Auto Workers Give Up Notorious Featherbed

[Purveyor]

Auto workers will suspend a program that paid workers for no work, and let companies delay health-care payments

By David Welch

On the eve of Detroit's latest date with fate in Washington, the United Auto Workers have surrendered the union's version of corporate jets.

The union is suspending its most ridiculed perk, called the JOBS bank. That program, set up as part of a contract agreement reached between Detroit's Big Three and the union decades ago, pays auto workers 85% of their pay while furloughed. Some workers reported for years to meeting rooms where they would sit and wait for an assignment or be sent to clean public parks. All the while, they would get paid most of their wages.

The union also agreed to defer payments that the Big Three will make to a union-led health-care trust that is to take responsibility to pay medical benefits to auto workers starting in 2010.

The JOBS bank was costly in more ways than one for General Motors (GM), Ford (F), and Chrysler. By making labor a fixed cost, it altered their manufacturing strategy. For most of the past 10 years, the car companies preferred to discount models with big rebates rather than cut production, because they had to pay workers no matter what.
so long, entitlements

The provision also became an emblem of union abuse and what industry outsiders call Detroit's entitlement culture. "The JOBS bank became a sound bite that people used to beat us up," said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. "It became a lightning rod."

MORE...

BUSINESSWEEK: http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/dec2008/db2008123_443853.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_top+story

[Purveyor]

1. The 'union-busting' crowd is running in overdrive, eh? eom

[catnhatnh]

2. Fuck Business Week and Fuck David Welch...

...and both without lubricants.

Because only a worthless ass-weasel would find benefits to a worker out of a job, through no fault of their own, "notorious", while finding bonuses and stock options to failed executives CRITICAL to retain their valued contribution to their stockholders.

Bend over you worthless sub-human asswipes.

[catnhatnh]

3. These lying, cocksucking bastards...

Had better pray they never face anything like Karma or justice. Union version of corporate jets...yeah, as soon as they require 10k per hour to operate and a staff of 50 to support.

"Some workers reported for years to meeting rooms where they would sit and wait for an assignment...". Gee, that sounds EXACTLY like what their executives did AND implies that WORKERS "sitting" is a parasitical usurping of the rights of their betters. Might the program have survived had they only shown the deference to stand?

"The provision also became an emblem of union abuse...". Yeah-after you crotch-sniffers finally found a single stinking benefit denied to McDonalds workers and trumpeted it around the world of proof of how you were abused by those making less than a twentieth of your income and under much more demanding conditions.

Well, this is one more victory for those who control the media and public perceptions. I hope you bitches recall what happened to those with the same power in France before the revolution.

I'll see you at the wall, scummers.

[catnhatnh]

4. Oh yeah....

Have I mentioned this article has somewhat irritated me? (The material-not the poster)

[awoke_in_2003]

5. Well, I figured you weren't too irritated...

you said fuck em without lubricant. Really irritated would be fuck em with sand :)

[catnhatnh]

6. I've had a few brewskis....

It really chills me down and makes it tough to express anger.

[ksimons]

7. might be too little, too late

sounds like things are turning against an even larger bailout, given that the earlier one was already being received with mixed signals - and now they return with an even bigger bag for money.

not a good sign, no matter how you look at it.

[Billy Burnett]

8. I thought it was a loan, not a bailout. eol