Government should put a cap on auto worker wages !!

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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Very few people care how much gold backs a currency. Gold is a piece of metal. A currency is a commodity in itself. Look around your neighbourhood and tell me what relevance gold has on anything in it.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
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This is why the right fringe is so worrisome. Just when GM is turning the corner, they want to start monkeying around with the organization. I say, pay the workers whatever the market dictates. Mind you, I'm for free enterprise. I'm really beginning to think that is a foreign concept to those on the far right.

Free enterprise is a foreign concept to those on either end of the political spectrum. In reality there is not much difference in political beliefs between the far right and the lunatic left.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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Free enterprise is a foreign concept to those on either end of the political spectrum. In reality there is not much difference in political beliefs between the far right and the lunatic left.

Yep, I've often thought "wings" are a bad analogy for politics............. a circle is closer to it.
 

Durry

House Member
May 18, 2010
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. In reality there is not much difference in political beliefs between the far right and the lunatic left.
Well I think the Lonnie Left wants to do everything for you and they want you to do it there way. Similar to a commie country.

Alternatively, the Right wants you to do it for yourself and they will only make sure there are no road blocks in your way to prevent you from doing what you want to do as long as it's legal.

Pretty big difference, I'd say !!!
 

Tonington

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 27, 2006
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I want Harper put a cap on all auto worker wages, set it at, say $25/hr, including all perks.
...
So c'mon Harper, we gave you the power, now use it !!

Well I think the Lonnie Left wants to do everything for you and they want you to do it there way. Similar to a commie country.

Alternatively, the Right wants you to do it for yourself and they will only make sure there are no road blocks in your way to prevent you from doing what you want to do as long as it's legal.

Pretty big difference, I'd say !!!

I didn't know you identify as a Loony leftard.
 

Durry

House Member
May 18, 2010
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I didn't know you identify as a Loony leftard.
Hahaha, your very sharp to pick up on this detail !!

Actually I was just using a Leftard idea to combat a Looney Leftard policy that is in place to aid the auto industry.
It seems once you have Lefty polices in place, it is almost imposible to get rid of them probably because everyone has adapted to the Lefty culture. So, the only way to combat a Lefty policy is with more Lefty policies..Lefty policies seem to feed on themselves... If that makes sense??

And actually I really don't agree with the Cap on wages, I admitted to this in Post #32 above, but what can one say if one wants to combat a Lefty policy. Saying Outlaw Unions would not have inspired any thought as a number of posters here are Lefties as I read it!!

Of course you can.
How ?
Unions prevent freedom of companies to do as they please..
 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
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How ?
Unions prevent freedom of companies to do as they please..

No they don't. Please explain to me how the unions prevented GM from moving plants to Asia. What is there...eight or nine in China now. Companies will go where they get the best bang for the buck.
 

Durry

House Member
May 18, 2010
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No they don't. Please explain to me how the unions prevented GM from moving plants to Asia. What is there...eight or nine in China now. Companies will go where they get the best bang for the buck.
No, this is not what I meant, I meant companies with Unions cannot hire and fire or pay wages based on what they can freely obtain if they could negotiate with each new hire. Also, companies with unions have restrictions on which jobs certain employess can do etc etc. So, this is not a free market condition. This leads to higher costs for the companies to comply with these rules.

GM or any company is free to move where ever it wants. The only thing unions can do is perform the work for the company so that it is very cost competitive and it does not make economic sense for the company to relocate. Companies will always follow the money!!

Oh, just one other point, China wants what we want, jobs for their people for the products they use. You cant blame them for this.
 

Cannuck

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Feb 2, 2006
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No, this is not what I meant, I meant companies with Unions cannot hire and fire or pay wages based on what they can freely obtain if they could negotiate with each new hire.

So what? You don't get to negotiate with your doctor individually or with your lawyer individually. Do you have the same contempt for doctors as you do union members? The fact remains though that GM is not required to negotiate with unions. Obviously they felt they could survive and thrive with a unionized workforce in Ontario. If they were wrong, then that is the fault of GM for entering into the agreement in the first place.

GM or any company is free to move where ever it wants. The only thing unions can do is perform the work for the company so that it is very cost competitive and it does not make economic sense for the company to relocate. Companies will always follow the money!!

That's right and labour is nothing more than a resource companies need. In many cases, it's much easier for large organizations to negotiate with one representative body than with all of their employees individually just like it is sometimes easier for workers to negotiate collectively.

Oh, just one other point, China wants what we want, jobs for their people for the products they use. You cant blame them for this.

Blaming? I wouldn't dream of blaming anybody for simple business decisions. I'll leave the blame game to people like you.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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No they don't. Please explain to me how the unions prevented GM from moving plants to Asia. What is there...eight or nine in China now. Companies will go where they get the best bang for the buck.

Which is probably the way it should be.............I know I shop for where I can get the "biggest bang for the buck".
 

Durry

House Member
May 18, 2010
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So what? You don't get to negotiate with your doctor individually or with your lawyer individually. Do you have the same contempt for doctors as you do union members? The fact remains though that GM is not required to negotiate with unions. Obviously they felt they could survive and thrive with a unionized workforce in Ontario. If they were wrong, then that is the fault of GM for entering into the agreement in the first place.

. I'll leave the blame game to people like you.

No, you cannot negotiate with your doctor because he already negotiated his wage with your government who you paid to negotiate on your behalf.
But you can certainly negotiate with your lawyer, and your also free to fire him any time you wish. Free market,,,you see!!!

Yes, GM has done a lot of dumb things alright, but why I should I be forced to pay them for their incompetance? They are incompetant and the Gov is making me pay more for their vehical than I would if I was to buy it in an free open market, say, from Korea or Japan who is more capable . This is my whole point !!!

Blame game,,,,well what ever makes you feel good !!!
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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Honestly though, I have absolutely no issue with their wages. if they can earn 1,000.00 per hour, so much the better. My issue specifically has to do with the fact that I am blackmailed with my own tax money. The government takes my money (which I have no problem with if it will be spent responsibly), gives it to a car manufacturer (not exactly an essential service now is it), and let's me decide if I want to get that money back by buying one of their subsidized cars of forfeit my investment by not buying it.

Now some have argued that GM has paid the money back. Yes, but it still doesn't change the fact that it might not have been, not to mention that we still lost interest on the money in the interim.
 

YukonJack

Time Out
Dec 26, 2008
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There should be a reasonable wage for any job, from burger-flippers to Executives. Can somebody, please explain to me why and how does an assembly line 'worker' deserves the wage gets?

When I was working in the mines in the 1960's we used to joke that to be miner all one needs is a strong back and a weak mind.

An assembly line worker does not need a strong back......but has a...

These guys priced themselves out of a job with demands which were made without self-evaluation, reflection and due humility, but awash in imagined self-importance and over-priced conceit.

I always take all precautions not to buy anything I can help, that was produced by union 'workers'.
 

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
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No, this is not what I meant, I meant companies with Unions cannot hire and fire or pay wages based on what they can freely obtain if they could negotiate with each new hire. Also, companies with unions have restrictions on which jobs certain employess can do etc etc. So, this is not a free market condition. This leads to higher costs for the companies to comply with these rules.

GM or any company is free to move where ever it wants. The only thing unions can do is perform the work for the company so that it is very cost competitive and it does not make economic sense for the company to relocate. Companies will always follow the money!!

Oh, just one other point, China wants what we want, jobs for their people for the products they use. You cant blame them for this.

The part you seem to have missed is that the companies negotiated these rules and pay scales with the unions. They can negotiate new ones, too.
 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
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Yes, GM has done a lot of dumb things alright, but why I should I be forced to pay them for their incompetance? They are incompetant and the Gov is making me pay more for their vehical than I would if I was to buy it in an free open market, say, from Korea or Japan who is more capable . This is my whole point !!!

All I can say then is that it sucks to be you. The government doesn't force me to buy anything from anybody. Maybe you should move away from your current home and move to where I live. We seem to be freer here. In any event, it seems your problem is with the government (seeing as they are forcing you to buy stuff and imposing duties). Maybe you should vote to change the current party in power come the next election. I hear those Conservatives like to force people to do all kinds of stuff against their will.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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Ottawa, ON
There should be a reasonable wage for any job, from burger-flippers to Executives. Can somebody, please explain to me why and how does an assembly line 'worker' deserves the wage gets?

When I was working in the mines in the 1960's we used to joke that to be miner all one needs is a strong back and a weak mind.

An assembly line worker does not need a strong back......but has a...

These guys priced themselves out of a job with demands which were made without self-evaluation, reflection and due humility, but awash in imagined self-importance and over-priced conceit.

I always take all precautions not to buy anything I can help, that was produced by union 'workers'.

If the market can bear the wage, then I have no issue with it. I also don't intentionally avoid union-produced goods and services. I just buy the pbest product or service on the market at the best price. That said, if workers ask for excessively high wages, then it goes without saying that their products will be too expensive on the market.

The only issue I have is with the bail out, not their wages. The company should have been left to fall. Remove minimum wage laws, retrain workers, open our borders, and let them succeed in the market on their own merits.
 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
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Alberta
The only issue I have is with the bail out, not their wages. The company should have been left to fall.

The problems with GM had more to do with the pension deficit. That is why the government made the investment in GM. While I'm generally not in favour of government bailouts, in this particular instance it was a good deal. When looking at the whole deal, one has to consider what it would have cost taxpayers had all the workers lost their pensions. We would have had to support many of them with income supplements upon retirement.

GM to tackle pension deficit - thestar.com

"Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has said the government would not boost a provincial fund that guarantees pensions.
But he acknowledged recently that the province bears some responsibility for the massive shortfall because it allowed GM to make small annual contributions to its plan under a legislative loophole. That eventually led to the massive shortfall."