The General

Chevy HHR

From GM: "In addition to "letters to the editor" and TV interviews, GM is placing ads in major markets to tell our story."

*click to embiggen*

As one of those salaried employees who got no raise in pay (but some hefty raises in benefit costs), I say "Word."

Rick Wagoner, from the WSJ - Online:

On the cost-cutting side, we have been streamlining our U.S. operations while simultaneously improving quality and productivity. Since 2000, we have reduced our U.S. hourly workforce by 52%, from 133,000 to 64,000, through buyouts and other programs. During the same period, we have cut our U.S. salaried employment from 44,000 to fewer than 30,000, and reduced our U.S. executive ranks by 45%.


However, we know we cannot just slash our way to prosperity. We have closed the quality and productivity gaps with the imports, as confirmed by J.D. Power and Associates (the consumer ratings firm) and the Harbour Report (which benchmarks North American plant-floor performance). New GM product programs launched earlier this decade have produced award-winning cars and crossovers like the Saturn Aura, Cadillac CTS and Buick Enclave. And that is just the beginning.

Some things I learned on teh innernets this week:

1. All GM employees are either clueless, private-jet-flyin', overcompensated executives or clueless, job-bank-idlin', overcompensated UAW workers. (No and No -- there's a whole flock of overworked and frequently undercompensated salaried and contract stiffs who are coming in every day and working hard to make stuff better, and who will have no job-bank to enter if they get axed). (And even a majority in those first 2 categories mentioned are not nearly as bad as portrayed).

2. Some people bought GM (or Ford or Chrysler) vehicles in the past and they were ... baaaad. Ergo, all vehicles made by those companies are -- forever and always -- baaaad. (No -- see J.D. Power).

3. All GM vehicles are monstrous-huge gas-guzzlers (No -- see Malibu info in the Wagoner article and elsewhere on the web -- and that's not the only one).

4. Frankly, all Big Three employees should be just taken out behind the plant and shot. (Nooooooooooooooooo).