GM building $600 million plus plant in Mexico

General Motors outsourcing American Jobs? Who would have thought? Good to see that there will be 1800 to 2300 illegals not walking across our border to take our jobs. Maybe all the auto companys need to relocate to Mexico. Wait a minute, they already are. America has finally found a worthy export,our jobs and THE AMERICAN DREAM of OUR CHILDREN and GRANDCHILDREN.

I will NEVER purchase a GM vehicle for this reason; I think it is deplorable that they are taking work and food from the mouths of Americans to gain "CHEAP" labor y moving their production plants to Mexico!! They charge US, THE CONSUMER enough money for those vehicles that they can afford to pay American employees a fair wage and still turn a sizeable profit. I am appalled that our business structure has stooped to this standard of doing business. Have you forgotten "who" made you what you are today? It's all about money and the "ME, ME, Me" syndrome. PURE AND SIMPLE, "GREED"!!

Lets see, I get it! We will lay off people here build the cars in mexico to sell back to the people we just laid off! Brilliant!

This might work if the Mexican workers were fairly paid and had the same disposable income as the laid off workers but that will not be the case.

Maybe they will make the cars so inexpensively that we can afford them on unemployment.

They don't really have much of a choice. In the modern economy of Globalization, you either have to follow the advantageous business practices of your competitors, or be put at a severe disadvantage and eventually dissolve.

GM is losing money because (a) they are stupid and (b) the unions are killing them. Unions are preparing to shoot themselves in the foot yet again. GM now spends more on health care than on steel. They can save $1500 per car just by moving to Canada. Foreign cars made in the US start out with a $2500 -- or more -- per car pricing advantage based solely on employee benefits. Even though Ford and Chrysler both made money last year their time is coming. The Big Three will crawl through camel dung and broken glass to avoid spending $10 on an important quality step for a car. So the consumer choice is to buy a better product for waaaay less money or to BUY AMERICAN. Buying American has sort of lost its glow when you learn that all the parts are foreign made. I own two over-priced Chevrolets: I wish they were Toyotas.

1500 or 2500, it could be a million dollars. Don't believe (their) numbers. Bring the country to its knees and the the goverment will pay their healthcare and pension bills. Oh did I say goverment? I meant you and me and every other American. Then they'll have even more profits.

C'mon 60% tax rates.

Realist wrote:

Buying American has sort of lost its glow when you learn that all the parts are foreign made.

Actually, the vast majority of all parts of all domestic manufacturers (including the foreign-owned domestics) are made here. Thomas Klier, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve in Chicago, did an in depth study in 2000. About three fourths of tier 1 suppliers are within a 400 mile radius. The assemblers like to have their parts shippable, via truck, within 1-2 days. Not wait for overseas parts.

However, I do agree that buying American has in general lost its luster. The lines are graying on what's American and what's not. Chrysler is now owned by Germans, 75%+ of Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans sold domestically are produced domestically, GM and Ford own Saab and Volvo, Ford owns Mazda, etc.

For example, please rank the "Americanness" of the following
1) My roommate's Mazda - American owned (Ford) but made in Japan
2) My Camry - foreign-owned (Japan) but made in USA
3) My girlfriend's Dodge neon - foreign owned (Germany) but made in USA
4) My boss's BMW - foreign owned (Germany) but made in USA
5) My dad's Buick Regal - American owned (GM) but made in Canada.
6) Any Saab or Volvo - American owned and manufactured overseas.

Sure, you can make arguments for/against any of the above, but the point is it's just tougher to understand what "Buy American" even means in the globalized auto industry these days.

Sounds like the"Little Boys Who Cried Wolf" children story to me. Anyone else remember it? I didn't think so

John wrote:

They don't really have much of a choice. In the modern economy of Globalization, you either have to follow the advantageous business practices of your competitors, or be put at a severe disadvantage and eventually dissolve.

How can globalization work unless the people with the new jobs can replace the buying power of those who lost them???

All I heard from everybody 20 years ago when it first became apparent that the American automobile manufacturers were going down the tubes was "Buy American". So many of us did just that. We bought the junk that US car makers were building instead of the unquestionably better stuff coming from overseas and now it's all coming from overseas or being built here in the US by contract labor and non union sources anyhow. Get ready people. It's going to get a whole lot worse and may never get any better.

escape from the dark ages wrote:

<quoted text>

How can globalization work unless the people with the new jobs can replace the buying power of those who lost them???

Because they are. But not in the way you're thinking - certainly the Mexican autoworkrs are being paid less than the American autoworkers.

But for decades now, manufacturing has been dropping in the US, yet real GDP, payroll figures, and employment figures have been rising at an even faster rate than industrial manufacturing has dropped off. How? Because our economy has been for decades shifting away from manufacturing, towards technology and services. It's had to. All other things being equal, you can't beat the pennies on the dollar labor of some other countries out there.

This shift is painful for those in the manufacturing segment, and I'm not trying to belittle that pain. But our employment numbers and our economy will be fine. If you look at the aggregate numbers, our jobs aren't leaving us - they're switching sectors. Unfortunately this is quite painful for some, but from an economic standpoint there's nothing wrong with it.

Sounds great John. Why don't we look back at the US Steel industry. I suppose all those workers were just waiting for a chance to work at a fast food place or some other service job that lowered their lifestyle and destroyed the hometowns. I know, we can all become policemen. There will certainly be a great demand for that job when all is said and done.

Do these new jobs pay as well as the old jobs? What about all of the "service jobs" moving to India. Not just the phone jobs but programming jobs and engineering jobs etc.

I think one thing that needs to be done is some overseas labor organizing so these people are not treated like slaves and have enough money to participate in the world economy not to mention safe working conditions.

They have. When they strike in Mexico or South Korea or anywhere else the Military steps in and kills the ring leaders. Then the companies offer alittle token and everything is smoothed over til next time.

escape from the dark ages wrote:

Do these new jobs pay as well as the old jobs? What about all of the "service jobs" moving to India. Not just the phone jobs but programming jobs and engineering jobs etc.

I think one thing that needs to be done is some overseas labor organizing so these people are not treated like slaves and have enough money to participate in the world economy not to mention safe working conditions.

Oh yeah! Unions are the answer. If GM lays off a worker they still have to pay him. GM has one retiree who has been drawing benefits for 47 years, and when he dies his wife will continue to draw benefits. Yep, unions are the answer. In manufacturing, education, transportation or just about any profession where we lag the rest of the world. We only have to look to France to find the ideal model. Unions once performed an important role in America. Now they are the blood-sucking leeches that are destroying us. Safe working conditions, my ass.

Yes all we have to do is look at the back stabbing French for guidance. I knew someone had all the answers.Thanks

YOU WILL SOON OWN A GM MANUFACTURED IN MEXICO!! HOW YOU LIKE THAT? LOL

good for GM... every other freakin' company is outsourcing. If I owned GM, i would do the same. Why pay more???

Slade Walker wrote:

I remember when I was young how my father use to tell me that he would not buy anything but a GM car or truck. I was young then and didn't understand. We had no connection to the auto industry whatsoever. My father had never worked at an auto plant. I remember how he would say how reliable their vehicles were and that's about the only thing that stuck. We were farmers in Tennessee.

That was years ago, and now I understand perfectly well what Dad meant. I have owned a lot of cars over the years. The recent findings in tests show that GM cars are the most reliable and the safest cars on the market. They have trumped all other competion in safety and reliablity. Now I know what Dad meant back then. GM is the best car on the market. My own children now buy nothing but GM cars as well.

So, stand tall Detroit! GM you are America! I feel tremendous pride as an American to know that a car company that originated in America still out ranks all competition. Good Job!

i make it easy on everyone make mexico and a few other countrys states and tax the hell out of the companys,see we done things wrong for years germany and japan should have been states we payed for them in blood and rebuilding,mexico wants everyone here just make it a state they all can go home and we can get a new tax money into the goverment enuff said peace AA

its funny how you claim the US should have made Germany or Japan a state... do you know how many allies helped the US against Germany and Japan and Iraq.. etc?????

Wouldn't be fair to divide them in between all 50 of them? lol... you are funny!

this is why I like this forum... alot of dumb comments like these... HAHAHA

I'm not mexican but... VIVA LA MEXICANAS!! lol

Avenging Angel wrote:

i make it easy on everyone make mexico and a few other countrys states and tax the hell out of the companys,see we done things wrong for years germany and japan should have been states we payed for them in blood and rebuilding,mexico wants everyone here just make it a state they all can go home and we can get a new tax money into the goverment enuff said peace AA