Now showing: "The Detroit Meltdown," featuring Rick Wagoner in his latest leading role.

He turned it down in July, when Steve Miller stepped in the CEO's office at Delphi Corp. and proclaimed that his problems were smaller but more immediate, GM's were larger and he needed GM's help to avert bankruptcy.

He spurned the role in early October because Wagoner first needed to wrest health care concessions from the United Auto Workers. Besides, he'd long since decided the only thing that would keep Miller, a restructuring-through-bankruptcy virtuoso, out of Chapter 11 would be a big pile of GM cash.

He said no a third time in November, infuriating UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and union leaders, because he needed to deliver a North American restructuring plan that would close nine plants and eliminate 30,000 union jobs.

Refereeing mudslingers

Wagoner couldn't say no anymore, which is the only truly important aspect of confirmation that GM is becoming actively engaged in the tense talks between Delphi's "the-workers-are-paid-too-much" people and the UAW's "the-executives-are-greedy-pigs" people.

If nothing else, Delphi and the UAW need someone to referee their mutual mudslinging, as steeped as some of it may be in truth. And Wagoner is, whether he likes it or not, that someone whose company and employees stand to lose more in this confrontation than little ol' Delphi.

It is, after all, bankrupt here in the United States. Let me repeat that: Delphi's U.S. operations are bankrupt; bleeding money; unable to pay the bills without special financing. But for its successful businesses overseas and the cash they shipped back to Troy, it would have been here a lot earlier, not later.

These are not normal times and not normal negotiations. This is not more of the same, which is why the collective sigh of relief that accompanied news this week that Delphi would postpone by a month its contract abrogation hearing is so mystifying. And misplaced.

Fix what's broken

Full Story: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A...357/1148/AUTO01

What's broken is the marketing. The fix is Return to Greatness. www.GeneralWatch.com

Here's what's gonna happen: Jobsbank gone. It's a concept that nobody wants to pay for. Higher levels of worker co-pay for benefits. It sucks but it has to happen. And in my opinion pay per hour will drop to the $15 to $17 dollar per hour level. It's not that this will be a proposal that the UAW will counter to, this is what they can get for the workers at a best case. Delphi simply will not give more and actually needs cuts below this. What this will lead to is a contract at the assembly plants that will pattern what Delphi gets. Yes you got it, when the tables are opened for the next contract, UAW assembly workers are going to lose all the frivoulous benefits. And it is in the best interest for the UAW to throw in the towel on the jobsbank as soon as posible. Just look at the reaction from consumers when they consider UAW workers when making a purchase. While some consider it a positive, there are a lot that will not support the UAW just because of concepts like the jobsbank. It's got to go. It simply hurts sales. No consumer wants to pay for a clown sitting home, not when they are already spending half their pay for a year.

What's broken is the marketing. The fix is Return to Greatness.

www.GeneralWatch.com

[post="51156"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Hardy the fix but I wonder about any company that hires Martha Stewart to sell anything.

What's next, OJ selling SUVs?

Anybody within GM that signed Martha should be fired yesterday.

What's broken is the marketing. The fix is Return to Greatness.

www.GeneralWatch.com

[post="51156"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

give it a rest.

can't you go bother the people on the Ford boards.