On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:46:30 GMT, "EdFielder"
wrote:

While reading the many posts about the outrageous pricing that Le Blond was
trying to charge for a simple tailstock ram, I did some search about South
Bend and found this article
http://www.cesj.org/vbm/casestudies-...bendlathe.html

It makes for interesting reading and really gets to the issue of why our
manufacturing is going overseas.
On a note of irony, I see that the same guys defending this pricing are the
ones who always tout the values of buying old " American Iron" over new
imports.

Perhaps I'm slow, but I don't see the connection between the story of
South Bend as told in the article and the issues you're discussing. It
sounds like the root cause was the union's inwillingness to get
involved exacerbated by poor management techniques. (The reason for
putting it in that order is that if the union had been more involved
the management could have been replaced.)

Of course I could be wrong. :-)

--RC
"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.