Autoworker wage and benefit differences

[FreeState]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/11/national/w173226S81.DTL&type=business


Autoworker wage and benefit differences

Hourly wages for United Auto Workers laborers at General Motors Corp. factories actually are almost equal to those paid by Toyota Motor Corp. at its older U.S. factories, according to the companies. GM says the average UAW laborer makes $29.78 per hour, while Toyota says it pays about $30 per hour.

The difference is in benefits, with the unionized factories having far higher costs.

GM says its total hourly labor costs are now $69 including wages, pensions and health care for active workers, plus the pension and health care costs of more than 432,000 retirees and spouses. Toyota says its total costs are around $48. The Japanese automaker has far fewer retirees and its pension and health care benefits are not as rich as those paid to UAW workers.

The UAW has not been able to organize workers at a Toyota plant in this country; it does represent workers at one joint GM-Toyota plant in Fremont, Calif.

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So lets see the GOP wanted the average to be $16 an hour? WTF! Give us all a break already - this is union busting at its worst.

[FreeState]

1. Kick n/t

[JVS]

2. I've heard a lot of talk about those numbers being lopsided because the foreign companies...

don't have retirees to look after, but there is another factor driving the lopsidedness of that number. GM has outsourced like a motherfucker and layed off shitloads of workers over the past 30 years. It should be no surprise that this would lead to a very topheavy retiree/active worker ratio.

[FreeState]

3. Exactly - and to blame the Unions for the managements decisions is ridiculous

The GOP has created a very bad environment for the auto industry by supporting outsourcing, employer based health care etc etc.

[Snotcicles]

4. Mazda can build their cars here with UAW workers and do just fine. nt