Auto-bailout
- Dec. 14th, 2008 at 10:52 AM
You've heard that Republican Senators are blocking the Detroit bailout. Out of a principle of no government interference in the free market... or because these are Southern Senators, whose states host foreign-owned auto plants with no unions and lower pay? (And particularly, less accumulated pension obligations.)
http://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Dec14.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/13/AR2008121302207.html
http://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Dec14.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/13/AR2008121302207.html

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Comments
Both, I'd guess. The bailout is a really bad idea: it's a subsidization of an incredibly uncompetitive industry, which will leave it just as uncompetitive as before. If you want to see where that leads, look at some of the British industries in the 1970's, before Thatcher's reforms.
It is much better to put the aid in restructuring. Give people loans for reeducation, provide general National Bank loans (since the normal banks likely don't offer any) for newly started enterprises and select old ones with credibility, and put funds into research, infrastructure and education improvement. Or, worst case, relocation.
That said, I don't understand why the unions live under a system where foreign manufacturers don't have to sign union deals. It seems short-sighted of the UAW or whatever they're called to even allow that without labour conflict. If a foreign manufacturer was trying to do that here I'd expect strikes and blockades.
By that article UAW has tried unionizing Southern plants but the workers have voted against unionizing. Combination of suspicious Southern culture and the companies paying decently to begin with. Who's to strike or blockade?
Other articles have claimed that the gap between US and foreign auto quality is a lot less these days, but that the US companies are burdened by heavy pensions, such as full salaries for retired employees. I don't know if that's true, or what should be done if it is.
Blockades. Well...
Around here the national unions call out blockades anyway. Individual workers don't have to be union - but the corporation must accept unions. We had a wonderful example of some sort of cafeteria in Gothenburg where the owner refused to sign union deals and the staff all were perfectly happy without being union. Unsurpringly, the Trade Workers Union called out for blockade and the entire rest of the Union conglomerate followed suit. No one handles the deliveries, no one picks up the trash, picketing all day... ...course, the owner had to give up. (And sell the cafeteria)