MTP WORKER

c crew did 8 hrs today.

Unless you are in skilled trades you should fucking be damn glad you make the wages that you do. Millions of other workers can do these production jobs and would do them for less. Go work somewhere else if you think you are worth more.

Last Updated: October 25. 2011 1:00AM. Daniel Howes Big 3-UAW contracts transform industry 2011 deals laying foundation for automakers' success, analysts say Whatever you may think about Detroit's automakers and their de facto partner, the United Auto Workers, both sides are delivering three things this town hasn't seen in a very long time: real profits, flattened fixed costs and more jobs-producing investment. Less than three years after General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Group LLC collapsed into a federally induced bankruptcy, imperiling the UAW in the process, the Detroit-based industry is emerging from this fall's national contract talks generating jobs, cash, an optimism founded on the hard nuts and bolts of success. And cooperation. Ratification of the union's agreement with Chrysler appeared almost certain Monday, as nearly 58 percent of 1,881 members at Jefferson North Assembly voted in favor of the third contract to bolster the competitive posture of Detroit's automakers for the next four years. Break-even points? At roughly 10 million cars and trucks sold per year, they are far lower than the 13 million-plus market is now. Credit ratings? They're nearing the threshold to investment grade again, the precondition for restoring dividends and attracting new investors. Labor costs? Comparatively flat, with larger proportions of total compensation for hourly workers tilted toward richer profit-sharing and other performance bonuses. This is not the Detroit auto industry of 2007, much less a decade or more ago. These are the signs of forward progress, of stronger and more profitable companies, of a New Detroit grounded in cooperation, competitive awareness and economic reality, not the denial, dysfunction and arrogance of the failed past. "You can go back 30 years" or more "and this industry has never been this strong, purely strong," says Eric Selle, managing director of fixed-income analysis for J.P.Morgan & Co. in New York. "They're making money on all their products, or they're not making them. The mentality has definitely changed. This is a new industry." It had to be. The shame of bankruptcy and public opprobrium, paired with the unforgiving financial reality of the global market meltdown, forced wrenching restructuring and midwifed new attitudes evident not only in the agreements, but in how the parties reached them and what that says about the future. Most of what it says is good. For the first time in a long time, these contract talks are ending with a sense that the automakers and their union crafted deals that are defensible; that both sides can withstand the pressure of recession, partly because they're profiting at near-recession levels today; that $13.3 billion in capital will be reinvested in American sites to create or replace 20,500 American jobs, unlikely four years ago; that the Detroit industry has a promising future after such a bleak past. "Nothing has been done in the contracts that would derail the progress that's been made," says Art Schwartz, a longtime GM bargainer who is now president of Labor and Economics Associates, an Ann Arbor-based consulting firm. "The UAW is doing things that they never would have done before. They're in a life-saving mode of their own." Yes, they are because they have to be. Since 2007, estimates the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, the Detroit automakers have cut 130,000 dues-paying UAW members from their payrolls. That leaves just 108,000 at all three companies to vote on this fall's contracts. And more. The UAW of President Bob King shed the confrontational rhetoric of the past and reached beyond the culture of entitlement (even if some of its members didn't) to craft agreements that are as responsible as they are financially defensible. Labor costs for GM and Ford Motor Co. are expected to increase by 1 percent over the life of the four-year deals. Base wage rates will hold steady, enabling the automakers to hold the line on pension liabilities, a trigger point for Wall Street. Fat signing and profit-sharing bonuses for hourly workers — as high as $16,700 per member at Ford — could outstrip the financial gains that otherwise would have accrued to the members through increased base wage rates. If so, that's a good problem for many autoworkers to have, and it's dollars and cents evidence they are doing their part. Total labor costs are trending in the right direction, even as foreign and domestic producers are expected to see labor cost inflation running at roughly 1.5 percent annually. Going into this fall's bargaining, Ford's all-in wages and benefit costs for hourly workers totaled $58 per hour. GM tallied $56 per hour, and Chrysler booked $51 per hour — roughly equivalent to Honda Motor Co. and $4 per hour cheaper than Toyota Motor Corp.'s Georgetown, Ky., facility, the Japanese automaker's most costly operation in North America. "Labor is no longer a strategic risk component for the Detroit Three," says Sean McAlinden, executive vice president of research and chief economist for the Center for Automotive Research. "That is a major, major, major issue." Management needs to deliver, too. The sum total of cuts in labor costs — off-loading retiree health care costs to a union-controlled trust fund, holding the line on inter-related increases to base wages and pensions, introducing second-tier, lower wages for new hires — makes whatever management pays its line workers a much smaller part of the overall cost to produce a car or truck. Put another way: These agreements, following on bankruptcy restructuring and the concessions of 2005 and '07, mean labor can no longer be the stock excuse for a Detroit failure in the marketplace. Their cars, trucks and management savvy can be, instead. Detroit's automakers no longer have jobs banks that pay people not to work, but Toyota and Honda, to name two, effectively do. Fixed labor costs are no longer a figurative millstone crushing the companies in tough times amid comparatively lower sales volumes. Also, debt-laden balance sheets, meager cash generation, contentious labor relations and disfavor among investors are being replaced by lighter debt loads, enviable cash flows and the prospect of investment-grade credit ratings, starting with Ford. "Frankly, we can realistically discuss (profit) margins of over 5 percent," adds McAlinden. "For 10 years, GM couldn't get realistically above 11/2 percent. Clearly, we are far, far more competitive." Where do we go from here? Forward, away from the myriad excuses, self-inflicted wounds and industrial-welfare economy that proved Detroit was following business rules no one respected nor emulated because all they did was model failure. "Significant pressure points have been eliminated," says Warren Browne, a retired GM executive and now a vice president with Automotive Compass LLC. "It's sized correctly for performance. These guys can really perform now." dchowes@detnews.com (313) 222-2106 Daniel Howes’ column runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111025/OPINION03/110250369/Big-3-UAW-contracts-transform-industry#ixzz1bmjBhB3y

Ford debt upgraded by S&P12:02 PM, Oct. 21, 2011 | BY BRENT SNAVELY DETROIT FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER Filed Under Business Ford news •UAW Standard & Poor’s said today that it has upgraded Ford’s credit rating two notches to BB+ because of its improving financial condition and the ratification of the company’s new labor contract with the UAW. “We believe the contract will allow for continued profitability and cash generation in North America,” Standard & Poor’s said in a report today. The upgrade leaves the automaker just shy of investment grade status. Ford’s objective when it began negotiations with the UAW in July was to keep its fixed costs down so that it could convince rating agencies to boost the company's credit rating. “We believe the UAW contracts coming out of this cycle for both General Motors and Ford have generally lived up to the goal,” Eric Selle, a credit analyst for JP Morgan said in a report today. A higher credit rating helps a company reduce interest rates on its debt. Ford’s debt hasn’t been rated as investment grade since 2005. Ford’s stock increased as much as 62 cents, or 5%, to $12.32 in morning trading today while General Motors stock rose $1.03, or 4.5%, to $23.99. Also, stock markets in general were up today because of reports that European leaders are closer to reaching a deal to contain a debt crisis and as several major U.S. corporations reported profit increases. For Ford, the credit rating increase was the second in two days. On Thursday, Fitch Ratings upgraded Ford to BB+, or one notch shy of investment grade. “Fitch has reviewed the terms of the new agreement and believes that it provides the company with improved flexibility to allow continued positive financial and operational progress over the next several years,” Fitch wrote. UAW workers ratified a new four-year labor agreement with Ford on Wednesday. On Thursday, Ford told Wall Street analysts its labor costs will initially increase by 1%, but said those costs will fall over the life of the four-year deal with the UAW. Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com.

. The better the financial picture becomes for the company I $love to work for the better I feel. Autos Insider Autos Insider RSS Feed e-mail headlines Text alerts On your PDA . Last Updated: October 20. 2011 11:07AM. Ford CFO: Deal should get stock rated at investment grade Alisa Priddle/ The Detroit News Ford Motor Co.'s new labor agreement with the United Auto Workers will increase costs less than 1 percent annually over the course of the contract, Mark Fields, president of the Americas, told investors in a call Thursday morning. Holding the line on wages, increasing flexibility on the line, especially with skilled workers, eliminating legal services over the course of the agreement and overall increases in efficiency should offset the bonuses, profit sharing, increased wages for entry-level workers and adding up to 12,000 jobs over four years, he said. Ratification of the deal also bodes well for shareholders. Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said he thinks the labor contract will be favorably received by ratings agencies. Ford is hoping to return to investment grade status again soon, but achieving it "is not an absolute necessity to pay dividends," Booth said Thursday. "Our shareholders have been very patient. It would be nice to get investment grade ahead of time, but that's not in our control," Booth said. Breaking down the costs, Fields said signing bonuses of $6,000 for workers with a year of seniority and $5,000 for the rest, will cost the company $280 million. For the remainder of the contract period, the $1,500 annual "inflation protection" and $250 operational bonus lump sums and will cost the company about $80 million annually. But eliminating legal services will save $10 million this year and about $20 million next year, Fields said. The new contract has no pension benefit improvements to the Ford pension plan or lump sums to current or future retirees, and defined benefit plans are closed to all new employees. These new employees will be covered by a defined contribution plan. The jobs bank, which paid employees while off the job, is not reinstated, nor is cost of living allowances. The contract increases wages only for entry-level workers Ford paid workers $5,000 last year in profit sharing. Under the new formula, which uses similar metrics to how salaried workers payouts are calculated, hourly workers last year would have received about $5,400, said Fields, a total increase of less than $20 million. The revised formula provides the equivalent of $1 per employee per $1 million in pre-tax profits in North America. The payouts only occur if the company's profits exceed $1.25 billion and they are capped at $12,000 per employee annually. Employees will get an advance profit sharing check this year, based on first-half 2011 financial results, of $3,750, on average. Costs will not have a material impact on the company's bottom line, and Ford remains on track to deliver its mid-decade outlook because of the savings and efficiencies the contract affords, officials say. "The work practice changes and increased uses of entry-level employees provide the opportunity for substantial cost savings and profit improvement as demand increases," Fields said. About 23 percent of Ford's workforce is eligible for retirement, and the company has about 9,000 skilled workers who make the highest wages. But buyouts will also be offered to those not eligible, Fields said. Packages will likely be offered from January to March, and those who opt to go will leave by midyear. The majority of the 12,000 jobs promised over four years are incremental, and 3,400 are from in-sourcing work that would have been done in other countries, Fields said, a practice that will continue where it makes competitive sense. They will leave room to hire more entry-level workers. John Fleming, executive vice president of global manufacturing and labor affairs, said he expects these workers will account for up to 8 percent of the workforce by the end of the contract. Ford only has a few hundred currently. The automaker has about 1,300 long-term supplemental workers who will become full-time entry-level workers on Monday when the contract is signed and takes effect. Fields said he does not see Ford reaching the 20 percent cap on these lower-paid workers that will take effect in 2015. And he noted that parts plants in Rawsonville and Sterling have separate agreements that allow them to use all lower-tier workers. Under the new agreement, the company can implement alternative work schedules and add shifts to better increase production quickly if demand is strong for a particular product. Ford can also form fewer and more efficient integrated teams with both production and skilled workers. The idea is to eliminate waste in the system, such as when one group must wait for another to perform certain tasks, Fleming said. apriddle@detnews.com (313)222-2504 From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111020/AUTO01/110200432/Ford-CFO--Deal-should-get-stock-rated-at-investment-grade#ixzz1bKvcRmyD

I am a proud Ford UAW worker. My point is echoed through the media, my union leaders , comments on auto news articles by the buying public and the majority of the Ford UAW membership that voted yes. What was the point of the NO voters. We have the best wages already. We have free health care( well $20.00 co pay). We have a great dental plan. On and on and on we have it better only because of Ford and the UAW. Not because of the superior skills that the workers possess. A lot of NO voters did not take the so called "bribe" that the Yes voters took because it was not big enough for them. If you like the company you work for you most likely would think a little harder about fucking up relations with the hand that feeds you. I have tried to be civil with my rebuttals but you NO voters are fools and could of fucked up things big time. For what. Oh yea from what the NO voters told me a little more cash and a big " FUCK OFF FORD AND USELESS IUAW! " I guess I missed that point and thankfully the overwelming membership did too. Good thing there are more "normals" then "retards" in the world. It will be ok angry,thankless,selfish,disrespectful, foolish and unrealistic wishful thinkers. Big brother saved you from making a big ass mistake. Try to see the best in life and you will find more peace. When the truth finally if ever sinks in it may hurt a little(foolish pride) but you will be glad that you did not get your way and maybe of fucked things up for no good reason. Well at least from my point of view not good enough of one. Good luck with all of your "seems to never end" struggles.

So how much do you think auto worker laborers would be getting if there never was a union?

Sellout? Most of the NO voters that I talked to said that they would of voted yes if the signing bonus was bigger. They just wanted more in their pockets and could care less about all the jobs being offered or anything else good about the contract. Sounds like pure greed to me and many many others.

The No voters lost by what like by 10,000 votes or more. The majority have spoken. Now go find some other thing to not get your way with. Maybe take some of the signing money and get a tattoo. Maybe some saying that expresses the way that you are used to feeling like "BORN TO LOSE". The company is a business not your mommy. Getting all mad will not get you what tou want. A lot of the NO voters are all angry because they did not get their way. If the Yes voters would of lost they would not so much be angry but worried and hopeful that the company would give enough to make all the brats happy and not somehow have to strike. If your brain can not figure out why the company wants to keep their labor cost competitive with the other auto companies than I guess nothing any Yes voter says will make sense to you. It must suck to not be able to quit working for a company that you dislike so much. This is not just my opinion but millions of others in a nation that is stuggling right now. No one likes a sore loser, loser.

:o What did the big baby not get his way again. :P Grow up and if you have kids or ever plan on it try to do a better job than yours did. Cry baby Cry baby You will feel better when you get the signing money that you didn't help get. Then it will be all better.

I do not care what the company makes. It could be a trillion for all I care. I feel that the contract that they offered me for my knowledge,skills and risks are more than adequate. I know that I am getting better than the going rate for a prodution laborer and I am very content with the deal. No wonder the general buying public hates the UAW workers. It is not only because they think that we are overpayed for our skill level but because they think that we think that we deserve more. The majority has spoken( is) and just like in the movies the good ones almost always beat the bad ones. I guess maybe it is just the way some people are raised. I feel sorry for people that do not have the capacity to see the truth or that lack the ability to admit to it because of their foolish pride. Luckily more people are wise then not. Please stop crying no one likes a poor sport. The NO voters lost(well it is looking that way right now) but won at the same time thanks to the ones that know better. Now go and fail to get your way with something else. You should be used to it so do not get so angry when you don't get your selfish way. It may be a rare thing for you but "have a nice day".

The force that is driving the NO voters is a thing called hate. It Is not the companies fault that the NO voters are not happy about working for them. It is only the NO voters fault that they have to work at Ford. If you do not have the skills to go work somewhere else for a company that can pay you more and treat you better than who's to blame? You NO voters should count your lucky stars.

You do not have have a english major to make wise choices. For the most part I think that I spell pretty good for a non college educated blue collar ( well payed) factory rat. I love working for Ford and I love having the UAW for protection. My lifes finances are awesome because of there existence. I am not voting YES out of fear. Sorry for those who have to stay at a job that they HATE because they know that they do not have the skills to find a better one Like Alan said at the hearings, "I am good were I am at" . (for at least now). Right now with the vote totals it looks like that common "sense" is dictating.

It is not about "doom and gloom" it is about common sence (wisdom) which it seems that you lack. I can not " change" anyones mind they have to do that for themselves. Do a internet search on "wisdom " and give it a ponder.

The worklers can never have the upper hand because most can not afford a strike and the company knows it. We really are at the MASTERS mercy and should try to not piss him off. Why bite the hand that is feeding you if the food (money) is still pretty tastie. Just sayin.