The future of American Companies?

[Kronos1965]

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (General Motors) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the senior executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was outsourced to India

Sadly, The End.


Here's something else to think about:

Ford has spent the last 30 years moving all its factories out of the US , claiming they can't make money paying American wages.

TOYOTA has spent the last 30 years building more than a dozen plants inside the US .

The last quarter's result:

TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads.

IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.

[07cajuntitan]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the I believe the Toyota plants in the US are non-union.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/edi...argets-toyota/

Looks like the UAW is trying to do the same with Nissan's US plants:
http://www.uawnissan.com/

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jun...bbying,00.html

[stlblues]

Originally Posted by 07cajuntitan

Correct me if I am wrong, but the I believe the Toyota plants in the US are non-union.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/edi...argets-toyota/

Looks like the UAW is trying to do the same with Nissan's US plants:
http://www.uawnissan.com/

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jun...bbying,00.html

I've had several realitives and in laws that have dropped out of their unions because of their deceptive practices and not delivering on promises. The steel workers union screwed my grandmother out of benifits my grandfather was suposed to recieve too. I don't blame those workers for voting the union down.

[jljue]

The unions are always trying to dig up BS that will sway more support their way because they continually lose members from getting too greedy, causing their members to get laid off. What many people don't realize that these union wage/benefit negotiations are always a compromise, and the company isn't going to get stiffed in the process. I've known people who lost vacation, double-time pay, holidays, etc. just for a $0.50 increase in wages. For a company to last, it has to be competitive. Nissan is one of the best at making sure it makes a profit on every vehicle, and it will continue to do what it can reasonably do to make sure it can keep its people happy and keep a healthy financial outlook.

[Kronos1965]

The value of a union is a double-edged sword at best.

[Zzyzx]

And right now all their union is doing for them is getting them to move their factories to Mexico.

[Kronos1965]

My fiance's company is merging with another that is unionized.

Both pay scales are equal, both perks are equal, both systems for promoting employees are the same.

Both companies just got out of bankruptcy.

When I asked her the reason why she and others want to go into a union if there's nothing greater than what they currently have, her reply along with her friends was that they want more money and time off like they had when the company was turning greater profits...

[GRAYGHOST]

I love reading about a union crying about Nissan putting pressure on people not to vote union. I'm suprised that lightning didnt strike the guy dead!!! We all know how gentle the unions are....they have never pressured people to join HAHAHAHA!!!. My Granddad used to talk about how people who didnt join the union found there pets in pieces on their doorsteps and how if that didn't work, they would get visits from the reps and usually baseball bats were involved. I have friends that work at Nissan and if you say union to them they will scowl at you....not because they have been discouraged by Nissan but because they have eyes and a brain!!! It is no accident that most of the auto plants that Nissan and Toyota have opened have been in the south... much stronger anti union sentiment down here.

[jljue]

I went through a union campaign at my last company, and it was rough. What sucked was the 10% that voted for the union causing disruptions for the 90% that didn't want the union. These people were smashing in the screens on $5000 HMI's, welding the frames (the actual product) to carriers, etc. knowing that we had to be careful on not trying to get grievances filed against us for taking action on them during the campaign. Once the vote was made official and all appeals were done, we ended up firing most of the 10% anyway for tardiness, breaking equipment, sleeping on the job, skipping work, etc. Companies simply cannot afford these type of lazy, uncaring people to build quality products that people depend their lives on. I worked my butt off to get where I am today, and I expect everyone else to make the most of their time and talent as well. No, I don't expect everyone to be doctors, lawyers, and engineers, but I do expect everyone to care about their work and make the most of their opportunities.

[Overide]

fack unions!!! my dad recently retired from Chrysler as a supervisor. He always complained about the unions, and how he couldnt force his people to do their jobs, that they were making $25/hr+ to do. He worked in the PDC and the people in there made the same as those in the assembly plants. In the assembly plants the conditions were much harder/hazerdous. These people only had a high school education and took for granted the great jobs that they had. I worked there over 3 summers as a temp while I was in school and witnessed it first hand. Other workers would talk smack to me and yell at me for making them look bad, and all I was was the boss's kid. Well I paid my union dues over those 3 summers, and as soon as my dad left, they didnt bring me back for summer help any more. did the union fight for my job as they claimed they would? absolutly not.

[Bleu50]

Originally Posted by Overide

fack unions!!! my dad recently retired from Chrysler as a supervisor. He always complained about the unions, and how he couldnt force his people to do their jobs, that they were making $25/hr+ to do. He worked in the PDC and the people in there made the same as those in the assembly plants. In the assembly plants the conditions were much harder/hazerdous. These people only had a high school education and took for granted the great jobs that they had. I worked there over 3 summers as a temp while I was in school and witnessed it first hand. Other workers would talk smack to me and yell at me for making them look bad, and all I was was the boss's kid. Well I paid my union dues over those 3 summers, and as soon as my dad left, they didnt bring me back for summer help any more. did the union fight for my job as they claimed they would? absolutly not.

We HAD a GM plant in my hometown. I heard stories and dealt with employees who had an attitude, to say the least.
I buy only from Nissan, Honda or Toyota from now on. This is based mainly on the quality and service of the cars and trucks, and the fact that I refuse to support a welfare state such as the UAW. They had their time in the past. I find it amusing that UAW has tried to unionize the Smyrna TN plant for years now without success, but the GM plant in my town is getting rid of all it's union workers and replacing the $30/hr workers with $14/hr workers.

I heard horror stories from supervisors and people who worked the line, talking about employees sleeping on the job while turning out sub par products, and when the supervisor tried doing something about it, they got grievances filed against them! Scre* that, I will only buy non union cars from now on.