More indelible testimony highlighting the decline of the middle class. Sad is an understatement. The lake of compassion for those who are trying to make a decent living is appalling. I hope I am never in the position these people are in. I hope you guys/gals never are, either.

Golden I share your concern. I live in the Dayton, Ohio area and there are still a lot of people who work for GM in this town. They finally went back to work this past week. GM was able to acquire some axles from another source, and they wouldn’t comment on who or where. With this strike settled the 2nd shift folks will be returning in a week or two.

I have to disagree with your comment on the decline of the middle class. The middle class isn’t declining, but (good paying) manufacturing jobs that require little education beyond high school are. And that is what we are witnessing here. I grew up in NW Indiana during the 1970’s and the same thing happened to the steel industry. There were several steel mills along the south shore of Lake Michigan that provided thousands of well paying jobs. Most of those jobs are gone, and there are only a few mills that remain today. The few remaining mills employ considerably less people and are efficient and safe due to automation.

All of the middle class communities in the area (Hammond, Highland, Griffith, Munster, Schererville, Dyer, etc) are thriving. They didn’t go away when the jobs left. People saw this as an opportunity and started new careers. Many returned to school to learn new and needed skills.

I certainly don’t lack compassion for anyone trying to make a living. But the economic reality is we are living in a global economy, and these jobs can be done for less elsewhere. To take it further, no job is safe. I work in the health care field and my employer could decide to eliminate my department tomorrow. Instead of sitting around and complaining or asking some politician what the government is going to do to help I would get off my a$$ and do something about it! I would return to school and retrain or “retool” in today’s lingo. I did it about 20 years ago, and I could do it again if I had to. It wasn’t easy, and it sucked being constantly broke. I worked a full and part time job and went to school fulltime. It was tough but it had to be done. I wanted to be able to support myself and my family, and needed skills and an education were the only way.

Just my .02

Well, we’ll be able to tell our grandchildren that once upon a time, there were good paying jobs held by people who did’t go $400,000 in debt to get a college degree, in the United States and Canada; and how even average joes and janes could afford to buy houses and cars.

They’ll just think we’re going senile… because it won’t ever be a part of their life-experience.

Sad.

This contract is just rich enough to keep the peace, yet it is too expensive to support the status quo.

If there were any management holdouts that were against the wholesale relocation of manufacturing the strike put an end to their resistance.

I can see the value added, high margin/complex assemblies going to a right to work state and everything else will be making a run for the border (apologizes to Taco Bell).

I hope they’re happy with the Union leadership’s reading of the situation and how they convinced them that striking would be worth the lost wages in the long run.

Hey Farago… when do I start getting paid 10 or 20 hours overtime each week???

Fighting the nature of the job market is about as effective as picketing over the price of butter and eggs.