UAW COULD GIVE A SHIT ABOUT GM PROBLEMS

You have to go to the Detroit papers to get a real feel because if one of those papers dares to criticize the UAW they will see their circulation drop to zero. But even the Detroit papers are "reporting" this story as GM shares fall....

With GM struggling to reduce its massive health care bill, totaling $5.6 billion this year, many of the company's 360,000 retired hourly workers are rattled by reports that the automaker believes it has the right to cut their benefits without an agreement with the union.

After losing $1.1 billion in the first quarter, GM is seeking health care cost reductions by June 30 and is frustrated with the pace of the UAW's cooperation. The union has refused GM's request to reopen their national contract to revise benefit terms.

About ten or so years ago many auto analysts asked the question: "Can anyone make money with a UAW contract?" Looks like we all have our answer, but the number of people involved is truly staggering. Probably a million people in total. Socialized medicine here I come. Not even one of the world's biggest companies can afford these lavish health care programs. Afford is the key. GM is threatening to unilateraly cut bennies, and from the undertone of the reporting one can infer that the UAW leadership sees the problem but cannot act against an almost unanamous union opinion, an opinion that has been festering for most of the member's lives. They hate GM, always hated their jobs, and the only reason they kept working was the benefits. Stay tuned, this is much bigger than is being reported nationally.