The "Detroit 3"

[rowyn]

One of my LJ friends, detroitfather, has been working in the US auto industry for 17 years. He made a very interesting and informative post about the current crisis in the industry here. Go take a look!

Comments

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

If the quality improved, it must have been in the last ten years. My '96 Neon was a piece of crap, and so were the endless succession of cars we had to replace every three years when I was growing up, until we bought a subaru when I was 12 that my sister drove until I was 28.

My stepfather's a union worker (not the UAW for most of his career -- several machinist unions), and the way he tells it, the union is often corrupt... in collusion with management to embezzle money out of the company for the top union officials and top management. They do throw some unnecessary perks at the union rank and file to keep getting re-elected, but the companies go down the tubes because the money is being funneled into off-shore accounts.

And when they want to close a plant, all they have to do is neglect safety until enough people die that the health department shuts it down for them. He lost several jobs that way.