There would be people lined up to do the work for 1/2 the wage, is that right? I dont know, but right or wrong, it’s a fact, there are plenty of people that would work that line for 20 bucks an hour.
That’s true. And there are plenty of people who will work the line for $10 an hour, and a bunch of illegal immigrants will work it for $5, depending on the region. It all depends on the overall economy – driving wages like that just because “someone will do it for less” has led to the collapse of many industries and obviously will lead to the demise of the US auto industry as well. See, people are funny like that – they will work anything for peanuts just to feed their families.
And that’s where unions step in. It has been dosumented over and over again over many years that if employers are left to their own, they would have no problems working their employees to death for pennies a day. That’s why unions are formed – to help workers with their salaries, benefits and job security. I am saying this because I can live with someone blaming the management of the Big 3, the economy, lack of inovation, but I just don’t grasp the idea of “workers being unionized” as the problem for GM.
As far the Asian cars, it wasn’t directted at you, just a general expectation of what people would say. Asian cars are by no means more dependable than American or European cars. Just the marketing is so good, they have managed to convince many folks that Asian cars are better (it may have been true 15 years ago, but not today). Asian cars are generally a piece of junk made to last 5-6 years. I am yet to see someone on the road driving an old Honda (unless it’s a teenager strapped for cash). With Asian cars – it’s all perception, just like Mercedes.