I’m Not at All a Union Booster
…but I also have to say these guys have a point.
UAW Members Speak Out About Strike Vote
Ford Motor Co. has brought a lot of uncertainty into Gerald Williamson’s life.
The factory where he works is on a list of plants slated to be sold or even closed, and like other workers, he’s had to give up part of his pay raises to help the company fund its huge retiree health care bill. So when it came time to vote to give union leaders the power to call a strike if contract talks go south, Williamson got some satisfaction last week out of casting his ballot in favor.
… Williamson, a 13-year Ford worker from Ypsilanti, says he doesn’t want a strike and he doesn’t think the company wants one either. But like many workers, he’s unhappy that he’s had to give up money when new Ford President and Chief Executive Alan Mulally is making millions.
“When you ask people to make concessions and they help out and chip in, then everyone has to make concessions,” Williamson said after voting on Wednesday.
Mulally’s compensation package was valued at $39.1 million during his four months on the job last year, according to an analysis of a Ford filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Workers at many Detroit-area factories often refer to executive compensation when asked about concessions.
(I’ll do that gig for a quarter of that! Call me!) Of course, the new Ford head says please don’t hate him because he’s beautiful…
…When Mulally was asked last week about criticism of his compensation, he said that leadership counts.
“All the skills required to run a business are market-driven,” said Mulally, who was hired away from Boeing Co. last year to rescue the money-losing Ford.
Not all pain is local, I guess. If I was a Ford worker on the inevitable losing end of the stick, I might have to wear a ‘BITE ME’ t-shirt, too.
Biz | tree hugging sister | 
September 3, 2007 3:13 pm
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…and he did such a *fine* job at Boeing, too.
Heh.
Hmmm.
On the other hand there’s a reason why American cars generally suck. And that’s because of the massive overhead imposed by union labor.
well, memo, that would be why they suck expensively. Why they suck is another matter.