[NOS2Go4Me]

Here's the thing: does striking still bring any given company to a halt? Yes. Then, you have a mob mentality. Total expenditures of any nature, in any climate, dictate profitability. It could be the size of your workforce, the wages, the benefits and pensions, your overheads, your supplies and materials. ALL expenditures work against income and the generation of profit.

So, when the union makes those kinds of concessions and their members are still employed... be thankful you have a job. I'm sure you are, but that statement applies to EVERYONE there who was affected and still finds themselves gainfully employed.

The credit crunch has killed everyone because Americans were issuing s*** mortgages to everyone and their dog. Commodity prices have tanked for base metals and may come back some this year.

Ive seen a LOT of base metal mining jobs idled, expansion plans put on hold, proven motherlodes put on maintenance all because of the current economic climate. Lots of folks lost their jobs and lots more made concessions. It wasn't just the CAW that made sacrifices, but they'll have you believe they bled the most of all.

And yes, Bryan... greed got the CAW to the point where they had to be bled a little in order to give GM a chance to live.

As Nate pointed out, he hasn't had a raise in quite a while. I'll simply say I'm "overdue".

Do the CAW members get more than the minimum legislated days off per year? Good. They're ahead of the game. Do they still get dental and supplementary benefits for health care? Good, they're still ahead of the game.

Let's face it, the only reason they didn't strike to protest the proposed changes is because the world at large would have laughed at them - myself included. It's a f***ing recession. You can't keep all your baubles when others are going without.