Cutting off My Nose in Spite of My Face
I am fully aware that I am currently employed thanks to General Motors. My company has a long lasting relationship with GM and I am thankful for that. But…
Allow me to share my opinion on the current GM crisis.
First and foremost: Something is obviously not working. GM would not be in their current situation if everything was running efficiently within the company. From what I have seen, the entire industry is terrified of change. And ultimately the lack of change has landed GM in this predicament. Just because it has always been done a certain way does not make it right!
I have obviously not grown up in Detroit. I don’t have dads and granddads in the automotive field. Therefore, I have not been brainwashed to think of the UAW as a necessity. Instead, I grew up in a part of the country where men and women go to work everyday for companies that don’t have contracts and hidden agendas. They go to work and make an honest living without the sense of entitlement that comes from working for a union. People go to work and earn a paycheck that is worthy of the job they preform. At one point (a hundred years ago) I’m sure the unions played a vital part in protecting the employees from unfair and unsafe working conditions. I have still yet to discover what their purpose is in today’s workforce. From what I’ve seen, all they do is require GM management to bend over backwards to supply their employees with fitness centers, tuition reimbursements, computer centers and lots of overtime pay. What if GM hired people, regular (nonunion) people, to do the required jobs? Imagine the cost savings…
It seems that every news channel is speculating about what the government is going to do for the automotive industry. Are they going to bail them out or not? Um, excuse me… But what makes GM, Ford and Chrysler any different than the rest of the struggling companies in the United States. The airline industry, home builders, and electronic stores alike are all in the same sinking boat. Everyone is struggling in this economy. As a tax payer, I have a hard time bailing out companies that have done so little to help themselves.
Also, it is amazing to me how much the automotive industry has frowned upon ANY government involvement up until this point. Every time the government tried to pass regulations concerning alternative fuels or better emission standards it was frowned upon by Detroit. It is funny that it is now okay to look to the government for help.
So what is the solution?
I don’t pretend to know every aspect of what is going on with GM. I do, however, understand that there is not a simple solution. Sadly, whatever is going to happen will surely effect the rest of the country. Over 3 million jobs are dependent on the auto industry. GM did not get into this mess overnight, and it seems very selfish for them to want an overnight fix. Regardless of what happens I am sad to say that the tax payers will be ultimately footing Rick Wagner’s bill. Because, if GM goes under those 3 million people will be lined up at the unemployment office looking for a handout.
I wonder what it is like to feel so entitled?
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