American Autoworkers Making $70 An Hour?
Source:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/24/opinion/main4630103.shtml
New Republic: Debunking The Myth Of The Exceedingly Well Paid U.S. Autoworker
Nov. 24, 2008

(The New Republic) This column was written by Jonathan Cohn.

If you’ve been following the auto industry’s crisis, then you’ve probably read or heard a lot about overpaid American autoworkers–in particular, the fact that the average hourly employee [...]

Monday, November 24, 2008
Big 3 get aid pitch advice
Obama adviser, Pelosi say loan help available but industry must make better case to Congress.
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama’s advisers said Sunday that automakers must convince Congress that they have a plan to return to profitability before they can get $25 [...]

Monday, November 24, 2008
Distressed carmakers bank on lobbying
Despite tough times, Big 3 spend $21.6M on efforts to sway Congress.
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
Detroit’s Big Three automakers have spent more than $21.6 million lobbying Congress this year despite coping with a financial crisis that has forced them to slash jobs, cut benefits and plead for [...]

November 23, 2008

If I had the floor at the auto rescue talks

BY MITCH ALBOM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
OK. It’s a fantasy. But if I had five minutes in front of Congress last week, here’s what I would’ve said:
Good morning. First of all, before you ask, I flew commercial. Northwest Airlines. Had a bag of peanuts for [...]

GM board: Bankruptcy not the answer
Tom Krisher / Associated Press
DETROIT — General Motors Corp.’s board of directors does not consider bankruptcy protection a viable option to solve the company’s financial troubles, but it has discussed Chapter 11 because it has a legal duty to do so, a spokesman said Saturday.
Century-old GM, an icon of American [...]

Sunday, November 23, 2008
Auto help available, but depends on plan
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama’s advisers said Sunday automakers must convince Congress that they have a plan to return to profitability before they can get $25 billion in emergency bridge loans — and that they should fly commercial.
"(Obama) said from [...]

Obama backs demand for auto industry plan – aide
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Automotive News
November 23, 2008 – 3:00 pm ET

 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President-elect Barack Obama backs congressional demands that U.S. automakers provide a game plan for long-term survival before lawmakers approve a taxpayer funded bailout, a senior adviser said today.
"We all have a stake in the survival and [...]

Democrats outline conditions for Detroit 3 aid
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Harry Stoffer
Automotive News
November 21, 2008 – 12:35 pm ET

 
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders of Congress have sent a letter to the Detroit 3, spelling out what they want to see in plans the companies must file before lawmakers will consider emergency loans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the [...]

 
Report: GM directors’ options include bankruptcy filing
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Richard Truett
Automotive News | November 22, 2008 – 12:23 am EST
 
 
General Motors directors are considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the Wall Street Journal and Detroit television stations reported.
According to local TV reports, GM’s board was meeting late Friday night in the company’s downtown Detroit headquarters and had [...]

Friday, November 21, 2008
Gettelfinger: Jobs bank ‘almost gone’
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
Reports that the United Auto Workers union is in talks to dismantle the controversial jobs bank program are premature, according to people familiar with the situation.
The possibility of more concessions from the union has emerged as Detroit’s Big Three automakers are seeking [...]

Friday, November 21, 2008
Alabama emerges as foe to auto aid
Delegation of state with several foreign auto plants voices criticism, irks UAW, Karmanos.
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
If much of the Congress’ criticism of Detroit’s Big Three automakers seems to be coming from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, that may be because foreign competitors like [...]

Friday, November 21, 2008
Congress: Auto execs must show ’significant sacrifices’
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Detroit’s Big Three automakers must provide a detailed nine-point plan to Congress by Dec. 2 in order to win approval of $25 billion in emergency bridge loans and show that "top automobile executives (are) making significant sacrifices and [...]

 
GM alters production schedule to save cash
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Richard Truett
Automotive News | November 21, 2008 – 12:56 pm EST
 
 
DETROIT — General Motors is further altering its production schedule for December and January in a bid to save cash and balance its inventory.
GM spokesman Chris Lee said some plants will get a week of additional downtime, while [...]

White House criticizes Congress on automaker aid
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Automotive News
November 21, 2008 – 11:45 am ET

 
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) — The White House criticized Congress today for going on recess without taking action on a plan to help automakers, saying Democrats had "mindless opposition" to what Republicans support.
"It is appalling that Congress decided to leave [...]

De-plane! De-plane! GM jettisons 2 jets
Company says it already planned to reduce its fleet
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Richard Truett
Automotive News
November 21, 2008 – 1:10 pm ET

 
DETROIT — General Motors is scrubbing part of its corporate jet fleet — and scrambling to explain why.
Two of seven leased jets were grounded in September when their leases expired. Now two [...]