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Monday, September 24, 2007
Striking workers are unwitting green allies
Look at it this way: while Buzz Hargrove is opposed to Canada's getting onto the Kyoto bandwagon, the United Auto Workers' strike at GM will undoubtedly have the unintended consequence of reducing the production of greenhouse gases.
Posted by Terry O'Neill on September 24, 2007 in Canadian Politics | Permalink
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Comments
I just heard a soundbite of Buzz' on CFRB.......gawd, he's simple! He is complaining yet again about the so-called "auto-sector trade imbalance" between Japan/ Korea and North America. The fact is this; there are Fords, GMs, and Chryslers in Japan, I've seen them myself, but the Japanese people are rightly suspiscious of the design and build quality. Plus, these cars are on par with the Japanese cars in Japan after shipping costs are factored in. Why in Yahweh's name would you buy a clearly inferior product for the same money?
Buzz and his associated thugs need to work cooperatively with the old Domestics; Fat chance, eh?
It will cut down on some carbon emmisions while GM can clear the sale lots of hard to move product without paying the strikers. Win, win, win!
Posted by: Hoser | 2007-09-24 3:31:35 PM
They must get back to work as soon as possible! If they remain unemployed for long, they may come to Alberta looking for work, and Alberta has too many of those useless, lazy, privileged Ontarians as it is.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2007-09-24 5:06:13 PM
No worries. As long as US is not involved, Kyoto will be a failure.
Posted by: merriman | 2007-09-24 6:39:53 PM
As long as China is not involved, there's no point to Kyoto - except for wealth distribution, of course - which has been its only purpose from the start.
Posted by: obc | 2007-09-24 6:43:07 PM
...speaking of China, how much longer before Chinese made cars are over here?
Now with GM on strike, it would be an opportune time for them to make inroads.
Posted by: tomax7 | 2007-09-24 7:58:59 PM
Looks like the golden goose of collective extortion is finally dying. Unions are relics of another time.
Life is a hustle now and these fat low IQ wrench slingers are going to have to learn how to face life as individuals.
Welcome to the brave new world.
Buzz, Capitalism is not collectivism. You have been living the dream for far too long. Enjoying the benefits of free enterprise using socisist tactics.
Try going back to school and learning how to do something else. The Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Mexicans have stolen your lunch pail and eaten your lunch.
Looks good on ya? Tell it Jack Layton or is it Paul Martin now. Either way ...
Posted by: John | 2007-09-24 8:24:13 PM
Off Topic: Terry why the two month lapse between delivery of the magazine?? My last copy was dated july 30th. What is going on??
Posted by: MikeP | 2007-09-24 9:07:33 PM
Let's see.
GM workers go on strike.
Six months down the road, the current inventory will be cleared from the showrooms.
GM declares record profits.
Posted by: set you free | 2007-09-24 9:19:16 PM
Ladies and Gentlemen check your cars- you probably have Chinese made parts in them already.
Posted by: DML | 2007-09-24 11:33:30 PM
MikeP
I contacted WS about the same thing and I got a reassuring Email that I would receive it any moment now. They are changing their publishing periods or some such from monthly to every three weeks.
You know Mike, I am not sure I will bother to re subscribe. As with all paper pubs these days, by the time you get it, the content is history.
Posted by: John | 2007-09-25 9:28:08 AM
Set,
GMs stock prices shot up the minute the idiots walked out. It's about productivity. They don't have it.
In Ontario the total average hourly cost for a GM employee is about 70.00 while the average for an Ontario Japanese car plant (non-union) worker is 48.00
1. the Jap cars are better
2. the workers are taking home almost the same dough after all is said and done.
3. they Jap workers are happier with their jobs and will never suffer a strike.
Conclusions ... unions are too expensive in this world economy and workers need to put down that beer, shut of that big screen for a minute and think. It's time to smarten up and do thing differently.
Posted by: John | 2007-09-25 9:33:00 AM
As an owner of a Honda and an Acura, I would agree about the quality part.
I would be shocked if GM re-opened all their plants once this stupid dispute is done.
Posted by: set you free | 2007-09-25 9:43:39 AM
No one seems to have mentioned the many GM employees that are paid NOT to show up for work. I read of one recently who has been paid to do nothing for over a decade because of some union negotiated condition about avoiding lay-offs for a certain category of "workers".
And they wonder why GM is not offering them more money & job guarantees!
Posted by: obc | 2007-09-25 9:44:55 AM
You may want to correct the piece and point out that the CAW actually supports the Kyoto Protocol.
You may also wish to read this:http://canadiandimension.com/articles/2007/06/28/1187/
and this in Buzz's own words:
http://canadiandimension.com/articles/2007/04/20/1061/
Moreover, the loss of 300,000 manufacturing jobs in Canada due to the incompetent decision making of multinationals based on exploitation of international regulation markets has contributed significantly to the decline in quality of life in North America.
You think sub-prime mortgages have crept up and bit you in the ass just wait till the loss of these high waged jobs kicks in...
North America better wake up....
Posted by: simpleton | 2007-09-25 12:02:55 PM
"You may want to correct the piece and point out that the CAW actually supports the Kyoto Protocol."
. . . because Ontario's auto industry has been exempted. Just ask Zebulon Pike.
Posted by: obc | 2007-09-25 12:08:19 PM
...you know this may be the best thing for NA auto makers.
Get rid of the dead weight of unions. Plus maybe just maybe the dead weight middle/top managers making 6 figures a year.
Then maybe just maybe, make cars that last more than 7-10 years.
Then just maybe I'd wake up from this dream...
Posted by: tomax7 | 2007-09-25 3:30:38 PM
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