Apropos the US Auto Industry Bailout: Why are Americans getting their knickers in knots...

[TygrBright]

...about the (demonstrably bogus) figure of $7X per hour supposedly made by union auto workers at big three facilities, yet seem utterly unfazed by propping up the seven-figure salaries of foreign auto company CEOs, senior executives, and board members?

Is there something I'm not getting, here?

We're twisting ourselves into a frenzy of spittle-spewing hate over those "overpaid" union workers who are actually making something more like $40-50 an hour. Which is a good living. Which is in the range most jobs that require skill and produce goods of value should pay, so that a single wage earner can support a family.

But the CEOs and senior execs of Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, etc., who are making high six-figure or even seven-figure salaries --a level enabled by cheap labor exploitation and trade protectionism, and the bone-headedness of American Auto execs who are still trying to make cars for the 1973 market-- these don't even seem to register. "Fine, fine, let the buggers smirk alla way to the bank. JUST SO THAT UNION SCHMUCK DOWN THE STREET DOESN'T KEEP MAKING A GOOD LIVING!"

What am I missing?

confusedly,
Bright

[mediaman007]

1. nothing

Not much will happen for the good in this country if everyone gets $12.00 an hour with no benefits. You can't buy a home on a $40,000 salary.

[blondeatlast]

2. Marketing and a complicit media. Even if the workers were making $73 an hour (which I

knew was BS when I heard it) I wouldn't be doing macrame with my Spanx over it.

But crappy-ass management that is obscenely overpaid does indeed ispire some lingerie craftwork in me.

[Greyhound]

3. Not much. 30 years of brainwashing has been proven effective.

The CEOs of Japanese automakers don't make nearly as much as their American counterparts, and the American autoworkers generally don't make $40 - $50 an hour, but your assessment is essentially correct.

There is still a great deal of resentment against the UAW by the former union members that UAW refused to back while their industries and jobs were being stolen out from under them, so there's that element along with the general destruction of living standards here.

[gravity]

4. Good CEO's are worth the money

Your decisions can help bring your company billions of dollars in profits. The bad CEO's obviously don't deserve as good of compensation, especially if you bring billions in losses.

[Mike 03]

5. I doubt it's that. It's the balance sheets of the companies themselves that have pissed

a lot of people off who simply hate seeing the government throw more billions away, more good money after bad, knowing all three will be back in March begging for $40 to $100 Billion.

[HereSince1628]

6. Well, that explains why I never made $80K as a college prof...

reuire skill and "produce goods of value."

Damn, I knew I was missing something. The entire world knew Education was worthless and I missed that entirely.

[Blue_Tires]

7. because certain people in media, business and politics

have the sole mission of denigrating and destroying unions by perpetuating the old, 'overpaid, lazy, corrupt' meme....imo, there are only TWO high-visibility union industries left: automakers and airlines, and wall street knows when they are finally squelched, everyone else will fall in line