what companies do,set money back in the good times in order to survive the bad times,just because they are showing profit today,it does not translate into boat loads of extra money laying about with no purpose.

[K-slice]

UAW is just biting the hand that feeds them with a strike over outrageous demands. It's not the old days where the big 3 are the only game in town. Keep pushing more customers to the competition watch as Ford, GM, and Chrysler go out of business, along with the UAW.

But don't worry, you'll be able to sleep well [[and unemployed) knowing you made your point.

[Richard]

My confusion lays with the claim of protecting the American workers and their jobs.

With all of those politicians in their pocket and the money raised by being an arm of the mob,they are quiet when it came to that sucking sound of jobs leaving the country,showed zero support for made in America when they did not like an administration that was presenting it,no support for the steel industry when it was being offshored etc.

You would think that in order to build a stronger union with more members they would be at least a little interested in helping to protect those jobs for the workers they claim and collect dues from.

But yea they are squeezing more money out of a ever shrinking pool and Detroit of all cities can look around and see how well that works.

Look at YF - 22,000 union jobs gone in an instant,granted most of that was bad management but it was the unions that forced multiple 100 year old companies to the point where they had no choice but to be absorbed or crash that gave YF the opportunity in the first place.

Even the company that started YF,Yellow Cab is being forced out of existence after 100 years because they can no longer compete with the likes of Uber.

Now school bus drivers are striking across the country,they had all summer to figure it out but they waited until school started because the children could be used as leverage.

[stasu1213]

It never occurred to me that these two events could collide when the moving of the winter Detroit Auto Show to September was made. But here we have it.

With the stiff demands of the UAW led by newly-elected militant outsider President Sean Fain a strike seems inevitable. Well maybe all those strike laid-off workers will boost the show's attendance?

What is your opinion, especially those of you in the auto industry or those dependent on it in some manner? [Maybe that's all of us in some way.] Will there be strike? If so, will it be a long one? What will be the outcomes?

And is anyone going to the show?

It's amazing that UAW waited until the Auto Show, a big money maker for the city, to strike. No wonder there is no activity going on at Hart Plaza for the prepping of the auto shows outdoor events.

[Henry Whalley]

It's amazing that UAW waited until the Auto Show, a big money maker for the city, to strike.

Not so much. IIRC auto bargaining begins after model changeover every three years.

We'll see if the tide of popular sentiment has turned against trickle-down economics and neo-liberalism with its failed policies of economic liberalization, privatization, deregulation, globalization, free trade, monetarism, austerity, offshoring, worship of the rich and famous, etc.

Questions that make this strike so interesting and pivotal IMHO. Will wage workers regain middle-class compensation? Or will right-wing propaganda turn workers against their own best interests?

[Henry Whalley]

Good read:
How the UAW Went From a Militant, Trailblazing Union to a Corrupt, Dealmaking One - In These Times

[stasu1213]

I was thinking that the move to September to hold the North American Auto Show was more of a strategic one instead of a competitive one as Richard had pointed out. Thanks for clearing that for me Richard

[jcole]

It's original month wasn't June; it was January. It moved to June for 2 yrs in 2020 and now to Sept

[stasu1213]

It's original month wasn't June; it was January. It moved to June for 2 yrs in 2020 and now to Sept

I was referring to it being moved to June originally until the Governor shut it down. Later it was moved to September

[Cincinnati_Kid]

He is not wrong,it’s favoring one workers party over another,and it is a free society,everybody is free to get another job.

The federal government has guidelines in place to protect workers rights and workplace conditions standards,so the only argument left is over pay with the ability to hold the company and national economy hostage with immunity.

In another not so free country,there was a tractor parts manufacturing company,the workers did not go on strike,they just did not show up,company went bankrupt.

The workers got together and formed a Co-Op of sorts and took control of the factory,they did okay,first contract they got was John Deer.

It was all employee run,the workers all voted in new hires as a collective.

The lesson they learned was they did not make anymore money then they did when they were not in control and actually made less in the slow times.

So the only thing they really gained was the ability to say it is our workplace,what they lost was the income in the slow months and had to vote on who they were going to let go in order to keep the doors open.

That’s why it is always a see-saw with unions and business,when times are good they want more money,when times are bad the company has to do cut backs in order to survive,so it is back to the table.

I Kinda think as a worker if you are expecting gains in the good times you should be also willing to except the losses in the slow times and kick money back into the company to cover the bills,because that’s what companies do,set money back in the good times in order to survive the bad times,just because they are showing profit today,it does not translate into boat loads of extra money laying about with no purpose.

Thing is, those CEO's aren't taking pay cuts and rescinding their stock options for the good of the company. They're still making their millions and a not skipping a beat. The workers are always the sacrificial lambs.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

It's amazing that UAW waited until the Auto Show, a big money maker for the city, to strike. No wonder there is no activity going on at Hart Plaza for the prepping of the auto shows outdoor events.

That was the plan all along. Fain is a strategist. Just as he picked 3 certain very profitable plants to initiate the start of the strike. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.

[Richard]

Thing is, those CEO's aren't taking pay cuts and rescinding their stock options for the good of the company. They're still making their millions and a not skipping a beat. The workers are always the sacrificial lambs.

It been like that from day 1 ,I worked for a company running a couple of centers for them,they took me in the office at the end of the year with a good news bad news meeting.

Good news was I took them over 1 million in profit in for the first time their 25 year history.

Bad news was I was fired because they could hire 2 managers at 1/2 my salary.

That was on a Friday,when I got home I put an add in the newspaper for an investor,by Saturday evening I found one,Monday I was shopping locations.

It took me 2 years to put them out of business,then I bought their locations at the bankruptcy sale for pennies on the dollar.

Moral of the story is if you do not create your own destiny,somebody else is more then happy to keep you at a level where they will always control you.

When you look at the early days,unskillful auto workers in Detroit were making equal to $70,000 per year,when as a majority the rest of the country was averaging $6 -$7000 per year,and they still went on strike wanting more.

That’s the way it is,no matter how much you pay a worker,it’s never going to be enough,so start out paying at least as possible and go from there and it makes them think they got a win.

I have offered employees above industry standard wages,profit sharing and even 60/40 business split,which at that time translated into a lot of money,but it had zero effect on their work ethic or even if they showed up for work on time.

So I went back to industry standard.

There are employers out there that recognize good employees and compensate accordingly just as there are employers that pay as little as possible because they can.

So just move on until you find that job that appreciates you.

But at the end of the day,a ditch digger has only a certain amount of value and the concept of saying the CEO is making millions so they can afford to pay a ditch digger CEO wages isa flawed concept,want to make as much as a CEO,become one.

The only people that hold us back in life are the ones we allow to do so.

Even within the unions ,there is a large difference in income inequality for women and minorities between the private and public sector,you would figure under a union a woman working in the private sector doing the exact same job as the one in the public sector would receive the same pay but they do not.

That’s why I said screw them,if I am going to be eating rice and beans,I might as well be doing it without somebody bitching at me when I am 5 minutes late for work,and never looked back.

I did not have any special skills,just picked them up along the way,the more I acquired the more I made ,it’s like anything else when you are 25 years old you cannot really expect to be living in a million dollar house while driving a Lambo.

Heck it is even easier now,people just get on YouTube or tic toc or only fans and are millionaires by the age of 13.

The old days you had to actually work hard to get ahead.