Union Retreat

2006, GM lost 1300USD average for each car and truck built in US, while Toyota made 2100USD. In the midst of this round of restructuring, GM steps up its effort in the past months to make union workers do more jobs and be flexible on the job categories, according to Detroit Free Press news.

This is the fundamental root of the problems of the big three US automakers. GM is going to the same direction. Ford by all means is working hard also. UAW is facing more pressure and more willing to concede on the requirements.

The quotation of the news:

It's a tough challenge

But changing long-accepted work practices is a delicate and politically charged task for automakers and union leaders.Workers who once literally could not turn a screw if it wasn't in their job description are now being tapped to perform multiple tasks. They're being asked to take on a greater role in day-to-day operations and assume leadership roles for the first time. And the union is being pushed to surrender work not related to building cars and trucks -- such as custodial work and grounds keeping -- to companies that can provide cheaper labor on a contract basis.

While such concepts are commonplace in Japanese-run factories, they run counter to hard-won labor agreements that for decades have protected workers in the domestic auto industry.

Agree. It's a tough job. It's a do-it-or-death kind of thing. Have to tackle.