# General Motors (and others)



## oldman (Dec 4, 2018)

Well, more bad economic news. As we Americans have read, GM has decided to continue to close plants and lay off workers. The union thinks that there is a language issue in their present contract and GM won’t be allowed to follow their plan, but as someone who has been in a union all my work life, all that I can say to that is, “Good Luck.” 

General Motors at one time was the largest corporation in the world, until Exxon-Mobile took over number one, which is now held by a retailer named, “Walmart.” 

Sad to say, but when GM sneezes, many other companies that are their users, suppliers and vendors all come down with pneumonia. And, the worst part is that it isn’t just GM that is planning additional closings, relocating and layoffs. I love the word “layoff.” These people are not laid off. When the plant that they are working in closes, the jobs go away. These people are not laid off, they are terminated. If there's any good news here, GM states that they plan to save their shareholders $6bil during the coming years.

I could write a whole bunch of stuff about GM, the economy and other yadda, yadda, yadda, but what's the point? In 2009, we built our home we live in now for a cost of $400k. Today, they are still building homes in our development at a cost of $750k. I know labor and material costs have risen, but really? 

I can’t begin to tell you how bad I feel for young couples with children trying to raise their family. Making a monthly mortgage payment, plus paying the other bills and then maybe having enough money left over to be able to eat out now and then and even take some kind of a vacation in the summer must be very stressful to many of the workers today. 

Where does the insanity end?


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## Don M. (Dec 4, 2018)

Both GM and Ford appear ready to abandon sales of Sedans, and concentrate on SUV's and pickup trucks.  Soon, a person will have to buy Japanese/Korean if they want a traditional 4 dr. sedan.  This does not bode well for thousands of current employees in car production.  
Even Ford Pickup trucks don't appear to be selling well...the last couple of times we've been to the casinos in North Kansas City, every available parking lot in that area is being filled up with new trucks from the Claycomo plant that haven't been consigned to dealers....I haven't seen such a glut of vehicles like this in many years.


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## C'est Moi (Dec 4, 2018)

GM (and all the automakers) have to build what the public is buying... which at this point in time is trucks and SUVs.   As a business they can't keep manufacturing cars that no one is buying.   

I don't know what the answer will be for the middle class in this country.   When manufacturing jobs go away, so does the middle class.


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 4, 2018)

Don't confuse the old GM with the new GM.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motors_Liquidation_Company

I agree with C'est Moi GM needs to build what the public wants to buy.

A corporation isn't in the business of providing security to employees it is in the business of making money for shareholders/owners. 

IMO If employees seek security they need to become investors/owners.


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## jujube (Dec 4, 2018)

oldman said:


> Well, more bad economic news. As we Americans have read, GM has decided to continue to close plants and lay off workers. The union thinks that there is a language issue in their present contract and GM won’t be allowed to follow their plan, but as someone who has been in a union all my work life, all that I can say to that is, “Good Luck.”
> 
> General Motors at one time was the largest corporation in the world, until Exxon-Mobile took over number one, which is now held by a retailer named, “Walmart.”
> 
> ...



You can say that again!  I saw that when I lived in the Detroit area.  When the auto plants would shut down operations for any reason, the "little guys" suffered greatly. The small shop that produced the white cotton work gloves for one specific plant?  Twelve workers out of work.  The company that did nothing but produce the knobs for the radios? 100 folks trying to figure out how to make the mortgage payment.   The ones who drove the "roach wagons" to the plants?  Who are they going to sell lunch to now?   The bar across from the plant?  Empty.


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