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GM Starts Building 40 MPG Subcompact (in Michigan)

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LuckyTheDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:07 PM
Original message
GM Starts Building 40 MPG Subcompact (in Michigan)
begun production of its new subcompact, the Chevrolet Sonic.

The Sonic is the replacement for the Chevy Aveo, which had been made in South Korea. But, the new vehicle will be made at GM’s Orion plant in Oakland Country. An innovative deal with the UAW—to use more lower paid “second tier” workers, allowed Orion—which had been idled, to reopen.

“Today is the start of regular production,” said Kenneth Knight, GMs executive director of global and North American manufacturing engineering. “Today is when we press the button to go live.”

More: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/08/01/gm-starts-building-40-mpg-subcompact/
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Romulox Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:08 PM
Response to Original message
1. $14/hour, no bennies. nt
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LuckyTheDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:10 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. So, build it in Korea instead?
No thanks. And I am pretty sure the workers get health insurance.

But, go ahead and bash.
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Romulox Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:12 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. That argument works for any wage down to, and below, the minimum wage.
Truth hurts though, I guess. :hi:
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LuckyTheDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:17 PM
Response to Reply #3
6. And, BTW...
Not all the workers will be getting the lower wage. Only about half -- maybe a little more than half, but not more than 60%.

What's your idea? GM could have:

1) Tried raising the price of the car several thousand dollars, ensuring that it would fail in the marketplace
2) Built the car at a steep loss
3) Built the car in Korea


Which of those options do you like better?

:hi:
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Romulox Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:20 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. The BS of this situation is that GM is still run by people hand picked by the Obama admin, AND
the President is pressing for a "Free Trade" agreement with the very same Koreans you mention at the VERY SAME TIME his hand-selected team is negotiating these "two tiered" sellouts.

In other words, the President is playing both sides of this deal. So don't give me this "what else can we do???" crap. We could impose the same actual and structural tariffs on cars entering this country from South Korea that they do on our cars, for a simple start. Instead, we've thrown the barn door opened and used it as an excuse to slash wages.
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LuckyTheDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:22 PM
Response to Reply #7
9. I'd like higher tariffs, too
But then again, I'd also like to have a pet unicorn that poops cotton candy. That's not going to happen any time soon.

I spelled out the three other options that actually exist in the real world, right now. Which would you choose?
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Romulox Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:24 PM
Response to Reply #9
10. "Free trade" isn't the only "sensible" solution. nt
Edited on Mon Aug-01-11 01:25 PM by Romulox
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LuckyTheDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:26 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. Yes, we agree. Free trade sucks.
But once again, which of the three other reality-based options mentioned above would you choose?
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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:30 PM
Response to Reply #2
17. I really don't perceive a non-celebration...
I really don't perceive a non-celebration of the US auto worker continuously falling down to the levels of the lowest common denominators as "bashing", but I guess we see what we want to... :shrug:
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Luciferous Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:13 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. Still better than working at McDonald's, and I'm pretty sure they get health insurance.
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Romulox Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:13 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. Funny you should mention that, because I've made more than that in food service.
Betcha there are graduates of "Hamburger U" who do, too.
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DainBramaged Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:26 PM
Response to Reply #5
12. My friend
It is a victory for the Domestic market to build a pocket rocket in Detroit instead of Korea with American sourced parts that has TONS more initial content and standard features than Honda Toyota or Ford in the category.

And the preliminary road tests are coming in on the positive side.

I wish at this juncture GM was paying $28 or more for trained labor to start, but Obama crushed the Union in the loan package and it will take years to recover.


Do not blame the workers or the product, blame the Administration.

Thanks.
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Romulox Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:28 PM
Response to Reply #12
16. I understand all of that, but the Michigan I grew up in is gone. nt
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DainBramaged Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:37 PM
Response to Reply #16
18. I know, and so is Ohio and Pennsylvania, entire cities literally shipped overseas
as if the tide of war forced the dismantling of the factories nut by nut and shipped them over the horizon to prevent them being bombed. And all that is left is rust.

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MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:27 PM
Response to Reply #1
14. Was there a shortage of applicants for those job?
No? It sucks, but that's the reality right now.
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KurtNYC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:22 PM
Response to Original message
8. now what they need is a time machine -- set the dial for 1974
and start making sub compacts THEN instead of playing victim for 35 years.
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LuckyTheDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:27 PM
Response to Reply #8
13. Yep.
But nobody has perfected that yet.
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DainBramaged Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 01:27 PM
Response to Original message
15. A 140HP sport version is coming, and PROMISED performance upgrades
with great gas mileage. Perfect first cars for well under $20K.
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