3 ms·

Ford workers at 4 new plants won't automatically be UAW members: Here's why

1 points by rmason 5y ago

rmason 5y ago
This is big news in Michigan. Granted several of these new plants will be making batteries. Workers will get union pay and benefits but will have to vote in the union. This is the first time in over eighty years one of the Big 3 have built a plant that wasn't default union. The reason is that Ford wouldn't have to go along with the union featherbedding which would lower their costs. For example replacement workers will be trained to do several jobs, not just one. Laid off workers will just receive unemployment insurance and not receive 90% of working wage etc. This is risky for several reasons. One of these plants will make the new Ford F-150 Lightning pickup. The Biden administration has proposed to deny Tesla consumer tax credits for buying an electric car because they're not unionized. Would they do the same to Ford?
- AnimalMuppet 5y ago
  > The Biden administration has proposed to deny Tesla consumer tax credits for buying an electric car because they're not unionized. What possible justification is there for that move? That's just using the power of tax system to reward the administration's political supporters. That's likely to not survive a legal challenge. (Nor should it survive. If I bought an electric vehicle made by non-union labor, I bought an electric vehicle - and I am entitled to the credit for doing so, even if it was made by fairies who work for free.)
  - rmason 5y ago
    I totally agree with you. In fact Michigan is now a right to work state. The UAW is losing members and has had some recent high profile cases where leaders stole from their members. But recently they've been bragging that they're gaining members since January. The Big 3 have to complete against Tesla as well as Japanese and Korean auto makers whose plants are not unionized.
  - garmaine 5y ago
    This is what happens when you settle for “electability” as your primary metric in selecting a candidate. You end up with an entrenched establishment, partisan hack that is fully owned by lobbyists. The administration didn’t even try to hide the blatant favoritism of its policy.

1 points by rmason 5y ago

This is big news in Michigan. Granted several of these new plants will be making batteries. Workers will get union pay and benefits but will have to vote in the union. This is the first time in over eighty years one of the Big 3 have built a plant that wasn't default union. The reason is that Ford wouldn't have to go along with the union featherbedding which would lower their costs. For example replacement workers will be trained to do several jobs, not just one. Laid off workers will just receive unemployment insurance and not receive 90% of working wage etc. This is risky for several reasons. One of these plants will make the new Ford F-150 Lightning pickup. The Biden administration has proposed to deny Tesla consumer tax credits for buying an electric car because they're not unionized. Would they do the same to Ford?

AnimalMuppet 5y ago
> The Biden administration has proposed to deny Tesla consumer tax credits for buying an electric car because they're not unionized. What possible justification is there for that move? That's just using the power of tax system to reward the administration's political supporters. That's likely to not survive a legal challenge. (Nor should it survive. If I bought an electric vehicle made by non-union labor, I bought an electric vehicle - and I am entitled to the credit for doing so, even if it was made by fairies who work for free.)
- rmason 5y ago
  I totally agree with you. In fact Michigan is now a right to work state. The UAW is losing members and has had some recent high profile cases where leaders stole from their members. But recently they've been bragging that they're gaining members since January. The Big 3 have to complete against Tesla as well as Japanese and Korean auto makers whose plants are not unionized.
- garmaine 5y ago
  This is what happens when you settle for “electability” as your primary metric in selecting a candidate. You end up with an entrenched establishment, partisan hack that is fully owned by lobbyists. The administration didn’t even try to hide the blatant favoritism of its policy.