San Antonio Express-News 10-28-07:

Chrysler union workers approve contract

Narrow margin reflects anger about some issues.

DEE-ANN DURBIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — Despite significant dissent among some of its workers, United Auto Workers members narrowly passed a four-year contract agreement with Chrysler LLC on Saturday, leaving Ford Motor Co. as the last automaker to negotiate with in this year's round of contract talks.
Talks with Ford were proceeding Saturday, although union leadership wasn't expected to attend and no agreement was expected during the weekend, a person briefed on the talks said.
The union said 56 percent of production workers and 51 percent of skilled trades workers voted for the Chrysler pact.
The percentages voting in favor were much higher among clerical workers and engineers represented by the union.
The contract covers about 45,000 active workers at Chrysler and more than 55,000 Chrysler retirees and 23,000 surviving spouses. It will expire Sept. 14, 2011.
“Our members had to face some tough choices, and we had a solid, democratic debate about this contract,” UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement. “Now we're going to come together as a union — and now it's on the company to move ahead, increase their market share and continue to build great cars and trucks here in the U.S.”
Chrysler, which became a private company in August when it was bought by Cerberus Capital Management LLC, said the agreement will make the company more competitive.
“We are pleased that our UAW employees recognize that the new agreement meets the needs of the company and its employees by providing a framework to improve our long-term manufacturing competitiveness,” Tom LaSorda, Chrysler's vice chairman and president, said in a statement.
The union and Chrysler reached agreement Oct. 10 after a six-hour nationwide strike. Like the agreement ratified earlier by General Motors Corp. workers, the Chrysler contract establishes a union-run trust to cover retirees' health care and allows the company to pay lower wages to about 11,000 noncore, non-assembly workers.
At GM, 66 percent of workers ratified the deal. But at Chrysler, many workers were angered by the contract, saying it failed to make as many guarantees for future work as GM's contract. Some workers also were upset about the two-tier wage structure.

 

I know its a complicated deal, but I can't understand why you would deal with the devil. The unions keep sorry workers with no ambition in the slots their in with little or no recourse to improve quality. Motto should be... be as bad and inept as you want to be. And we wonder why it takes so long for improvements to start, there is no incentive to do better. You are at the top or you will be at the top of the money scale no matter how much effort you put in or how little. Come to my world... you do a good job and do it right. No union backing me, I stand on my own performance. I do a good job because #1 thats just me, #2 because thats what is expected. #3 if I don't there will be someone who is willing to give it a shot. No grievence, no whining its all on me. This aint no party, this aint no disco, this aint no foolin around ITS life and most of us will stand behind our work or we will get a job with unions and they will extort a living for us. To compete today... this dinosaur has to become extict. Either now or later, you union folks are never happy and its not your fault that prices are high and quality is low... YEAH RIGHT. Its squarley on you and your mangments shoulders. I'd love to hear why only a slight majority of you were happy with this agreement and what the rest of you spoiled workers were in disagreement with[>:]. No garuantees for most workers, just today, when we show up. I have my own 401k and I put as much in it as possible and I own my own destiny. The job I'm in is in high demand and I'm paid well. But I do a good job and am satified with the contract I work under. If I don't like it, I don't have to work it. Very simple really. But if I take a check from the employer then I have agreed to his terms and I will not whine about pay or benefits. Thats my reality and I like it. If I want to go above and beyond I don't have some whiner crying about how I just did his job and hes filing a grievence. They just say thanks man and the wheels of progress move on. Better than waiting on some union slug who really does not do it well anyways and no reason to start doing it well. CHECKS IN THE MAIL. Sorry for the rant but, I don't like whiners and cry babies. And for you union guys who do a good job and take pride in your work... I thank you for the job you will do on my 2009 6-speed 6.? Challenger

 

lear4406.....well said.

Ephesians 6:7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the LORD rather than for people.

If you don't like your job, then go find something you will enjoy.

 

Excellent points lear4406 and Jeremiah. There was also a verse that stated not to grumble about your pay. It might have been after the parable of the workers in the vineyard.