Car prices are still insane.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

The UAW wants $43 / hour in year 1 and $62 / hour in year 4 in base wage. Add in benefits and the UAW is asking for between $135 and $150 per hour depending on how you calculate the cost of healthcare for life.

Wow! Maybe I really should be looking for another job. The studio apartment I rented here 17 years ago is now over double what it was back then. But my wages haven't doubled exactly in that same time period.

Time to work for Stellantis or Chevy or Ford! (I wonder if they would send me to work in Mexico because hablo español).

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by JSH

There is little left to automate in a US vehicle assembly plant. Body-in-white and paint are already almost completely automated. Final assembly is VERY hard to automate. ... At this point the easiest solution is to just shift production from the US to Mexico.

Where we're going (back to the future) we don't need paint. Or, the best paint is no paint.

Standing up a Gigafactory in Mexico apparently has pitfalls. Tesla will start with a pilot plan in Austin to solve the working inside a finished shell problem there.

Populate the door, hang it on the sidewall --seats on the battery pack -- and then put the big pieces together.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Wow! Maybe I really should be looking for another job. The studio apartment I rented here 17 years ago is now over double what it was back then. But my wages haven't doubled exactly in that same time period.

Time to work for Stellantis or Chevy or Ford! (I wonder if they would send me to work in Mexico because hablo español).

As I mentioned, the GM offer that the UAW rejected was $82,000 base. We just hired a new Manufacturing Engineer with a year of experience for $72,000

If you went to one of the Detroit 3 it would take you about 6 years to max out. You would start as a temp worker making $17 - $18 per hour + benefits. 2 years later you would transfer to a full-time worker and then it is 4 years to advance to the top rate which is $32 today.

If you worked for GM in Mexico you would make about $6 - $8 per hour + benefits. UAW workers don't get expat positions (US wages + free housing to work overseas)

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Wow! Maybe I really should be looking for another job.

Head count at the Austin Gigafactory is currently 20,000. As Cybertruck production ramps up, it's anticipated to triple. 60,000 in a local population of one million.

Only downside I see is having to move to Austin-tatious, Texas.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Wow! Maybe I really should be looking for another job.

We've all been suggesting that for a while now. You've got your reasons though.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

We've all been suggesting that for a while now. You've got your reasons though.

Ya. The commute from here to the nearest GM plant would be a killer.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Ya. The commute from here to the nearest GM plant would be a killer.

People are movable, and adaptable to various locations. The one bringing home the bacon determines where home is, and everyone else follows.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

People are movable, and adaptable to various locations. The one bringing home the bacon determines where home is, and everyone else follows.

Ya well, I think I read it wrong. I'm not moving somewhere just to make $17/hr, which is less than I make here, and likely with higher housing costs, not to mention commuting costs from a suburb to the factory.

The catch is, with the benefits it's way more than what I make here. The 401K would be nice, but that's probably about all that matters. Health insurance doesn't matter, because if your employer doesn't offer health insurance then the government offers Medicaid or help paying for insurance.

Searching GM job listings, the closest job to here is in Aurora. I also lived in Aurora for 6 months, so it's the only city I'm actually familiar with, so that's good. The job starts at $17/hr. I did find a 2 bedroom home for rent for $1,550/month that's 6 miles from the warehouse. I'm not sure that's a good choice though, as the rent would be more than half my wages. But Zillow says there's a 2bd apartment for $798/month that's 13 miles away. It seems a bit suspicious. It is also along I-70, so there will be really bad traffic, both morning and evening.

The big question is if the health insurance covers my wife and kids, or would I have to pay extra. The great thing about Medicaid is it covers everyone, but if my employer offers me health insurance, then no one in the family is entitled to Medicaid and I'd have to pay for health insurance out-of-pocket.

[Piotrsko]

Every normal place I have worked the dependents are an additional cost although greatly reduced from street prices. One place carried the dependents gratis, but the pay overall was poor.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Ya well, I think I read it wrong. I'm not moving somewhere just to make $17/hr, which is less than I make here, and likely with higher housing costs, not to mention commuting costs from a suburb to the factory.

In any union job (or really almost any factory job) you start at the bottom end of the pay scale and progress up the pay scale based on time of employment.

Classic case of "paying your dues"

Management will talk about average pay (labor cost) because that is what they care about. Entry level workers make so little at UAW jobs because the old-timers that control the union have never been willing to give up anything - even a smaller pay raise so that entry level workers can make more. The UAW created the 2-Tier system that they are complaining about now back in 2007. Again, the company cares about average labor costs - it is up to the UAW to split that up between their members as they see fit.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

The catch is, with the benefits it's way more than what I make here. The 401K would be nice, but that's probably about all that matters. Health insurance doesn't matter, because if your employer doesn't offer health insurance then the government offers Medicaid or help paying for insurance.

Searching GM job listings, the closest job to here is in Aurora. I also lived in Aurora for 6 months, so it's the only city I'm actually familiar with, so that's good. The job starts at $17/hr. I did find a 2 bedroom home for rent for $1,550/month that's 6 miles from the warehouse. I'm not sure that's a good choice though, as the rent would be more than half my wages. But Zillow says there's a 2bd apartment for $798/month that's 13 miles away. It seems a bit suspicious. It is also along I-70, so there will be really bad traffic, both morning and evening.

Why would you want to live in a high cost city like Aurora when GM pays the same nationally no matter where you live? Work at someplace like the Flint truck plant making GM's most profitable vehicles (job security) and you can pay less than $1550 a month on a mortgage for a 3-4 bedroom house and that house payment isn't going to go up every year.

Below is at the high end of Flint houses on the West side ("nice" side) of town. Seems overpriced but it does look like it has seen a complete gut and remodel. (High end at least for normal houses)



The two-story house below is about 3 blocks from where I used to live in an older part of town near the university. Lots of parks / green space around there as the university has been actively buying and knocking down houses around the campus

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

The big question is if the health insurance covers my wife and kids, or would I have to pay extra. The great thing about Medicaid is it covers everyone, but if my employer offers me health insurance, then no one in the family is entitled to Medicaid and I'd have to pay for health insurance out-of-pocket.

Details here: Almost 400 pages of them. UAW workers have very good and almost free health insurance. Almost no premiums or copays and very low deductibles. (From skimming it looks like the max out-of-pocket is $750 for individuals and $1500 a year for family coverage)

https://uaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2...-Exhibit-C.pdf