GM Canada HQ blocked by protesters for Oshawa decision to close the plant

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I'm glad they are protesting... It's not that they need to restructure it's the fact that they took financial aid from tax payers and continued to shaft the public anyway even when they had promised in a UAW agreement that there would be no closures until at least 2020 if something were to happen between signing that agreement and 2020. The other thing that makes folks mad is that the workers took concessions over the decades and decades in hopes that it would be enough to turn the ship around on top of the tax payer aid over decades and still this is happening. All while they have made excellent profits and upper management is being paid really well with insane bonuses and compensation. Yes the world is changing and yes they need to lower their costs as a result of our now broken global trade system that seems to be driving wages into the ground, but they shouldn't have come in and promise something, make record profits and break those promises. Especially when tax payers forked over billions to make it happen.
 
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Originally Posted by George7941
Agreed. Government has no business propping up badly run corporations.
It's not that I would want people to lose their jobs, but badly run corporations don't tend to improve when they continue to use the same business practices.
 
I should have included that in the above as well. I'm all for letting corporations run on their own and if they fail then so be it. To do otherwise only addicts them to welfare of the tax payer. When I made the comments above it's only based on their promises made when the cheque was written.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
I'm glad they are protesting... It's not that they need to restructure it's the fact that they took financial aid from tax payers and continued to shaft the public anyway even when they had promised in a UAW agreement that there would be no closures until at least 2020 if something were to happen between signing that agreement and 2020. The other thing that makes folks mad is that the workers took concessions over the decades and decades in hopes that it would be enough to turn the ship around on top of the tax payer aid over decades and still this is happening. All while they have made excellent profits and upper management is being paid really well with insane bonuses and compensation. Yes the world is changing and yes they need to lower their costs as a result of our now broken global trade system that seems to be driving wages into the ground, but they shouldn't have come in and promise something, make record profits and break those promises. Especially when tax payers forked over billions to make it happen.
The writing was on the wall for those employees a decade ago, no one was holding a gun to their head forcing them to work at the GM plant. They either didn't want to give up their seniority, or they figured they would get a juicy compensation package if the plant shut down, or both most likely. Manufacturing has been leaving this country for decades, but as soon as the "good" union jobs start getting the axe then we are supposed to care. I don't care, unions for the most part have ditched traditional marxism for post-modernism, making them the enemy of the proletarians they are supposed to represent.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
I should have included that in the above as well. I'm all for letting corporations run on their own and if they fail then so be it. To do otherwise only addicts them to welfare of the tax payer. When I made the comments above it's only based on their promises made when the cheque was written.
StevieC, you often seem to make comments and then retract or clarify them later. Like your post where you said "a person has to make a money", and how you thought selling your dash camera video to the innocent party was a fair way to earn money. And then after you got soundly trashed, you said you were just joking. Aside from thinking that Amsoil can cure cancer, what do you really think? Scott
 
Originally Posted by maxdustington
Originally Posted by StevieC
I'm glad they are protesting... It's not that they need to restructure it's the fact that they took financial aid from tax payers and continued to shaft the public anyway even when they had promised in a UAW agreement that there would be no closures until at least 2020 if something were to happen between signing that agreement and 2020. The other thing that makes folks mad is that the workers took concessions over the decades and decades in hopes that it would be enough to turn the ship around on top of the tax payer aid over decades and still this is happening. All while they have made excellent profits and upper management is being paid really well with insane bonuses and compensation. Yes the world is changing and yes they need to lower their costs as a result of our now broken global trade system that seems to be driving wages into the ground, but they shouldn't have come in and promise something, make record profits and break those promises. Especially when tax payers forked over billions to make it happen.
The writing was on the wall for those employees a decade ago, no one was holding a gun to their head forcing them to work at the GM plant. They either didn't want to give up their seniority, or they figured they would get a juicy compensation package if the plant shut down, or both most likely. Manufacturing has been leaving this country for decades, but as soon as the "good" union jobs start getting the axe then we are supposed to care. I don't care, unions for the most part have ditched traditional marxism for post-modernism, making them the enemy of the proletarians they are supposed to represent.
Then GM shouldn't have made the promises (no plant closures until 2020) and shouldn't have accepted the cheque from tax payers. They did so the workers are free to hold them to account, especially when they made handsome profits and paid out handsome bonuses while workers took concessions in the meantime for this agreement.
 
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Originally Posted by SLO_Town
Originally Posted by StevieC
I should have included that in the above as well. I'm all for letting corporations run on their own and if they fail then so be it. To do otherwise only addicts them to welfare of the tax payer. When I made the comments above it's only based on their promises made when the cheque was written.
StevieC, you often seem to make comments and then retract or clarify them later. Like your post where you said "a person has to make a money", and how you thought selling your dash camera video to the innocent party was a fair way to earn money. And then after you got soundly trashed, you said you were just joking. Aside from thinking that Amsoil can cure cancer, what do you really think? Scott
That wasn't me that said I was joking, in-fact the words "joke" & "joking" aren't even used in that thread at all. You are also mis-quoting what I said about selling dash cam footage, I said I would offer it up because I would hope someone would do the same for me if I needed it. See below for reference:
Originally Posted by StevieC
I do it for good Karma hoping that if I was ever in the situation where I needed to rely on someone elses footage to prove my case for some reason I would want access to their footage as well. Whether it's at a cost or not. That said I have my own Dash Cam and it saved me a few times. The latest is in the Lawsuit I had where I had to sue the person that wrote off my Dodge Journey. SOURCE: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4962076/re-dash-cam-evidence#Post4962076
Also provide proof where I said Amsoil cures cancer. Clearly I would have remembered that considering my dad is dying of the disease. mad
 
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Originally Posted by George7941
Agreed. Government has no business propping up badly run corporations.
The lobby money is good!
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
Then GM shouldn't have made the promises (no plant closures until 2020) and shouldn't have accepted the cheque from tax payers. They did so the workers are free to hold them to account, especially when they made handsome profits and paid out handsome bonuses while workers took concessions in the meantime for this agreement.
StevieC, did you and your fellow Canadian taxpayers actually agree to this, or was it your government that agreed to it? You do realize the "will of the people" is not necessarily reflected by the "actions of the government"? GM didn't sell you out, your government did. It happens down here too, especially in my corrupted state of California. You do always seem to have an answer for everything. Just saying. Scott
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
Government Motors should've been allowed to fail. That's how capitalism works.
GM tried to file bankruptcy several times political pressure stopped them.
 
I felt bad for these people until I heard the sweet deal that about half of them get. Half of those workers can retire and get $3500 a month, a $50,000 lump sum payment and $20,000 towards a brand new car. Even if they don't want to retire, they could get a minimum wage job to supplement that income and still live a very comfortable life. And I believe the other half of the people that aren't quite at retirement time yet, will still get a good severance package, plus they've been offered jobs as service advisors or mechanics at GM dealers. So it's not like these people are being tossed out on the street with no safety net, it doesn't seem like too many of them would be in a position to lose their homes for instance (especially if their spouses have a good job) The people that will be in much worse condition will be all the people working for companies that supply GM with parts for the vehicles built here. Those companies will probably have to scale back, and those employees won't get the kind of severance package offered here. It's also worth noting that the workers at this plant have been making huge money for many years, and they should hopefully have stashed away a good bunch of money. I have two cousins that work for GM in St Catharines and one of them purchased his home in St Catharines about 30 years ago (for really cheap) and paid it off within 3 or 4 years. He's been making $75,000 to $100,000 (with overtime) per year for all this time and socked away a ton of money for retirement, as he has always felt that the plant would eventually close down (it's probably not far off) My cousin easily could have retired very comfortably 10 years ago, but I think he's just biding his time until his plant does close, and he gets a sweet severance package.
 
This is a juvenile response from Jerry D. I don't think that GM Mary Barra is un-aware of the distress her decisions have caused her employees, but the overcapacity in her plants, and for that matter many others in Automotive Mfg, must be dealt with professionally. GM customers don't currently purchase sedans in sufficient numbers, regardless of how good the current crop of GM sedans are in the showrooms. Everyone wants a CUV/SUV right now. The fickle consumer might want sedans again in 5-8 years, but that's not a business plan for anyone right now. I feel sorry for all the GM workers that are affected, both sides of the border, but they must have seen this train coming for 4 years at least.
 
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
Originally Posted by StevieC
Then GM shouldn't have made the promises (no plant closures until 2020) and shouldn't have accepted the cheque from tax payers. They did so the workers are free to hold them to account, especially when they made handsome profits and paid out handsome bonuses while workers took concessions in the meantime for this agreement.
StevieC, did you and your fellow Canadian taxpayers actually agree to this, or was it your government that agreed to it? You do realize the "will of the people" is not necessarily reflected by the "actions of the government"? GM didn't sell you out, your government did. It happens down here too, especially in my corrupted state of California. You do always seem to have an answer for everything. Just saying. Scott
I see someone is upset because I called them on their misquoting... Waaaaaa
 
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