[Mrhorton]

Just to clear the record. When I took my job at GM 8 years ago I went from $37 a hour with excellent health care and 2 separate retirements to go to GM for $34 a hour with excellent health care and 1 retirement. Currently my old work is now paying $46 a hour with better health care and 2 retirements compared to what I have now. $45 a hour is an average hourly wage for a electrician in the area. The refinery by my house starts electricians at $49 a hour. The utility companies are paying their in house electricians $45 a hour and we have had 1 already leave for that job. I made 179k last year, including about 11k in bonuses not 15k. Nobody in production is making over 100k a year unless they are traditional which means they was hired before 2007 and they are living there. There's plenty of people making $15 a hour working 60 hour weeks with half the health care I have. Those same people are building trucks that cost $80k. I'm also averaging 67 hours a week in the plant 52 weeks a year to make the money i do. The last 3 months of 2022 were mandatory 7 12s and if you don't like it quit, get fired, or go on medical. I only make the money I do because of all the overtime. Without overtime I would probably make around 80k. I would say my total benefits package is under 20k a year. My retirement isn't much. The company puts away 6.4% of your gross on 40 hours only and an additional $1 per hour. So I'm probably getting about $130 a week into my company retirement. Health care probably costs the company about 12k a year since I'm a single individual. When I took the job I knew there would be overtime, but I had no idea they would pretty much demand you live in the plant. Until I worked in the auto industry I had never heard of mandatory 7 12s. Believe it or not they want us on that schedule year round. In our contract they can only force it for 90 days, but the company wants it permanently. Those guys who were making $500 a day in 1999. If they are still around they are making $600 a day now and that's only due to triple time on holidays. The temps who are the majority now are making $360 for working a holiday.

[Owl3]

Originally Posted by Mrhorton

Just to clear the record. When I took my job at GM 8 years ago I went from $37 a hour with excellent health care and 2 separate retirements to go to GM for $34 a hour with excellent health care and 1 retirement. Currently my old work is now paying $46 a hour with better health care and 2 retirements compared to what I have now. $45 a hour is an average hourly wage for a electrician in the area. The refinery by my house starts electricians at $49 a hour. The utility companies are paying their in house electricians $45 a hour and we have had 1 already leave for that job. I made 179k last year, including about 11k in bonuses not 15k. Nobody in production is making over 100k a year unless they are traditional which means they was hired before 2007 and they are living there. There's plenty of people making $15 a hour working 60 hour weeks with half the health care I have. Those same people are building trucks that cost $80k. I'm also averaging 67 hours a week in the plant 52 weeks a year to make the money i do. The last 3 months of 2022 were mandatory 7 12s and if you don't like it quit, get fired, or go on medical. I only make the money I do because of all the overtime. Without overtime I would probably make around 80k. I would say my total benefits package is under 20k a year. My retirement isn't much. The company puts away 6.4% of your gross on 40 hours only and an additional $1 per hour. So I'm probably getting about $130 a week into my company retirement. Health care probably costs the company about 12k a year since I'm a single individual. When I took the job I knew there would be overtime, but I had no idea they would pretty much demand you live in the plant. Until I worked in the auto industry I had never heard of mandatory 7 12s. Believe it or not they want us on that schedule year round. In our contract they can only force it for 90 days, but the company wants it permanently. Those guys who were making $500 a day in 1999. If they are still around they are making $600 a day now and that's only due to triple time on holidays. The temps who are the majority now are making $360 for working a holiday.

The real issue here is that if you don't work in automotive at the assembly plant level you have no idea what it's like.

Many people on this forum (and otherwise) seem to think that materials are delivered and magically it turns into a car or truck.

[50MileSmile]

There’s an interesting overview of everything related to the UAW strike at the Motor Trend site. Here are a couple of relevant paragraphs from that story:

Wages are always top of mind. The UAW is eyeing huge corporate profits and asking for whopping 46 percent raises, cost of living adjustments, full pay for new hires, and better benefits. The companies claim that to stay in business they must be competitive with non-unionized plants. Big Three labor costs (pay, benefits, premium, pension payments) amount to about $63-$67 an hour. Foreign automakers pay about $55 an hour; Tesla about $45 an hour. Union demands would increase labor costs for the Detroit Three to $140-$150 an hour which would put them out of play. The companies in turn seek concessions such as reduced health care coverage.

Unions want shorter work weeks; companies want stricter attendance rules. Unions want product promises for plants, companies want the flexibility to move workers around as needed to meet demand.

https://apple.news/AiWMMDyOiTweHMzqkGrB1KA

[Rob99]

Anyone have thoughts or knowledge on what happens to the previously allotted 6 month build out ?
Would it still end in January or get pushed ahead to make up for the lost time from a strike?

[Mrhorton]

It would get pushed out. They already paid for the parts to build it and will make a nice profit on the sale.

[Adios]

Originally Posted by Mrhorton

It would get pushed out. They already paid for the parts to build it and will make a nice profit on the sale.

I think it might not get pushed out due to plans for what happens after Camaro production ends... can't push those plans out?

[GearheadSS]

Originally Posted by Adios

I think it might not get pushed out due to plans for what happens after Camaro production ends... can't push those plans out?

Sure they can. It will get pushed out anyway if there's a strike.

[SomeGeoffGuy]

Originally Posted by Owl3

The real issue here is that if you don't work in automotive at the assembly plant level you have no idea what it's like.

Many people on this forum (and otherwise) seem to think that materials are delivered and magically it turns into a car or truck.

I am all for the UAW getting a great contract. But please don't try to justify it by playing the victim. That is all I am saying.

I am shocked they discarded GM's offer yesterday so quickly. 16% more base pay (split between % and lump sum), $11k in inflation lump sums, and a $5500 signing bonus. They would get $11,500 as a signing bonus between lump sum and inflation. I have to think that is within a couple % of what they will finally settle for.

-Geoff

[Mrhorton]

Originally Posted by SomeGeoffGuy

I am all for the UAW getting a great contract. But please don't try to justify it by playing the victim. That is all I am saying.

I am shocked they discarded GM's offer yesterday so quickly. 16% more base pay (split between % and lump sum), $11k in inflation lump sums, and a $5500 signing bonus. They would get $11,500 as a signing bonus between lump sum and inflation. I have to think that is within a couple % of what they will finally settle for.

-Geoff

Truthfully a low ball offer like that just pissed off the UAW even more. Traditional and trades like me hardly get anything. There's still many problems with the temps as far as wages, progression, benefits, etc... Bonuses are not what the UAW wants, they want higher wages so our wages can keep compounding every year/contract. The 3% bonuses your talking about are not 3% of your total gross either. Trades and traditional were offered 10% over the course of 4 years. That ends up being about 90 cents per hour a year raise.

[50MileSmile]

There will be a strike. No matter what is offered during the negotiations during the next week, Mr. Fain is too revved up for there not to be.

[SomeGeoffGuy]

Originally Posted by Mrhorton

Truthfully a low ball offer like that just pissed off the UAW even more. Traditional and trades like me hardly get anything. There's still many problems with the temps as far as wages, progression, benefits, etc... Bonuses are not what the UAW wants, they want higher wages so our wages can keep compounding every year/contract. The 3% bonuses your talking about are not 3% of your total gross either. Trades and traditional were offered 10% over the course of 4 years. That ends up being about 90 cents per hour a year raise.

LOL at "Insulting". Literally it is the largest offer in the last 6 contracts since one that was approved in 1999 according to all the articles I have read. I understand you are drinking the kool-aid, and I really don't blame you. But lets cut the victim BS out, OK?

So let's go there - 16% over four years is insulting. Yet the union asked for 46%, 32 hour work weeks, and just make every temp full time and bump everyone's pay to max? And that doesn't just sound absolutely f-ing ridiculous? I mean, you guys approved the contract that created temps and tiered pay, and now the expectation is that the OEM's just give it up for nothing! Because that is what it sounds like to me.

And that is why I ordered a 2023...

-Geoff

[SomeGeoffGuy]

Originally Posted by 50MileSmile

There will be a strike. No matter what is offered during the negotiations during the next week, Mr. Fain is too revved up for there not to be.

I agree. In fact, I would like to see him try a full strike of all three OEM's. He can only cover that in his strike fund for 11 weeks. I bet if he doesn't come back to earth, the OEMs will probably let it ride and see what happens in 11 weeks and the strike pay bank is empty.

I still think he is going to target the strikes like they did in the old days.

-Geoff

[Owl3]

Originally Posted by SomeGeoffGuy

I am all for the UAW getting a great contract. But please don't try to justify it by playing the victim. That is all I am saying.

I am shocked they discarded GM's offer yesterday so quickly. 16% more base pay (split between % and lump sum), $11k in inflation lump sums, and a $5500 signing bonus. They would get $11,500 as a signing bonus between lump sum and inflation. I have to think that is within a couple % of what they will finally settle for.

-Geoff

I see you're from Metro Detroit. I started my automotive career there in 1975. Still going at it today, although not in Detroit.

While I have never been part of a union or hourly workforce, I still stand by my comment that unless you've been part of it and seen the changes over time you really don't understand what it's like in the shop.

[SomeGeoffGuy]

Originally Posted by Owl3

I see you're from Metro Detroit. I started my automotive career there in 1975. Still going at it today, although not in Detroit.

While I have never been part of a union or hourly workforce, I still stand by my comment that unless you've been part of it and seen the changes over time you really don't understand what it's like in the shop.

No disagreement from me.

-Geoff