Delphi Bankruptcy

[Chris H.]

JD power 3 year dependibility

Prizm #1 for 3 year dependibiliity for compact car
Malibu #1 for 3 year dependibility for entry midsize
Century #1 for 3 year dependibility for premium midsize
LeSabre #1 for 3 year dependibility for full-size car
S-10 #1 for 3 year dependibiliity for HD PU
Yukon/XL #1 for 3 year dependibiliity for full size SUV
Escalade EXT #1 for 3 year dependibiliity for LD full size PU
Silverado HD #1 for 3 year dependibiliity for HD truck

GM has the major volume markets covered.

[John H.]

Re: JD power 3 year dependibility

Also, having dealt with (and responded to) the J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey for MANY years, their "Things gone wrong" don't necessarily reflect something that failed and needed repair; the IQS survey also categorizes things the owner doesn't like as "things gone wrong", such as "I don't like the way the cupholder works" or "I don't like where they put the cupholder", or "They should have put the radio above the heater controls", etc. Skews the results vs. things that actually fail or don't work at all.

[Steve Pettit]

Re: Delphi Bankruptcy

I think that it is an error to lay the blame for the failure of American manufacturing at the feet of the unions. I had my dad and 4 uncles and a big handful of cousins that worked for GM, most of them are retired from supervisory level jobs. I worked for Fisher Body in the early 70's on the production line myself, but haven't worked in a Union job since 74. It was apparent in my time at the factory that there was only intermittent cooperation with Union and management on the floor. Sometimes the union position was pretty ridiculous, but sometimes the management position was too. The critical thing was that with the Union in place we had a damn good chance of having a pretty good benefit package, including decent pay and a decent retirement and insurance package which we never could have gotten without the Union.

There is no excuse for GM or the rest of US business for not funding their pension and or insurance plans with the profits they made then. Actuarial #'s certainly gave them a pretty good picture of their future liability. Union shortcomings were not the culprit for bad designs and any review of the cars made for the couple of decades after the early 70's shows only occassional bright spots in US design. Union workers did have a role to play in the often shoddy workmanship of materials, but so did management pressures to push product, I remember seeing line foremen cutting red tags off baskets and shipping them so that they could get their quota out.

Both Union and Management, and BOTH political parties have been instrumental in giving away the wonderful competitive advantage we once enjoyed, and it is the worker who is and will bear the brunt of the dislocation. The notion that the Unions caused this mess alone is ludicrous. Top management has looted many of America's corporations, they have been encouraged by silly tax rules that favor the extremely wealthy and by their awarding to themselves of massive stock portfolios that the manipulate in the short run for their own benefit without regard to long term planning or consequences. A cursory look at the differential between the average workers pay versus top management pay over the past 30 years shows just how much management has awarded themselves. A further thing to remember when you compare management costs with corporate difficulties is that much of managements largesse to itself is hidden: lifetime memberships in clubs, rentals of top-flight apartments, exotic and expensive art, massive loans that are forgiven. The very very wealthy in this country are turning themselves into an aristocracy, and this idea that the nearly comotose union movement is to blame for our difficulties is ridiculous.

Like I said, I'm not a union guy and I make pretty good money as a professional, but the notion that one should be a worker for a big corp. without a union-or at least the possibility of a union-is wrongheaded as far as I can tell.

Steve

[Rick S.]

Re: Delphi Bankruptcy

Give me the name of a union president or any union offical that made 4.5 MILLION last year and all the stock options, travel freebies, armed security drivers, etc, etc. Also give me the name of any automotive CEO other than Lee Iaccoca or Bill Ford Jr that took the same or greater pay cut than an hourly worker? Union members have the option to vote their president out if they don't like what he is doing. Who votes out the CEO, the board of directors who are making the same or more than the CEO. If a CEO can't step up to the plate and take the same percentage pay cut as the workers, he is not a leader. A leader doesn't hide behind a "Golden Parachute". If he does , he deserves a "golden shower". Ask a Vietnam vet grunt about "leadership".

[Chris H.]

Re: Delphi Bankruptcy

GM has said no bonus's this year. At the top that could be 50% or more of his pay.