Ford Motor Company (F) and the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) have reached a tentative agreement that will prevent UAW workers from going out on strike against the company. The UAW's new contract with Ford Motor runs for four (4) years and it's wording is similar to previously negotiated contracts with General Motors (GM) and Chrysler LLC. Both General Motors and Chrysler's contract negotiations involved short strikes, but no strike was necessary when it was Ford Motors turn at the negotiating table. Now that all of the 'big three' U.S. automobile companies have new contracts with the UAW, maybe everyone in the car business will join together and focus their energy on the real enemy, foreign imported cars.
The American people have lost faith in Ford, GM and Chrysler over the years because these companies have put short term profit ahead of reliability and quality in there products. Going back over 50 years, Detroit's 'big three' automobile companies have made choices that, over time, caused the very fabric of their business model to show weakness against foreign competition. Add to the short sighted vision of what the American consumer really wanted in an automobile, decades of increasing monetary and health care benefits for retired workers and a formula for failure was created, once piece at a time over many decades. Now GM, Ford and Chrysler are fighting for their very survival and the jury is still out on when or if they will eventually return to the dominance they enjoyed for generations.
The only way Ford, GM and Chrysler will regain the trust of the American people will be with top quality cars and trucks that will stand the test of time. Planned obsolescence and other short term financial tricks are not going to cut it in the future as American consumers grow wiser about automobile quality issues every day. The only real and long lasting way for Detroit's 'big three' to survive is to build high quality vehicles and let 'word of mouth' carry the day instead of flashy 30 second commercials on television. The clock is ticking on the future of GM, Ford and Chrysler - and right now I don't know if these three companies have the gut desire and/or the financial means necessary to turn these companies around to profitability.
Read more about the Big Three:
UAW Next Strike Target - Ford Motor Company
UAW Workers Strike Chrysler As Contract Expires
UAW/GM Reach Quick Settlement After Strike
UAW Strike Could Destroy GM's Future
GM Sales Rise 6% In August
Saturday, November 03, 2007
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