You can afford to treat your workers well if you have good stuff to sell

[AndyTiedye]

Unions, union contracts, and pensions are not to blame for the woes of GM and Chrysler.
Their failure was due to inept management more than anything else.

They were told there would be cheap oil from Iraq so they built bigger and bigger gas guzzlers.
GM sent the EV1s to the crusher and ramped up production of Hummers.
(Chrysler never even had an electric car program to cancel).

Ford hedged its bets and built hybrids.
The Escape Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market and is an excellent vehicle all around.
I own one. It is built in Kansas City.
Ford has the same unions, the same union contracts and pays the same pensions, yet they have not required a bailout or a buyout.

You can afford to treat your workers well if you have good stuff to sell.

[xchrom]

1. 'Good stuff' is vitally important. Nt

[Travis_0004]

2. Its not all GM's fault

People wanted SUV's, so thats what they made.

If they would have built tons of electric cars when nobody was buying them, they would have declared Bankruptcy even earlier.

I agree they could have spent more time in R&D to have better fuel efficient cars now, and they should have seen the change in behaviors earlier, but you can not make money if you are making something that doesn't sell.