The $70-an-hour autoworker Myth

[babylonsister]

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/detroits-70-hour-autoworker-myth


The $70-an-hour autoworker Myth
By John Amato Tuesday Nov 25, 2008 6:20pm


During the Automotive crisis that has erupted in the last few weeks, many false narratives are being implanted by the right wing thugs that helped push our economy off the cliff. Eric Boehlert tackles this latest smear that our media is ignoring. Don't you think it would be important for our media to actually do some in depth reporting on this issue instead of reciting misleading, conservative talking points?

Indeed, that $70-an-hour meme, actively promoted by the anti-union conservative media, has ricocheted around the traditional press as well as the political landscape, where it was picked up by congressional critics last week during hearings and used to argue against aiding GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

But what's obvious to me is that it's harmful to public discourse when the press, on such a central issue facing our country, fails to clearly state the facts and instead perpetuates misinformation with sloppy reporting -- reporting that seems to hold blue-collar workers to a different standard than their white-collar counterparts.

But having the media echo conservative misinformation and bandy about urban-myth salary figures about allegedly high-on-the-hog GM workers does not constitute a careful review of the facts.

Question: Is the press just being sloppy on this issue of supposedly pampered autoworkers, or are there other elements in play? Because honestly, I've had trouble escaping the not-very-subtle elitist, get-a-load-of-this tone that has run through the media's misinformation on the topic; i.e., "These autoworkers get paid that?!"

Answer: No, they don't, so please stop reporting it. (And why has the press been so reticent to note that Big Three autoworkers recently made significant concessions to management?)

Make no mistake: The $70-an-hour claim represents a classic case of conservative misinformation. It's also a very dangerous one. The falsehood about autoworkers is being spread at a crucial time, when a make-or-break public debate is taking place, a debate that could affect millions of American workers...read on

more...

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/detroits-70-hour-autoworker-myth

[BlooInBloo]

1. I must admit to finding it somewhat funny to watch one crab pull an escaping crab back into the pot.

Funny in a tragicomic way, naturally.

[haele]

2. Reminds me about when I was in the Navy and every year we'd get

a cute little "this is what your pay really is" figure sheet - where our lowly $20K a year as an E-6 over 12 (at the time) was really the equivalent of taking home around $50K when you added in all the wonderful bennies you got for being an enlisted person. That is, of course, if you used that extra $30K to pay for a 10 x 10 room with communal showers and cafeteria to eat out of and your medical, dental, vision, health club, hobby shops etc, etc, etc...

It could also be that this $70 an hour claim represents the total cost of the employee - including all the employer taxes, fees, overhead, and employer cost of benefits package. When I am bidding a job, the cost rate of an employee making $20 an hour is around $55 an hour. But that employee still only makes $20 an hour.

And I figure an auto worker deserves a higher wage to offset paying the company years off his life to work for that company. It's a tough, brutal job.

Haele

[BadgerKid]

3. The dealer repair shop charges that high

for labor. I'm finding myself thinking there could be more mom-and-pop repair garages.

[babylonsister]

4. So does the plumber and electrician, come to think of it, but not

8 hours daily (in my case).

[SmileyRose]

5. When they report the salaries of journalists..........

do they include the cost of providing toilets?


Well journalists do that to union workers.........


assholes.

[LiberalFighter]

6. What is the total cost of journalists? Hmmm

Microphone
Time in front a camera
Camera man
Make up
Clothing
transportation by car, limo, van, plane, or helicopter. Especially helicopter owned by the company.
Teleprompter
Writing utensils
Monitors of other broadcasts
Elevator to get to their set
How about free food, coffee, pastries, etc?

Betcha there is more


Oh yea.... They don't get paid for working 8 hours. It's probably more like 4 hours.