  River_rat Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 347 Registered: 02-2006 |
The business section of The Washington Post has an article that should be of interest to all Detroit. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05 /30/AR2008053002877.html Q. Why are they building there? A. American Axle | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 4735 Registered: 02-2004 |
No, they would never build out of the country if not for the American Axle strike. Honest to God, this forum and it's inhabitants make my head spin sometimes. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 2250 Registered: 09-2007 |
This should be honored with the "Pointless Thread Award". | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4842 Registered: 02-2005 |
Ford can build cars wherever they want (and should build them wherever it costs the least). It just goes to show that "buy American" becomes more of a misnomer everyday. You can still help the corporate profits of the Big 3 and hopefully make their corporate presences in the Detroit area grow through your purchase, but the American labor force for the Big 3 can only shrink from here on out (barring a combination of unthinkable increases in the price of labor in the developing world and in the cost of transporting finished products). | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4415 Registered: 06-2004 |
LOL, was American Axle struck in the 1920s? All they're doing is upgrading two existing plants, one of which currently builds pickups and will be switched over to cars. The real question is, will the Fiesta sell or will it be a gas burning car left behind by a switch to hybrids or non-gas alternatives? As far as 'buying American' with NAFTA that should be switched to 'buying North American'. As the article mentions, part of the hope of creating Mexican jobs is stemming illegal immigration to the US. (Message edited by lilpup on May 31, 2008) | ||
Crawford Member Username: Crawford Post Number: 244 Registered: 10-2006 |
I know the city of Cuautitlán (suburban Mexico City). Metro Detroit cannot hope to compete. It's is actually quite prosperous and booming, with very nice homes, schools and shopping malls in close proximity, yet blue-collar workers are paid a fifth what they would be paid in metro Detroit. It's also relatively safe and has somewhat better traffic and pollution than Mexico City. Oh, and they're building a super-frequent high capacity rail line to central Mexico City. How come relatively poor Mexico has the money for this but relatively rich U.S. doesn't? | ||
River_rat Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 348 Registered: 02-2006 |
Oldredfordette, In all candor and compassion, did you ever think that your "Solidarity House" rhetoric might be all wrong and the manufacturing decline in Detroit could really be due to the excess wages, onerous contracts ('paid washup time')and poor work tolerated by this area? If you were to visit Monterey, Mexico, you would be stunned to see how mch it resembles Detroit in the 50's with dozens of tool and die suppliers, and all the ancillary businesses the auto industry spawns. The workers are not abused and they drive nice cars and live in nice homes. They like their jobs. My recent visit to write about this confirmed my statements. The workers there recognize that their real challenge is to keep their job in Mexico and not sent to China, Indonesia, or Malaysia. Like it or not (and I know you don't), if manufacturing jobs mean to stay in the US, the cost of the worker has to decline. And yes, it does mean that the common worker will no longer have two cars, a boat, a summer home, etc. But the worker will have a job. Remember, 70% of something is better than 100% of nothing. The American worker has to face reality, we don't own the planet like we used to. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4416 Registered: 06-2004 |
You're a writer, River_rat? Of which professional organizations are you a member? | ||
River_rat Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 349 Registered: 02-2006 |
NWU. | ||
Crawford Member Username: Crawford Post Number: 245 Registered: 10-2006 |
River Rat is correct. The Mexican automotive worker is generally NOT exploited. They are happy with their jobs and have a decent life, BUT they do not have two cars, a massive house, a boat and a summer home. They have one small car, a modest house, and that's it. Until the U.S. realizes that we can no longer have high manufacturing wages, we will be lost in this segment of the global economic race. Oh, and Lilpup, I seriously doubt that new auto factories will do anything to stem illegal immigration. The illegal immigrants to the U.S. are overwhelmingly super-poor rural Indios from the Mexican south. They are totally different than the working and middle class urban types that work in the auto factories in more prosperous Central and Northern Mexico. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4843 Registered: 02-2005 |
Illegal immigration probably wasn't the right word to use. Let's just keep it simple: creating jobs in Mexico will likely decrease the amount of workers who want to move to the US (regardless of means). But a few auto plants won't do much, and plenty of people will still want to come here Crawford calls out the American unions and their attachment to the "American dream" beautifully. | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 5434 Registered: 10-2003 |
That's exactly why VW won't build their new plant anywhere near Michigan. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4420 Registered: 06-2004 |
I wonder if any of you have ever had an employer tell you you are not worth what you're being paid. | ||
Dannyv Member Username: Dannyv Post Number: 222 Registered: 08-2007 |
A universal health care program that covers all Americans might help in relieving the economic burden of contract obligations on the auto industry. | ||
River_rat Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 350 Registered: 02-2006 |
Lilpup, Sure have; just went out and found a better paying job! River rat of the NWU. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4421 Registered: 06-2004 |
How old were you at the time and what kind of job were you doing? |
