My family and I have lived all my life in a General Motors town. General Motors has always been the industrial heart of this town, since those who did not work directly for the factories, had anyway worked for smaller businesses that used products and services of General Motors.
In the earlier days, General Motors was the brand name of most vehicles and the company paid workers a fair wage. Workers did their job well and people were ethical, respected and business was never better before. In 2008, however, General Motors is at the point of asking for the government to bail them out since they are approaching bankruptcy. Most people drive foreign cars right now, and the automotive union members are not willing to give up their already bargained for privileges till 2011. People are all speaking about their issues with their General Motors vehicles.
I would like to state my own experience. My first new General Motors car was the Buick Skylark, which I purchased in 1980. I was excited with my purchase, since I had never had a new car before this. However, it stalled in the middle of a busy junction the very first time I took my car out. I would have surely been hurt if the other card didn’t stop quickly. The service manager told me that there was improper adjustment of the pollution control mechanism. Later on, the vehicle ended up with rusty doors and there were other problems as well.
This situation was caused by the management’s greed. They ignored critical factors and wanted to aim at the big money making vehicles. The union joined in and tried to get a whole lot of ridiculous benefits for the workers. The Unions went on a strike and the management folded like a cheap umbrella. Ethics took a back seat.
The bailout will not be a success because management will continue to be the same. The company should file for bankruptcy and management should be changed. The Union should be disbanded and the workers should be compensated based on performance. Once responsible ethical practices are in place, business will do well again.
Decey
