Comprimising your way into extinction
It was widely reported today that GM would offer its remaining 74,000 union/UAW workers an incentive package to promote retirements and early seperations. This is the latest step in the direction of converting the GM workforce into a non union contract work force. Past critics have said that the UAW needed to cooperate with GM in order to save the industry. Those who know the trade from a non managerial standpoint know that the UAW has yeilded on many fronts over a long period. It would appear that the incremental push out the door had paid off and GM has their non union workforce on the horizon. It would seem as though, the UAW, in their quest to be cooperative has just about written the story of their demise. Other than managing the health care of the retirees, their role in GM labor has just about run its course. GM’s efforts over the years to create an adversarial work environment by pitting contract and UAW employees against each other will soon bear fruit. GM was always quick to blame the UAW for all its troubles (the UAW was no angel) all the while promoting ineffective and unprofessional managers who used the UAW as a scapegoat for all of their shortcomings. The next few years should prove interesting and will most certainly be painful. GM has been big on promise and short on action when it comes to living up to their words with retirees, their actions bear them out as liars, unfortunately I dont see that changing.
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