Card Check: a direct pipeline to corruption and abuse
Unions expect the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress to
pass the Employee Free Choice Act within the first few months of 2009.
They claim that employees can’t organize……

Southern Democrats will not want to do anything which jeopardizes their States deals with Toyota and Honda, and forcing unions in would be disastrous. I can’t imagine any but the most hard core leftist loon going along with this in places like Tennessee and Alabama.

Well, that’s because they’ve sold out to the transplants. See West Virginia for an example.

I’m wondering if some of them might vote against a bailout of General Motors, so that Toyota and/or Honda can buy out the plants, throw out the UAW, and hire the same workers at non-union wages, and make good cars and good money.

Good cars from transplants? Well, if you’re listening only to the voices who can’t stand Detroit(environmentalists and those having a bad experience with a Detroit car)…

Honda: It is a cardinal sin to try to make a fuel-efficient V8 for $20-30k even if they had the power to do so. Also the maker of the Civic, which could certainly be a platform of affordable performance(as opposed to throwing an I-4 or hybrid to please environmentalists). However, the time it takes for them to fix these faults in their factories is currently longer than it takes GM/Ford/Chrysler to do it: infinity.

Toyota: Throwing an Echo engine in and hoping people are fooled by a smallish body and cheapish electronics. Seems to think affordable performance is a tuned, yet underpowered I-4; points people towards Lexus if they aren’t convinced. They could do well if they moved the SC400 up a bit and turned the Avalon into affordable, Detroit style muscle(read: V6/V8 well under $30000).

Hyundai: Copies US and foreign cars poorly.

BMW/Mercedes Benz: Yes, they get the performance part right. Good luck on trying to convince them to go downmarket(and keeping performance).

The Big Three: No engine is too big or powerful for them to place in a car. The transplants offer poky I-4′s; Detroit offers a lot more for the same price. Is a victim of Detroit Derangement Syndrome; is prevalent where RTW is around.

If over 50% are signed. The company & the Union each have 45 days to present their sides on why to have a union or not. Then a “secret” ballot determines whether the union gets voted in.

…after a labor relations firm has advised how the company should best intimidate union supporters in those 45 days. How is that not thuggery or dirty pool?

Perhaps if the transplants made cars that looked, performed, and were priced like Detroit cars(affordable performance) we’d not have so much defense of the bailout. They’re going to have to if they want to see Detroit die and capture the die-hard Detroit muscle fan.

I’m not a UAW worker, just someone north of the Mason-Dixon who happens to see a good thing in Detroit cars.

Republicans insist they will fight for their issues when they can, but they also might simply take a front-row seat to see if Democrats implode.

Let’s raise money for a GOP Congressional Popcorn Fund for them.

I also am enjoying the early reaction of the KOS/Huff/DU crowd types. Give them enough rope and we’ll be hearing “Bush 3″ soon from their camp.

Go Obama, the moderate.

Or just sit back and enjoy the fact that the Democrats will own everything that comes out of Washington after Jan. 20th.

Card Check may provide one of the fault lines for the Democratic caucus. Southern Democrats have to win votes from the center-right, who won’t like stripping the secret ballot from organizing elections. On the other hand, in a straight vote, they may not need the Southern Democrats, considering the size of their majorities.

Doesn’t matter if Pelosi and/or Reid let the Southern Dems “vote their consciences on this if they don’t need them in the final vote, if it passes the southern Democrats in the House are going to be stuck defending it in 2010, because they’ll have to defend their party leaders.

This takes away the 45 day cooling period for both sides to present their reasons for or against unions. This also takes away the secret ballot portion.

I work in a place that is nonunion and we are able to run leaner and adjust faster without union rules and restrictive job restrictions. If we work better and smarter and yes actually inject our minds into our jobs unions aren’t needed. They were at a time but that time has passed

Sure thing.

Buy Danish on November 25, 2008 at 5:10 PM

I’m wondering if some of them might vote against a bailout of General Motors, so that Toyota and/or Honda can buy out the plants, throw out the UAW, and hire the same workers at non-union wages, and make good cars and good money.

You’ll like this. They’re raising rates because of rising fuel costs. Oops. That excuse didn’t quite fly last night, with fuel 1/2 what it was 4 months ago when the proposal was drafted.

BadgerHawk on November 25, 2008 at 5:32 PM

We just got the same crooked deal here. Tucson Electric company just got approval to raise our electric rates by 8%, effective Dec. 1st. The reason for this “necessary” increase: rising fuel costs. Gas here is under $2 a gallon now, but nobody at the power company (or the public body that supposedly regulates it) seems to have noticed that.

Pope Linus on November 25, 2008 at 5:31 PM

Yep. Don’t get me wrong, Pope, I don’t look down on the guy behind the desk. I don’t expect masters pay for journeymans work. It just when I hear that some bus driver is a parasite I wonder if the passenger could find third gear.

I’ll shut up now.

Maybe you would do better if you made it through the 7th grade, Jethro.

Wade on November 25, 2008 at 5:13 PM

Haha, I see what you did there, you clever girl.

So why were they raising fees? For mechanical or “salary”.

upinak on November 25, 2008 at 4:48 PM

You’ll like this. They’re raising rates because of rising fuel costs. Oops. That excuse didn’t quite fly last night, with fuel 1/2 what it was 4 months ago when the proposal was drafted.

All the thinkers think, and the workers work. We can argue about the chicken and the egg all day long but in the end it is a team. Some of us blue collars figured out long ago that the boss works his ass off. Some of us still wonder if the boss returns the courtesy.

Limerick on November 25, 2008 at 5:26 PM

I see what you mean. We’re in it together.

Pope Linus on November 25, 2008 at 5:22 PM

Heh…just touchy about the lack of “I” in teamwork. I’ll never tell my CPA he is overpaid, unless he’s a crook.

All the thinkers think, and the workers work. We can argue about the chicken and the egg all day long but in the end it is a team. Some of us blue collars figured out long ago that the boss works his ass off. Some of us still wonder if the boss returns the courtesy.

…under the bus.

I’m as anti-union as I can get. I’m also sick and tired of the boys-with-letters thinking they can make Atlas dance.

Limerick on November 25, 2008 at 5:16 PM

Are any of us “boys-with-letters” saying that? I’m sure not. I sure as hell know that I don’t make the world go ’round.

I’m as anti-union as I can get. I’m also sick and tired of the boys-with-letters thinking they can make Atlas dance.

I work 55 hours a frickin week and have 6 years of school and I don’t come close to that.

Maybe you would do better if you made it through the 7th grade, Jethro.