tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.comments2009-03-30T20:33:50.606-04:00Justin S Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16349221864276254092noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.post-25298075156769621932009-03-30T20:33:00.000-04:002009-03-30T20:33:00.000-04:00article on GM, consumer sentiment, and the effect of bankruptcy: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/magazine/29wwln-lede-t.html?ref=magazineDarrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492844327445697494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.post-67277155175299469912009-03-21T03:45:00.000-04:002009-03-21T03:45:00.000-04:00Todd,<BR/><BR/>It's a good thing I switched careers because the newspaper I edited last year went out of business last month. One of my former coworkers wrote an essay for my blog, Chippens, that echoes the points you make. Here is the permalink: http://www.chippens.com/2009/03/truth-and-resurrection.htmlchippenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01319797537274875566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.post-69136698896004761782009-03-19T12:10:00.000-04:002009-03-19T12:10:00.000-04:00Nice read! Substitute newspaper for auto industry and you see that society is becoming. Over the last few weeks, several friends have lost jobs in the media game. This week came the announcement that CNHI, holders of small dailies and weeklies across the country, will begin mandatory furloughs (i.e. temporary layoffs). Our industry isn't in line for stimulus packages, we're just expected to weather the storm as some say. The two industries have much in common (dinosaurs trying to battle against extinction) and could learn much from each other in the next several years. The question is, however, does anyone in the country really care? South ThompsonvilleToddnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.post-69272387532070539272009-03-19T11:37:00.000-04:002009-03-19T11:37:00.000-04:00It's been eight years since I moved away from Michigan, but that brought tears to my eyes.Christienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.post-86133316987296960312009-03-18T23:39:00.000-04:002009-03-18T23:39:00.000-04:00Thanks for the response Anthony. I completely agree that reform of the UAW is necessary at this point. Your point about incentives is well made. Any system that values seniority over contribution will lead to a poor working environment. We have to keep looking for solutions though even though the system is completely broken. I think the industry will soon be shrinking to critically low capacity before they can start to develop new working methods and grow. Thanks again for the post.Justin S Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16349221864276254092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.post-28974007435238380052009-03-18T20:51:00.000-04:002009-03-18T20:51:00.000-04:00I think you are correct, but I don't see them correcting the problem in time. I'm in plants every single day and the problem is that there aren't incentives to improve the company. Their jobs aren't based on performance, they are based on seniority. They are paid hourly, in fact the way the union is setup it discourages them to try and improve the company itself. I've seen so many good people who actually wanted to see GM succeed only replaced by someone with seniority who doesn't care at all and only wants a pension. I sit in trades meetings were they argue for a half hour who gets to pick what goes on the break room television instead of talking of ways to improve performance on the floor. If they don't meet performance, it is actually better for them, they don't hit their part numbers in time, then they get to work overtime and make more money. Where my job and your job are based on performance, we don't do it, or don't do it well enough then we are fired. With unions they CAN'T be fired. Until very recently (with them getting rid of jobs bank) they would be laid off, collect 85% of their pay, sit at home or could work another job in conjunction with making the 85%. Tell me where the incentive to work exist in that schema? If I could sit home and collect 85% of what I make now I would do it tomorrow.<BR/><BR/>I think this would be an excellent idea though, it would help lower cost and improve competition among suppliers because the market would be open and viewable to anyone. There is a big shift towards this for much of the data on the internet and it's called the semantic web. Paul Tarjan, creator of yahoo search monkey was at the university of michigan the night before search monkey went public and I had some good discussions with him about this. He is trying to allow people to write meta data (RDF, Ontologys, etc) without having to rewrite the web. We had some good discussions about using jQuery to pull Xpath data from websites so it can be used by search monkey itself. I'm a big advocate of open source software as well as open platforms. Sadly I think GM will be declaring chapter 11 though come the 31st of march when they have to prove viability to get their next set of bailout money.<BR/><BR/>Although cars will still have to be built, and the ways things have been done and are currently being done can't continue. Hopefully when the restructuring happens they takes ideas like yours posted here seriously instead of continuing the behemoth dinosaurs they are now.Anthonyhttp://www.anthonyoliver.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159056426778514479.post-41239102539854253192009-03-17T22:15:00.000-04:002009-03-17T22:15:00.000-04:00Looking forward to reading more!<BR/><BR/>-Chipchippenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01319797537274875566noreply@blogger.com