If Detroit 3 Falter Over Half A Million Canadians May Get Pink Slips

Good. These people are needed in the trades.

We have totally overlooked the fact that society is in a transition between high human labour content and a much higher degree of automation. There was a time when children worked in the mines 16 hours per day and it seems that automation has already progressed to the point where we have too many people to allow everyone to work 7.5 hours per day, 5 days per week.

Labor cost in the auto industry has been estimated at 7% to 10% of total cost with amortization of capital equipment and overheads making up the bulk of the balance. Some electronics manufacturing is so highly automated that labour represents only 2% of the cost of sales.

In order to provide employment for all, we either have to reduce the human population or reduce working hours by promoting automation instead of opposing it. Reducing the population through war is not an acceptable solution.

The unions have traditionally opposed automation and the religious right has opposed birth control -- so what are governments to do?

Reduction in the length of the work week will create much idle time which can be used for exercise to improve health and life-long learning to keep the mind from deteriorating. Some lo-life types will prefer to use idle time for criminal activities or in the consumption of drugs, tobacco and alcohol.

Gross. And, I'm flying down to Windsor/Detroit to spend time with the family over the holidays.

Anyone got any gift ideas for the "about-to-be-fired-maybe-probably" auto workers in the family?

As good as it gets.

The King comforts all.

These potential job losses do not represent only Auto Industry jobs, but all indirect jobs including retail which could be lost as a result of lost incomes and spending by those affected by the shutdown of significant Industry in the economy.

Hey...welcome to the real world where thousands of other people have already lost their jobs!! Many of us have already had to change our lifestyle, take training, enter new fields, pay off debts, learn to live within our means, downsize, change course, make sacrifices and find new work that pays less than what we've been used too. All of a sudden we're supposed to do something to help those in and around the auto industry retain their jobs? Even if the government bails out the industry to help retain jobs.....how does that help to sell the products that nobody is buying??

Thats Right, because the Town Car is now being made at the Oakfield Ontario Plant along the QEW Highway Wast of Toronto. They moved it from the Wixom plant.

Canada builds very high Quality goods. They are likely 2nd only to Germany. They didn't go the cheap route on goods like the US. Made In canda still means something. They have many great Steel Plants and Fabrication shops in Ontario. They tend to overbuild thier parts to withstand large forces.

Canada build Superior Yachts as well. Builders like Kanter Yachts use the finest of materials, Stainless, Aluminum, Hardwoods like Cypress and Mahogony.

I woulnd't laugh at Canada, they took the high road, the US took the low and muddy road.

Direct employment at the automakers is 33,000 people.
Direct employment in forestry is 63,000 people.
Both industries have supply-chains.
But all the talk is on car companies, and almost nothing on the mills closing (or closed already).
I think the UAW is just stronger than the lumber and sawmill workers union.
(I've been in both, and thought they were equally useless at the time)