And do you know WHY the American auto companies are going bankrupt???!!!!11

[Bluebear]

[Xipe Totec]

1. They're making too many economical, fuel efficient cars?

No? :shrug:

[orpupilofnature57]

2. Perfect illustration of Greed and Fear.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

3. and don't forget things like

idiot CEO's traveling to DC in a private corporate jet to the tune of $20,000 when a first class ticket on Northwest would have been about $800...

sP

[Nailzberg]

6. It's for security purposes they travel by private jet.

If folks on a commercial airliner found out the passenger in 2B was an auto company CEO, they'd throw em out at 30,000 feet - see if those golden parachutes really work.

[Touchdown]

12. That's what they tell you. When has that ever happened?

Really! What CEO/company boss has EVER been killed because they were out in public doing things the way us commoners do? I've certainly never heard of it. It's an excuse to sail in luxury, and always will be an excuse. Vanderbilt rode on trains, and his picture was in the paper every day. Nobody threw him under the cowcatcher.

Class warfare is only being fought by the rich side.

[JHB]

20. Actually.... Back in September: CEO murdered by mob of sacked Indian workers

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/articl...

September 23, 2008
CEO murdered by mob of sacked Indian workers

Corporate India is in shock after a mob of workers bludgeoned to death the chief executive who sacked them from a factory in a suburb of Delhi.

Lalit Kishore Choudhary, 47, the head of the Indian operations of Graziano Transmissioni, a manufacturer of car parts that has its headquarters in Italy, died of severe head wounds on Monday after being attacked by scores of laid-off employees, police said. The incident, in Greater Noida, followed a long-running dispute between the factory’s management and workers demanding better pay and permanent contracts.

It is understood that Mr Choudhary, who was married with one son, had called a meeting with more than a hundred former employees who had been dismissed after an earlier outbreak of violence at the plant. He wanted to discuss a possible reinstatement deal.

A police spokesman said: “Only a few people were called inside. About 150 people were waiting outside when they heard someone from inside shout for help. They rushed in and the two sides clashed. The company staff were heavily outnumbered.”
(rest at link)

[leeroysphitz]

15. I'm sorry but I don't understand your remarks at all.

Auto company execs are some of the wealthiest most powerful men in the world. How can you expect them to fly commercial?















































:sarcasm:

[Bozita]

4. Bullseye!

[liberal N proud]

5. Nailed it

I love the asshole standing there with his golden parachute, it is perfect.

[rucky]

7. fuckers.

I will seriously strangle anybody who tries to use this talking point on me in person.

[bertman]

8. I think you should jam chopsticks in their ears.

[sarcasmo]

9. Spot on.

[NorCalDem]

10. Sweet, thanks for the new background

n/t

[bluesmail]

11. Hell yes.

[Nye Bevan]

13. So Toyota, Nissan and Honda don't provide health care?

Or they don't pay middle class wages?

Just wondering.

[Bluebear]

14. That's good homework for you, you get back to us with the answers.

[Nye Bevan]

16. OK, here you go

Average Hourly Salary for Non-Skilled, Assembly Line Worker
Source: Center for Automotive Research

GM:
$31.35/hour

Toyota:
$27/hour

http://www.npr.org/news/specials/gmvstoyota/

and I would say that $27 per hour is pretty much a "middle class wage". I guess the cartoonist *could* be arguing that $31.35 per hour is "middle class" while $27 per hour is not?

And it appears that Toyota *does* provide health care for employees:

http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/24/58/59.html

Toyota now pays about $11,000 annually to provide health care for each employee, double what it paid five years ago, Sieger says.


Toyota Motor Co. on Friday will open a new truck manufacturing plant in San Antonio that will include a $9 million comprehensive health care facility for the automaker’s employees and its parts manufacturers as well as employees’ dependents.



Thanks for the assignment!

[Hobarticus]

17. I think the key is:

Only Toyota appears to be building new auto pants in the US.

None of the big three.

Hmm, don't need an MBA to see who's business model is working.

You get an A.

[dysfunctional press]

18. the hourly wage is only part of the picture...

the big three pay about $73/hour in labor costs in the u.s.- the japanese car companies labor costs are more like $48.

one really big difference is that toyota doesn't have all the retirees to support that gm does.

[newtothegame]

19. I disagree with this a little...

Average UAW wage is $28/hr I believe. Is $28/hr middle class? Cause if it is, damn, I am poor as shit.

Not trying to blame this on the UAW, just disagreeing with the cartoonist.

[Senator]

21. ...then you're only a little incorrect.

The $28/hr (56K-ish) is smack in the middle of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States">the LOWER middle class (35K-75K).

But you may not really be "poor as shit," as these amounts are extremely location-dependent; both regionally and on a rural/urban basis.

====