IL unions get offered 14.5% raise, go on strike

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Jackbass

They went too far in the manufacturing industry bankrupting The auto industry and pushing most of the jobs overseas. Killing entire towns states etc.

Unions were only part of the equation.
Cheap crappy products.
Greedy executives.
Inability to accept the same garbage they'd been schleping on the public was 10-15-20 years behind their European and Asian competitors.

Face it, American cars are garbage. The only thing we seem to get right are full sized trucks.

[Jackbass]

Originally Posted by likwid

Unions were only part of the equation.
Cheap crappy products.
Greedy executives.
Inability to accept the same garbage they'd been schleping on the public was 10-15-20 years behind their European and Asian competitors.

Face it, American cars are garbage. The only thing we seem to get right are full sized trucks.

Valid point. But also at one point in time it cost less to have the vehicles produced by less expensive foreign labor while still paying for Americans to not work.

Not to mention the same Asian vehicles are being assembled in the US quite successfully in open shops.

US auto manufacturers had this country by the short hairs for ever if they just did their jobs. During the years that we fell behind. Design was an issue but fit and finish were major problems as well.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Jackbass

US auto manufacturers had this country by the short hairs for ever if they just did their jobs. During the years that we fell behind. Design was an issue but fit and finish were major problems as well.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Design, performance, fit & finish have ALWAYS been issues.

It was a brief blip that American automobiles were 'desired', but how much of that had to do with availability? Sure muscle cars had their day but there wasn't really anything anyone else in the world was making like that at the time. Euros etc. were interested in going to work, not investing in an oil company to keep their cars going. But the muscle cars did what? Go really fast in a straight line aaaaand that was about it.

Right now there isn't a single american (or asian as far as im concerned) car that can touch the gf's Jetta TDi as far as a true combination of comfort, performance, AND economy in its size and class. Comfy car, sport mode with all that torque and you can slam down the country roads, and at 70 on cruise control you're tr#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g along at around 43-44mpg. About the only thing better that I know of offhand is an Audi A3 TDi, which is basically the same car with more leather slightly lighter and stiffer ride.

[Sea Dangles]

Yup
I am selling my suburban and looking for a yetta
the best car ever??? Hahahahaha

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

Yup
I am selling my suburban and looking for a yetta
the best car ever??? Hahahahaha

Dig the sand out of your vag.

Originally Posted by My own post

Face it, American cars are garbage. The only thing we seem to get right are full sized trucks.

I would have taken you for a Ford man anyhow, you need as much bling as possible.

[TheSpecialist]

[QUOTE]

Here's how public unions work, and I am not wrong here. Unions give big money to politicians. Those same politicians then, once in office, get to decide what level of benefits to reward the unions (their benefactors) with. Politicians like to stay in office, so they give the unions whatever they ask for. Fast forward to today, when the demographic trsunami called "the Baby Boomers" causes the pyramid to collapse. Municipalties go bankrupt. Retirees get benefits slashed. Taxpayers see huge spikes in tax rates.
/QUOTE]

Ask the Boston Police, and Boston Fire Department how that works, Mayor Menino a Democrat backed by Unions gave them all the shaft , they are not allowed to strike , and have been working for years without raises or a contract. After they finally agreed to Arbitration, the City didn't like what the cops had won, and ware trying not to pay it.

Unions aren't the only ones to blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs in this country. Business owners, and Wall Street demand more money in their pockets, therefore they move things over seas where the Average call center worker in India makes about $2 per hour. Do you know of anyone in America who could live on that? There is plenty of blame to go around for everyone.

[Jim in CT]

[QUOTE=TheSpecialist;1023288]

Ask the Boston Police, and Boston Fire Department how that works, Mayor Menino a Democrat backed by Unions gave them all the shaft , they are not allowed to strike , and have been working for years without raises or a contract. After they finally agreed to Arbitration, the City didn't like what the cops had won, and ware trying not to pay it.

Unions aren't the only ones to blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs in this country. Business owners, and Wall Street demand more money in their pockets, therefore they move things over seas where the Average call center worker in India makes about $2 per hour. Do you know of anyone in America who could live on that? There is plenty of blame to go around for everyone.

"they (police and firemen) are not allowed to strike "

Good. There is no earthly reason why police or firemen should ever be allowed to strike. If they strike, that puts everyone at risk, and that's not acceptable, ever.

"There is plenty of blame to go around for everyone"

It's not all the unions fault, you are correct there. The globalization of the economy had a lot to do with it.

How is Boston's budget looking these days? Good or bad? Is there "plenty of blame to go around", or is it largely because the city has astronimical union obligations that can never, ever be paid for?