BMW: Ultimate Misery

[TwinTurboXI]

Interesting...

[Rotary Rasp]

BMW Fail.

[Victorae]

So many ignorant comments in this thread, it's unbelievable

[DieselDiner]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

People can vote with their wallet for what they believe in.

They already have:

BMW ups annual sales forecast to 1.6 million vehicles; "In view of the strong performance to date and the good outlook for the coming months, the automotive segment is now expected to achieve an EBIT margin of over 10 percent for the full year." BMW now expects to achieve an "even greater improvement in pre-tax earnings than originally predicted" for 2011, sticking to its pattern of only giving a clear target for the operating margin of its automotive segment.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...#ixzz1Sh72dAME

[Postell]

pretty sure they are just getting rid of union workers and hiring non union workers. they will still be american jobs, just not union.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

There are U.S. companies who make decent profits without unscrupulously exploiting their employees for greater CEO and stockholder profits. Financial greed wrecked the U.S. economy once and it can happen again. People can vote with their wallet for what they believe in.

And I'm all for that, but if people hold their next car maker as accountable as they do BMW, they'll have trouble buying a car built on planet Earth.

[Jimbozini]

Amazing. It's a parts distribution warehouse and economics has determined that it is too costly to continue to operate in its current business model. CA should feel lucky that BMW NA wishes to continue to operate that facility in their state. Just as the cost of living is high in CA, so is the cost of doing business. BMW could have just as easily shut down the facility & moved it to another state. The contract with the union was up & BMW apparently found a workforce in CA that is willing to do the job for less. I see no indication that BMW will bar current workers from the new company. That contractor will need workers and new opportunities will be available to the impacted workforce if they decide to take it and look out for themselves and not the interests of the union.

Another interesting tidbit is the Teamsters' plans to picket dealerships, which are independently owned and have no part of BMW NA's decision. Every BMW made is sold before it is built, either to a dealership or to a buyer. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense taking the "war" to parties that don't have a dog in the fight.

[Shaw]

Originally Posted by JS82

Ignorant statement.

+1

[Shaw]

Originally Posted by bmwpride335i

damn.... makes me think about drving a bmw. those poor familys dont have no where to go. these germans sure dont care about america.

don't all other large corporates do that???
As we speak, Cisco is firing thousands on people!!! Anyone, questioning Germans on this???

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Postell

pretty sure they are just getting rid of union workers and hiring non union workers. they will still be american jobs, just not union.

Exactly.

They kept the jobs in the US and in CA. The union wanted to continue artificially inflated pay for non-skilled jobs.

High costs on the Left Coast are driving jobs to the South and East and to places like Nevada and Arizona. Look at Boeing trying to move jobs to the Carolinas. If not allowed to compete within the US, they'll go off shore. We should encourage job relocation within the US, not discourage it.

[Bajan Loch]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

Why wouldn't you hold all companies accountable not just car makers? There isn't a single product imported from China that could not be made in the U.S. better and at a competitive price - as it once was

OMG. Are you serious? You mean like in the 50's?

There is a reason a t-shirt retails for $5 at Wal-mart, if it was made in the USA it would cost $25. Things are made in China because American workers would not work for those same wages. It is like this all over the world, not just in America. It is a global economy, it can never go back to the way it was.

[stefan]

Look at all the anti-BMW sentiment this union is dishing out. Would YOU want these employees working for you? Forget it. Good job BMW.

[MisterSkiMask]

I find it funny how the union leaders say that BMW wants to pocket ‘the difference’ between unionized labor and non-unionized labor. Let’s see, who is pocketing ‘the difference’ now? That’s right it’s the union itself. I would be interested is seeing the dollar difference going into the workers pocket before and after the changes.

I am amazed and disgusted at the power that the unions think they should have. I am also appalled that unions would rather kill their ‘host organism’ than negotiate realistic terms so that they can go on as the parasites that they are. Unions need reform, they are a corporation no better than the corporations that they were formed to fight, they only difference is that they don’t make anything.

[Tag]

BMW extends contracts in US union dispute

[GVIFlyer]

The second shoe is yet to drop; BMW's leadership team and board of directors are doing what they are paid to do - chose the best path to maintain shareholder value.

[T1T2GRE]

Originally Posted by Bajan Loch

OMG. Are you serious? You mean like in the 50's?

There is a reason a t-shirt retails for $5 at Wal-mart, if it was made in the USA it would cost $25. Things are made in China because American workers would not work for those same wages. It is like this all over the world, not just in America. It is a global economy, it can never go back to the way it was.

I think this just boils down to unrealistic expectations.

The UAW and the Big 3 created a "middle class", and look at the results. No big surprise there. Public expectation, worldwide, is "I deserve free health care, a free lunch, a widescreen TV with endless HD, a new car every 2 years or so, and free education". So who's paying for it? The unions simply pushed the Big 3 around, and when the house of cards fell, they all gave sob stories. If you want a luxury lifestyle, you have to work for it. I have no sympathy for the people who think they can extort a corporation for no net change in skillset or work capacity.

I worked as a machinist for a while before I embarked on college and higher education. Nobody gave me any of that for free. My education is my second mortgage, and I make what I make because it took me 14 years to get there, and I still work weekends and call hours. If you want to advance, you have to work for it.

This post makes me want to vomit. I'm so tired of the Age of Entitlement we live in.

Good job, BMW. Who is John Galt, anyway...

[Gator328i]

What's funny is all of the typos and grammatical errors in the letter from the Mayor of Los Angeles to BMW. And then at the bottom he tells the BMW CEO to contact his deputy mayor if he wants to discuss it further. This guy is first-class all the way!

[antennahead]

Originally Posted by T1T2GRE

I think this just boils down to unrealistic expectations.

The UAW and the Big 3 created a "middle class", and look at the results. No big surprise there. Public expectation, worldwide, is "I deserve free health care, a free lunch, a widescreen TV with endless HD, a new car every 2 years or so, and free education". So who's paying for it? The unions simply pushed the Big 3 around, and when the house of cards fell, they all gave sob stories. If you want a luxury lifestyle, you have to work for it. I have no sympathy for the people who think they can extort a corporation for no net change in skillset or work capacity.

I worked as a machinist for a while before I embarked on college and higher education. Nobody gave me any of that for free. My education is my second mortgage, and I make what I make because it took me 14 years to get there, and I still work weekends and call hours. If you want to advance, you have to work for it.

This post makes me want to vomit. I'm so tired of the Age of Entitlement we live in.

Good job, BMW. Who is John Galt, anyway...

"I'm so tired of the Age of Entitlement we live in" AMEN
I followed a similar path, worked my butt off to help put my way through college, started at the bottom in my profession and worked hard to get to where I am today. It is so true, this "artificial" middle class you speak of ........... and now they think it is their "right" to these luxuries, and that's what they are, luxuries ..................... but in their mind they are just commodities they are entitled to

John

[Keto]

Originally Posted by T1T2GRE

no net change in skillset or work capacity.

Good job, BMW. Who is John Galt, anyway...

Heh, the productivity of the American worker has been increasing for years. We have the most productive workers in the world. Wages for our workers, however, have been stagnant for years, and actually declining when inflation is factored in.

Previous generations worked hard to make a better life for their children. Current generations work hard to maximize shareholder value, and we're dumb enough to think that's better.