DIYbanter - View Single Post - O/T: Michael Moore gets it right sometimes.

Morris Dovey

wrote:

I remember reading many serious dissertations concerning the demise
of the Big Three as early as the 80s.

It wasn't news even then. In the early 70's the UAW managed a 30%
across-the-board increase for its members and the auto-makers made the
decision to just pass the cost increase on to purchasers.

[ Hmm - anyone else remember how GM tried to offset part of the
increased costs by using cheaper steel? And how a few years later it was
hard to find a Chevy pickup without rusted-out fenders?

And I can remember that earlier Ford had been proud of how the unibody
construction of the Falcon allowed selling sedans for less than $2000,
and I rember hearing how the UAW hadn't liked the unibody approach
because it reduced labor content of the vehicle... ]

Briefly, the auto workers benefited - but by the time everyone else's
income had adjusted to the inflated cost of living (and purchase of
automobiles was a significant component of that inflation), the auto
workers were right back where they'd started.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/