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**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 69857 12-27-2011 12:19 AM

In 2010, Germany produced more than 5.5 million automobiles; the U.S produced 2.7 million. At the same time, the average auto worker in Germany made $67.14 per hour in salary in benefits; the average one in the U.S. made $33.77 per hour. Yet Germany’s big three car companies—BMW, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz), and Volkswagen—are very profitable.

How can that be? The question is explored in a new article from Remapping Debate, a public policy e-journal. Its author, Kevin C. Brown, writes that “the salient difference is that, in Germany, the automakers operate within an environment that precludes a race to the bottom; in the U.S., they operate within an environment that encourages such a race.”

There are “two overlapping sets of institutions” in Germany that guarantee high wages and good working conditions for autoworkers. The first is IG Metall, the country’s equivalent of the United Automobile Workers. Virtually all Germany’s car workers are members, and though they have the right to strike, they “hardly use it, because there is an elaborate system of conflict resolution that regularly is used to come to some sort of compromise that is acceptable to all parties,” according to Horst Mund, an IG Metall executive. The second institution is the German constitution, which allows for “works councils” in every factory, where management and employees work together on matters like shop floor conditions and work life. Mund says this guarantees cooperation, “where you don’t always wear your management pin or your union pin.”.........

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickall...e-as-much/

**NormalIsSubjective** · **NormalIsSubjective** User ID: 69899 12-27-2011 01:03 AM **Posts: 4,811**

Interesting article OP, thanks.

**munit** · **munit** AimUnit111 User ID: 67682 12-27-2011 01:25 AM **Posts: 4,049**

Have just read through the original reference article and enjoyed it.
http://www.remappingdebate.org/article/t...s?page=0,1

Thanks OP!

**DooM CooN** lop guest User ID: 18064 12-27-2011 01:27 AM

And they get to take the whole summer off. S977

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 69911 12-27-2011 01:33 AM

Germany does not suffer from entitlement programs such as Affirmative Action.
US manufacturers must hire a certain percentage of minority workers in order to receive government assistance or contracts.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 62646 12-27-2011 01:34 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

Germany does not suffer from entitlement programs such as Affirmative Action.
US manufacturers must hire a certain percentage of minority workers in order to receive government assistance or contracts.

How is this related to the article the OP posted?

**DooM CooN** lop guest User ID: 18064 12-27-2011 01:37 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
Germany does not suffer from entitlement programs such as Affirmative Action.
US manufacturers must hire a certain percentage of minority workers in order to receive government assistance or contracts.

How is this related to the article the OP posted?

Hiring dumb people means lower wages.

No child left behind. You can make lot's and lot's
of money of off stupid.

The slaves keep on slaving.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 32186 12-27-2011 01:38 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
Germany does not suffer from entitlement programs such as Affirmative Action.
US manufacturers must hire a certain percentage of minority workers in order to receive government assistance or contracts.

How is this related to the article the OP posted?

They are allowed to hire the best person for the job. In the US, we don't have that option, so, by default, we have at least a third more slackers than they do. That's only the tip of the iceberg, though.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 69911 12-27-2011 01:43 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
LoP Guest Wrote:
Germany does not suffer from entitlement programs such as Affirmative Action.
US manufacturers must hire a certain percentage of minority workers in order to receive government assistance or contracts.

How is this related to the article the OP posted?

They are allowed to hire the best person for the job. In the US, we don't have that option, so, by default, we have at least a third more slackers than they do. That's only the tip of the iceberg, though.

Thanks

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 62646 12-27-2011 01:46 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

They are allowed to hire the best person for the job. In the US, we don't have that option, so, by default, we have at least a third more slackers than they do. That's only the tip of the iceberg, though.

So basically, what your saying is that these "slackers" slow down
production and that's why US workers are paid twice as less as a
German's counterpart, is that it?

**FaFaFooey**

My gf says it's cheap Polish labor..And smelly Turkish immigrants..
Her words not mine..I have no idea if they smell or not

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 69911 12-27-2011 01:50 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
They are allowed to hire the best person for the job. In the US, we don't have that option, so, by default, we have at least a third more slackers than they do. That's only the tip of the iceberg, though.

So basically, what your saying is that these "slackers" slow down
production and that's why US workers are paid twice as less as a
German's counterpart, is that it?

I don't think it's a question of slowing down as much as it is having to hire more workers to do the same amount of work.
For example, in Germany it may take 10 workers to complete a task, while in America it may take 15 to accomplish the same thing.
It's a very poor work ethic, primarily within the minority communities.

**DooM CooN** lop guest User ID: 18064 12-27-2011 01:51 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
LoP Guest Wrote:
They are allowed to hire the best person for the job. In the US, we don't have that option, so, by default, we have at least a third more slackers than they do. That's only the tip of the iceberg, though.

So basically, what your saying is that these "slackers" slow down
production and that's why US workers are paid twice as less as a
German's counterpart, is that it?

I don't think it's a question of slowing down as much as it is having to hire more workers to do the same amount of work.
For example, in Germany it may take 10 workers to complete a task, while in America it may take 15 to accomplish the same thing.
It's a very poor work ethic, primarily within the minority communities.

**2Crazy4U**

Not only twice as many, and paying twice as much, but they are 5 times better cars than American cars..
BMW, Mercedez Benz, AUDI, Porsche, all of them are FAR superior than American counter-parts

They have 6 word leading brands: Volkswagen AG, BMW AG, Daimler AG, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Adam Opel AG and Ford-Werke GmbH

Germany is one of the top 4 automobile manufacturers in the world. The Volkswagen Group is one of the three biggest automotive companies of the world (along with Toyota and General Motors).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_...in_Germany

**wingchop**

I’m going to say the problem is in not who you hire, but who is taking the money.
I wouldn’t be surprised if one American CEO takes home more money then one German CEO and workers combined.