Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Striking Out
So, General Motors and the United Auto Workers have come to a tentative agreement.
Given that obligations on benefits (as opposed to wages) are the anchor around the neck of the U.S. automotive industry, the fact that the union agreed to take responsibility for worker health care is something of a "win" for GM.
However, a couple days ago, Slate's Daniel Gross asked an important question on the strike: Who cares?:
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Given that obligations on benefits (as opposed to wages) are the anchor around the neck of the U.S. automotive industry, the fact that the union agreed to take responsibility for worker health care is something of a "win" for GM.
However, a couple days ago, Slate's Daniel Gross asked an important question on the strike: Who cares?:
What if the biggest industrial union struck the biggest American automaker—and nobody noticed? That's what happened this morning, as the United Auto Workers launched a national strike against General Motors. They are talking about it—a little—on CNBC, but the strike is vying for airtime with a dozen other stories. And General Motors' stock barely budged on the day.I hate to use a cliche, but the phrase "rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic" comes to mind.
Labels: General Motors, unions
