Episode 1029 – Michigan’s Right-to-Work Law, CR Slams Ford’s Hybrids, Fuel Efficient Wheel
December 7th, 2012 at 12:03pm
Runtime: 10:41
The state of Michigan’s right-to-work legislation will have immediate implications for the UAW. A test done by Consumer Reports shows that Ford’s hybrids fall short of their EPA ratings, but this problem doesn’t end with the Dearborn auto maker. Manufacturers are always looking for new ways to improve fuel efficiency, and one company has some new technology that can do just that. All that and more, plus John talks with Mazda’s John Doonan about its latest effort to use diesel engines in long distance races.
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Hello and welcome to another edition of Autoline Daily. It’s Friday, and we have plenty of news and a very hot-button poll question to get to later on. So let’s get on the road.
UAW THREATENED BY RIGHT-TO-WORK LAW
In a stunning development that will have immediate implications for the United Auto Workers union, the state of Michigan enacted right-to-work legislation. Currently, Michigan is a “closed shop” state, that is, if a company is unionized, any hourly worker joining that company must join that union. Under right-to-work legislation no worker can be forced to join a union or pay union dues. Michigan is the home to the UAW and this legislation could be devastating for it. In other states that adopted right to work legislation the impact was immediate and severe. The Wall Street Journal reports that in Wisconsin, almost half of members in the state employees union stopped paying their union dues. One third of teachers stopped paying theirs. In Indiana 90 percent of state union workers stopped paying their dues. If this pattern holds true for the UAW it could be financially crippled within a year. It may turn out that UAW workers are more loyal to their union, but we are soon going to find out how much solidarity there is in the labor ranks. The Michigan law will go into effect April 1st of next year.
So, we want to hear what you think. This week’s Autoline Poll is a fill-in-the-blank question. Do you think Michigan’s move to enact right-to-work legislation will — One: hurt the UAW? Two: help the UAW? Or three: not make any difference. As always, cast your vote by clicking the link under today’s show on Autoline.tv. We’ll review the results on Monday, so make yourself heard.
CONSUMER REPORTS SLAMS FORD’S HYBRIDS
Ford is in the doghouse with Consumer Reports again. Previously the magazine slammed the company’s MyFord Touch infotainment system, now it’s criticizing Ford’s fuel economy claims. Tests done by Consumer Reports show that the Fusion Hybrid and C-MAX Hybrid fall way short of its 47 MPG combined EPA rating. The Fusion only got a combined 39 MPG while the C-MAX only averaged 37 MPG. This is exactly what we here at Autoline experienced in these cars, but it’s not just Ford. In my time in the Toyota Prius C and V, the C fell 6 miles per gallon short, the V was off by 9. And Honda was sued earlier in the year because the Civic Hybrid didn’t live up to its fuel economy claims either. Earlier hybrids seemed to nail their EPA numbers with ease, so we need to find out what’s changed with the latest generation of hybrid technology.
BLACK BOXES TO BE MANDATORY
Looks like those event data recorders, or “black boxes”, are going to become standard on all light-duty cars and trucks. The White House Office of Management Budget made if official yesterday and that allows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to publish its final regulations. About 92 percent of all vehicles today have “black boxes.” Now that goes to 100 percent of light-duty vehicles.
FUEL EFFICIENT WHEEL
Here’s some new technology on the fuel economy front, but from a wheel no less. This is the eVOLVE hybrid wheel, by Lacks–not hybrid in the sense that they are made only for hybrid vehicles, but in the sense that they are constructed from multiple materials. The eVOLVE wheel has a light-weight aluminum backbone that is covered with a hybrid-composite outer surface. Not only is the wheel lighter, it’s more aerodynamic. Lacks tested its wheel on a 2013 Ford Focus SE noting a .04 mpg increase in the city and 1.1 mpg increase on the highway, using the same size wheel as the stock version.
Mazda wants to change the public’s perception about diesel engines, so it’s going to race them, using a synthetic bio-fuel no less. It’s a great story and that’s coming up next.
MAZDA TAKES DIESELS RACING
(Video for Mazda Takes Diesels Racing can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
Audi has been incredibly successful racing diesel engines in long distance races. Same with Peugeot. And now Mazda is about to do the same thing. John Doonan is the director of Motorsports for Mazda North America and I asked him to tell us about their latest effort.
If diesels get so much better fuel economy that has got to translate into fewer pit stops, right?
OK, that’s all very fine and good, but I asked John Doonan to give me some specific numbers about the engine’s output.
Race engines tend to be built by hand using prototype parts, but that’s not the track that Mazda is taking.
Mazda loves to go racing to build its brand, but I asked John Doonan if this was more about changing the public’s perception about diesels.
We’ll know soon enough how Mazda’s diesels perform on the race track. The 24 Hours of Daytona runs at the end of next month.
And that concludes another week of Autoline Daily, but don’t forget, the automotive insight doesn’t end here. You can follow us seven days a week through Twitter and Facebook where we post photos and provide instant impressions on the cars we’re test driving. Follow us at Twitter.com/Autoline or Like our Facebook page at Facebook.com/AutolineNetwork.
But, that’s it for this show. See you Monday.
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Comments (61)
December 7th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
UAW etc vs the State of Michigan ;
First off let me say I’m no fan of what the Unions have become over the last half century . More often than not its the Officers and not its Members making the decisions and far too often those decisions have been based on an economic reality that has long since past .
Having said that though I still feel there is a need and a place for the Unions , especially as Greed is once again trumping everything from Common Sense to basic business Ethics and Human Rights when it comes to the major corporations in America .
It is also my very strongly held ( and I think well informed ) opinion that Terminating the Unions existence in the US is in fact Priority One for the extreme right Republicans as well as the Tea Party and is at the very top of their current agenda ( this coming from a registered Republican … who voted against Romney … rather than for Obama )
So to sum my feelings up on this move by the State of Michigan in the very heart of Union Country ( especially the UAW ) this move is IMO not only dangerous to the long term economic future of the US , but will in the short term prove itself to very damaging as well should this move be ratified .
But lastly I must also add that the Unions themselves are in dire need of an immediate shake up and attitude adjustment if their future is to be guaranteed
December 7th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
Any car is capable of doing better or worse than the MPG rating. It all depends on driving behavior. However, to normalize the marketing the MPG test should be the same for advertised numbers.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
John, the Fusion hybrid and C-Max got about the same mpg in CR’s tests as the Camry hybrid, but the Fords, for some reason, have much higher EPA numbers. Can you investigate why that is the case?
December 7th, 2012 at 12:28 pm
About time the unions face reality. Hope the Right – To – Work rule starts to gain traction in Canada.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Kudos to Mazda for doing the diesel thing.That new fuel sounds exciting too.I just love it when there’s diesel news ;}>
December 7th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Michigan now has a Republican legislature and governor, resulting in this action against unions. It could be reversed in two years, or later, depending on the outcome of the elections. For now, I suspect it is going to badly hurt the UAW.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
# 6
From what was said on NPR this morning it sounds like the Republican Governor is being hijacked by the extremists in his Party to push the Right to Work thing forward . His quote being ” I don’t like it but its what everyone else wants in the Party so thats whats going to happen “
December 7th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
I don’t see choice(Right-to-work) as automatically hurting the Unions (but it will in this case); if the Union provided a service commiserate with the dues being paid then the Union brothers and sister would stay. This has sorely been lacking (for years) and the Union leadership seems the most benefited, not the workers. Right to work unburdens the worker from being forced into an organization it may inherently oppose.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
7,
I’m not surprised. It seems that the extremists in today’s Republican party tell the would-be moderates what to do, and they get their wish, both on the state and national levels.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
We are already seeing the end of the American “middle class,” and if unions go away, the disappearance of the middle class will accelerate.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:53 pm
I wouldn’t like to be among a few workers in a plant if it were known I wasn’t paying dues. How would you be represented to management, or who would you socialize with?
But it’s a democracy, so if you have both state houses and the governor, plus a referendum changing the state constitution to help the union also went down, then this is what’s supposed to happen. I guess the referendum failure means little chance of a court challenge. But why did it have to get rammed through so fast, and in a lame duck session?
December 7th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
The Rolex 24 hours has killed many a fine powertrain. Good luck to Mazda!
@ #6 and #7 You are right on.
Given the information stored and collected in your airbag and powertrain modules, it was only a matter of time before the insurance companies pushed the government to collect it.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
The unions have hurt them selves, as congress has done. The people that formed our Country warned of to much Power. The Power is to be with the people. That is what the first unions did.
The congress while scaring people w/ the fiscal cliff are taking another week off. I don’t talk about CU, it makes my blood pressure go up
December 7th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Does anybody know what the percentage of UAW workers who pay their union dues to the UAW in the plants in Indiana? How about the Texas Truck plants? (for example Chrysler Transmission in Kokomo, Indiana)
December 7th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Beyond the direct financial hit the UAW may take, if more businesses come to Michigan as an arguable result of Right to Work, that’s going to hurt the union politically as well. I read that one of Gov. Snyder’s considerations was watching 90 businesses enter Indiana after their own change.
December 7th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
13,
I know people who work at the Kokomo Chrysler plants, and they don’t seem to talk about it. It’s probably too much like talking about politics and religion.
December 7th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
# 9
Actually its both Parties that have been hijacked by their respective extreme elements which is why we currently have and will continue to have in the future such an abject and absolutely disfunctional government . Common sense , negotiating , compromise and middle ground rapidly becoming passe verging on the forbidden on both sides .
December 7th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Aston Martin News ;
InvestIndustrial’s bid won . Phew !
Mahindra is out the door . With Toyota , Geely etc as I said never having been in the game .
II wound up with some 37% of Aston which is a bit more than half of what DAR owned . Paying according to those in the know some 50 cents on the dollar for DAR’s Aston shares which is possibly why DAR did not sell the whole lot off which was their original intention
December 7th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Why doesn’t Mazda buy the old Ranger tooling from Ford and produce a small truck with that new diesel as an option?
December 7th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Aston info from AW:
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20121207/CARNEWS/121209895?utm_source=DailyDrive20121207&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=image1&utm_content=20121207-Italian-firm-buys-stake-in-Aston-Martin&utm_campaign=awdailydrive
December 7th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
I think it’s a pretty safe bet that we (Michigan) will experience the same drop-off in dues-paying UAW members as the other states before us who have converted to Right-To-Work. Michigan workers are among those who suffered most throughout the recent recession. Detroit itself at one point reached a near 24% unemployment rate. I’m sure those who still have jobs would love to shed those mandatory union dues.
Furthermore, I beleive every state should be right-to-work. Being in favor of right-to-work doesn’t mean a person is anti-union either. It just means they don’t beleive a person should be forced into union membership as a job requirement.
Heck, union dues are actually very similar to that ever-so-common and uniquely suburban way of life, Subdivision Association Fees.
December 7th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
@ 6,7,9.
The Republican Party needs wake-up and get out of peoples bedrooms and start acknowledging that women control their own bodies! All US Citizens have the right to affordable healthcare, not the type on healthcare governed by Mega Insurance Companies. How would these Republicans like it if they were told by the Democrates that they had to have a vasectomy to control the world population growth?
The Fiscal Cliff is the result of a broken two party system. You want to improve the economy and increase the US standard of living. You can start by stopping the huge investment of capital into a manufacturing base being done by US Corporations like General Motors in China.
China is still a Communist Country run by a one party system which has designs on world domination.
December 7th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
The UAW will suffer and the middle class will continue to spiral downward. Not so much in actual wages as in the ever more demanding expectations and potential disregard for the health and safety of the workers.
A UAW member,myself,I have often been reflecting upon the need of a union, knowing the new hire wages hover around the $15-20/hr mark with less medical or higher co-pays. Heck, why pay union dues for wages no greater than those of non-unions? I also find it disturbing Mr. King has been spending too much time globe trotting, rather than raising the standards for its members. I cannot recall reading about, nor given a heads-up by my own local of any event, attempt or desire by the UAW to strengthen the bonds of unity between itself and the people. How sad it is!
I’m not really sure the fieud between the UAW and the RTW Law is the issue. I think the unfair trade laws and allowing our country to go from a manufacturing to a service economy has been more distructive. And now that the pendulum has returned to an up-swing, labor remains cheap and profits abound. Ya’d think this would be good enough;but “bloomburg” said the American worker’s wages are on par to those of the 60′s as the amount produced has never been higher in history.. AND all done without touching a manufacturers savings for the past many (5-7) years! Something seems to be imbalanced! Correct these issues and the UAW will survive because people are not indentured to the bosses.
December 7th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
“Heck, union dues are actually very similar to that ever-so-common and uniquely suburban way of life, Subdivision Association Fees.”
…and if you live in the subdivision, you have to pay the association fees. At least I need to pay my condo association fees, or a lien will be placed on my unit.
It seems to me, that if you reap the benefits of the union, like higher pay, paid vacation, health care benefits, etc., you should pay the union dues. We’ll see what happens, but how could this NOT kill the unions in Michigan? It may help the state keep or gain jobs, but at lower pay, with fewer benefits, less or no paid vacation, more “part time” employees, and the rest. We shall see.
December 7th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
# 22
Ouch !
.. and +1
December 7th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
#24
Sheesh !
…..again a +1 . Well stated I might add
December 7th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
#22
I agree with what you’ve said completely , but do have to add that the Democratic Party ( the extreme elements currently controlling the majority ) needs to wake up and smell the hard core reality and facts surrounding too many of their agendas as well . To say many on the far left being delusional is in fact an understatement .
Great mix when you think about it .
On the far right we’ve got the Head in the Sand so entrenched in their own unrealistic agendas that even if the facts hit them square in the head they still wouldn’t believe them
And then you’ve got the Pie in the Sky , Rose Colored Glasses ( or chemically induced depending on who you’re talking about ) delusional far left who’s ideals and agendas are so unattainable as to be pure unadulterated Science Fiction and Fantasy
What a mess both parties are in .
What a mess we all soon might be in if they don’t get their acts together
Hopefully author/historian David McCullogh’s opinion is right .That being we’ve been in worse situations politically and financially as a Nation and come out of those just fine and we will again
December 7th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
The right to work rule in Michigan will have no effect. GM and Ford would never hire a nonunion worker. It would just cause to much turmoil. This is an attempt to lure foreign manufactures to MI. With the ever present threat that the state could go back to the old rule why would they even take the chance? Too much is at stake for them.
December 7th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
28,
If the workers don’t have to pay union dues, how will this NOT have an effect?
December 7th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I think John made it quite clear what the impact, short term, will be on the UAW. While the percentages will vary of course, it is a sure thing that some folks who feel that their Union Dues are NOT cost effective will stop paying the monthly stipend.
Long run, if the unions can tailor their benefits to what the members feel is worth it, they will prosper. If not, they will depart in droves. The unions have to make sure that they ARE providing this service, and make sure these benefits are transmitted to the members and no longer rely on enforced membership to keep the ranks full.
December 7th, 2012 at 3:01 pm
When both political parties are only interested in what’s good for the party instead of what’s good for the country,you end up with the mess we now have.Inaction led by indecision,led by incompetents.
December 7th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Gerrymandering has caused representatives to be necessarily more partisan and less able to compromise. You guys probably noticed the move of Jim DeMint out of the senate and into the Heritage Foundation: what I hear is that he’ll have more power and prepare for his presidential run.
But I still don’t see why the action of a state like MI that has both legislature and executive dominated by one party should be considered extreme.
December 7th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
I worked at EAL Miami for almost 20 years. Quit to go in biz for myself just before greedy IAM killed EAL , Nat’l & PanAm. I SO wanted to punch out the shop steward on my way out the gate.
December 7th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
@24,
…But that “higher pay” to which you refer no longer exists (for new hires, that is). Even their benefits and what they pay for them have been hacked to some degree.
December 7th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
@29 – Exactly!
Sorry dcars, but don’t forget that UAW membership numbers have been dropping at a steady and alarming rate over the past decade already.
Abolishing their requirement will only open the floodgates to the rest of those who’ve always wanted to be free of the UAW but couldn’t.
STAMPEDE!!!!
December 7th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
The only principle at work in Washington is GREED,
propogated by 12,665 lobbyists.
Unions are greed mongers too. Wage increases should have always been determined by COLA,not strike threats.
December 7th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
I think the union handles retirement benefits? Do they also handle vacation pay and health care? In addition, I was led to believe that if you want a job with the GM you truly need to know some one working For GM. New hires are on probation in the beginning and must gain the support of the other workers to continue working at GM. I would think that the workers will support the UAW.
December 7th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
34,
But it’s still better than the transplants, but I suppose it won’t be for long.
December 7th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
@35
I don’t think so. Since the crisis and sacrifices made,these new workers have high expectations for the next contract. Many are struggling to live on $30K or less. I am amazed of the growing numbers going to work with the flu and painful injuries because of the need of money.
December 7th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
It looks like King Bob will have to talk nice to the rank and file. Some of them will be able to stand up and ask questions like his renumeration and that of some others over at the office.
My question with a drop dues coming in how will this affect the pension plans they have amen over?
December 7th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
The average bloke is going to have to lose everything the unions have won for him over the last century before he wakes up and realizes what he’s allowed to occur.
“A CEO, a Tea Party member, and a union man are sitting at a table with a dozen cookies. The CEO takes eleven of the cookies and then leans over to the Tea Party member and says, ‘That union guy wants your cookie!’”
December 7th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Unions and politicians are like prostitutes and their clients – in bed together; but in the case of today’s unions and politicians, we the people (taxpayers and customers) are the ones who get… you know!
The union concept, as the voice of employees who want to elevate all of their individual members to contribute their maximum effort and skills to the success of an organization (with a comensurate share of the rewards), is a noble one. Sadly, over time, power and politics corrupt all such idealistic movements.
My vote (guess): No change – unions as now evolved are in decline. They are now only power-grabbers and politicians’ puppets. Decline will continue until unions are reinvented to contribute as partners to the overall success of an organization.
December 7th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
My dad worked in an auto plant for almost 40 years. Generally supported them. However, in the ’70′s when the UAW struck his Company and someone was being inter viewed on the protest line and said something, my dad hit the roof and started to yell at the TV. I started at a car plant but was laid off after 10 days. (was called back a year or so later). I went to the union hall to get my dues back since there was nothing the union could ever do for me. The treasurer did everything he could do to ignore me. After extensive waiting he finally made the check out for the less than $20 I was owed. Treat your members or in this case a pontential long term member like crap: well who needs them?
December 8th, 2012 at 8:49 am
I’ll be gone, or mostly gone from here for a week. Going on a cruise, and will get on the internet only using my phone with whatever free wifi I can at the ports.
December 8th, 2012 at 10:12 am
@39
The only UAW employees making anywhere near $30 are the ones recently hired. Not the ones like my dad, who retired 6 years ago from GM (having spent 95% of his 40+ years at Detroit Diesel) making north of $70k.
Some might call the plight of these new workers unfortunate, but when you consider that many of our current college grads (under-grads) are having a hard time pulling down a decent wage too, and the avg wage of a UAW auto worker has been HIGHLY inflated for all of the past 40 years, how much sympathy is left for those who now get to experience what the rest of working society does.
I tell my brother this all the time. He works for the City of Detroit as a union member repairing city buses. His pay and benefits exceed those of his private sector peers. He pays for health insurance what I used to pay when I first started working in 1994 (about $25/mo). I WISH i could pay only $25/mo now. So do many Americans. When was the last time you paid $25/mo for full coverage health insurance?
Reality for the rest of us is different from the ‘old-school’ UAW employee. They’ve had too good for too long. Time to come back down to the real world.
December 8th, 2012 at 10:48 am
John,
When the only game in town gets another saloon opening up it will definitely hurt the UAW. It would be foolish to believe that 100% of their members want to be in the union.
Steve Ashley
December 8th, 2012 at 11:55 am
Bon voyage Kit (just got back myself; western Caribbean for me). Hope you have a great trip.
December 8th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Roll on, Kit! (a little tip from an ancient mariner, before dawn is the ocean’s best moment)
December 8th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Unions are necessary, but membership should be voluntary…The problem is that non-members usually get the benefits negotiated by the union without paying..Perhaps the negotiated package should be for union members only…
My real beef with unions is how they are currently run…I just heard on the news that those Chrysler workers caught drinking and doping by the tv reporter and fired are going back to Chrysler…Chrysler said the don’t want them to come back, but he union says they have to get their jobs back…By the way, those guys assembling Chrysler products might explain a lot about my recent experience with their products…
Anyway, unions need to be reasonable in defending workers’ rights and wages…While they need to portect workers who are not treated fairly, they should not defend people like those Chrysler workers!! I wish the union would “police” its workers, as well, to defend those who are in the right, but help weed out the bad apples…It should mean something to have a “union label” on a worker that says he will be a good, contributing employee…So, it is too bad, but many workers are getting “fed up” with the actions of their unions…because workers really do need good unions…
December 8th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Woops.. should have said, “…he or SHE..”
December 8th, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Coming back for seconds…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/man-stole-same-bentley-twice-authorities-say.html
December 8th, 2012 at 7:43 pm
TESLA Breaking News ;
Oh dear . First Tesla ( Mr Musk ) gets caught this week Tweeting his Own Horn ( claiming the company is now profitable )
And now this ;
http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/12/08/tesla-under-investigation-by-us-government-for-use-of-foreign-parts/
Any bets this will end up being the very least of Tesla and Mr Musk’s worries when its all said and done ?
Yep ! Elon Musk . #1 candidate for the John Z DeLorean of the 21st Century award … by a country mile .
Now …. who was it here awhile ago that was tooting Telsa’s horn for being 100% US made ? Never mind legally
December 9th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Wherever you find the right to work law you find more poverty because it only means you have the right to work for less. First you don’t get any raises or very little and then they start taking away benefits like health insurance. You wind up not having any say about your job.
December 9th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Wherever you find the right to work law you find more poverty because it only means you have the right to work for less. First you don’t get any raises or very little and then they start taking away benefits like health insurance. You wind up not having any say about your job.
December 10th, 2012 at 7:27 am
It all boils down to FREEDOM. Should I be forced to join a union and pay extortion to it to get or keep a job? I say HELL NO!! I’m ex-UAW myself (worked at HydraMatic in the late 1960s) & also ex-IBEW and ex-SEIU. In all three cases I did NOT want to join the union but was forced to in order to work at that employer.
If someone wants, of their own free will, to join a union then I say “go for it”, but if you do not you should NOT be forced to do so.
My hat is off to Gov. Synder & the Legislature for having the stones to do this. You know the excrement is going to hit the rotary device, but “right to work” in Michigan will make Michigan a better and more free place to live, and that is a good thing.
December 10th, 2012 at 8:49 am
Living in Michigan and working at an Automotive OEM I am very interested in Right to Work. Some on here think that it will lead to more poverty. Here are some of the facts that I found that show that not to be the case…
1. Percentage Growth in Non-Farm Private Sector Employees (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 12.9%
b. Non-right to Work States: 6.0%
2. Average Poverty Rate-Adjusted for Cost of Living (2002-2004)
a. Right to Work States: 8.5%
b. Non-right to Work States: 10.1%
3. Percentage Growth in Patents Annually Granted (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 33.0%
b. Non-right to Work States: 11.0%
4. Percentage Growth in Real Personal Income (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 26.0%
b. Non-right to Work States: 19.0%
5. Percentage Growth in Number of People Covered by Employment Based Private Health Insurance (1995-2005):
a. Right to Work States: 8.5%
b. Non-right to Work States: 0.7%
December 10th, 2012 at 10:03 am
T Bejma
The data you share are not facts but interpretations. When investigating, you must have seen sites slanting the data differently.
Such as:
Salaries in RTW states average 3.2% less, or $1500.
Employer Sponsored Health Insurance(ESI) is 2.6% in RTW states. This would amount to 2 million fewer workers covered in non-RTW states.
Rate of ESI in TRW states is 4.8% lowere. If workers in non-RTW states were to recieve pensions at this rate, 3.8 million fewer workers nationally would have pensions.
Oklahoma lead the nation as a RTW state but new business has droped by 1/3 because RTW failed to consider lower wages in Mex. and China.
You see T, you can find all the facts that fits ones beliefs!
December 10th, 2012 at 10:15 am
CORRECTION: should read:ESI is 2.6% LOWER in RTW states.
December 10th, 2012 at 10:31 am
# 56
You hit that one square on the head cwolf . The fact is you can manipulate any data to prove any point you want with little or no effort what so ever .
December 10th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Making that 1L EcoBoost only available with a manual transmission seems like a terrible idea to me. I can drive a stick but I’m not sure a Fiesta would be my ideal manual transmission car. And if you’re saying 25% of your buyers are first time car buyers and under the age of 32 (was that 25% of each?), plus I expect a lot of older ladies will be Fiesta customers too, all those groups have really low numbers of people knowing how to drive and being comfortable with a manual.
December 10th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Hey Autoline! What’s the deal with removing the last few posts?
Ford found a solution to its fire problem. The correction is lies within the water coolant software. Under certain conditions,like normal driving(my 2cents added),low water pressure can occure. Geee….seems like no one can make a vehicle without a handful of recalls now-a-day!