I have never worked in an automotive plant. But, thanks to my father working for Ford Motor for 30 years, it almost seemed as if I knew what was going on there. Except for one minor job, I have never worked with a union. But since my father was a UAW member (and I kept reading their monthly newsletter), it almost as if I knew what they were doing as well. That is what 30 years of working in the same place will do - it's almost like a marriage of sorts.
By now, you know the troubles Michigan has been facing with its economy, partially due to all this downsizing automotive companies & suppliers have either done or are talking about doing. Reading some of the accounts in the newspaper, you can easily feel for those losing their jobs, knowing they "got the shaft" from their employer.
The state backed itself into a corner, however, by not working on promoting a second economic resource during the automotive booms. Name one thing Michigan is known for other than its automobiles. Answer: Tourism. (Other than the "U.P.", what draw is there in Michigan for tourists?) So, as the auto industry goes, so goes the state. Everyone is crying red ink and marching it to their nearest bankruptcy retailer.
Coming back to the shared employee/passenger parking lot from work today, I saw at least 500 brand new vehicles (Daimler-Chryslers, I believe) taking up spots in the overflow section of the lot. This is a block south of where 200 Jeep Libertys are parked, and across the street from a virtual Grand Cherokee nirvana. One local Ford dealership even had three overflow lots off-site because the showrooms couldn't handle the glut of inventory.
Who's to know when these cars will even make it back to the showroom due to customer demand? The end result dominoes into lost productivity, cancelled production, and many worker hours lost. Unfortunately, this may be the answer to the problem in the short term: stop making vehicles until people buy what's out there. I know that's not what union workers or their actual unions want to see; they want to see guaranteed work for everybody. The bigger the glut, however, the longer it will take to reduce that glut and make the need for more new vehicles a reality. Whether they have family or not, it is a biting reality that must eventually be accepted.
It's really sad to see: Michigan's treasures being buried in a back lot somewhere, and with no answers as to how they may be unearthed by the consumer and shine light on our economy again.
I couldn't even tell you where to begin. That's what happens when you only "almost" know what's going on.
