I'm really upset with General Motors. I'm mad a Ford too (I would be made at Chrysler, but it's no longer an American company). Why am I mad? Because I want to buy an American-made car! But I'm not going to settle for inferior quality, frequent breakdowns, and a price that's as high as any other brand. Hence, our garage is filled with a Toyota and a Subaru. These cars replaced our Honda and our Nissan after 13 years and 10 years of great use respectively.
Why can't America build a better car? Why can't we be the best at something we invented? There are a lot of reasons, but one really jumped out at me while I was reading the July issue of Smart Money magazine. In an article titled "What Went Wrong at GM?", it said (I'm putting chart numbers into words here):
"In 1977, hourly wages without benefits were $9.64 and with benefits they were $12.56. In 2004, hourly wages without benefits were $36.96 and with benefits they were $73.73."
Let's do a little math here:
40 hours per week x 52 weeks per year = 2,080 hours per year
2,080 hours per year x $36.96 = $76,877 (This is what the average GM worker makes without benefits. Not bad. Not bad at all. It's a lot more than I would have imagined for factory work, but it's not outrageous. Yet.)
2,080 hours per week x $73.73 = $153,358 (This is what the average GM worker makes with benefits.)
Holy baloney, Batman! Are you kidding me????!!!!!
Do you think this is a bit over-the-top? Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Average American will have any sympathy for American car companies and their workers when this is going on? Do Japanese auto workers make this much? Probably not. They likely spend their money on useless things like engineering, advanced technology, and safety features.
Now I'm REALLY mad!!!!
Recent Comments