No News is Good News for Car Industry
Lately, it seems like the Automotive Industry is the worst place to be if you’re a car manufacturer, assembly line worker or even a CEO. However, if you work in any of the Big Three’s PR departments you’re as busy as ever. This week alone some of the world’s largest car makers were involved in top news, and not all of it related to a bailout.
Last week, a bloody terrorist attack in downtown Mumbai, one of the world’s most heavily populated cities, left almost 200 dead and hundreds more injured. The Taj Mahal hotel, iconic image of India, can now be seen on the 6 o’clock news through smoke an d flames. A little known terrorist group Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for these attacks, and according to the owners of the Taj Mahal, they knew of a possible threat after a warning to beef up security. So, what does this have to do with cars? Chairman Ratan Tata, who runs Tata Motors, also owns the Taj Mahal hotel. According to Tata, security measures were escalated weeks before the attack on Mumbai, but when a short time passed without incident these measures were eased.
Also on the automotive front, UAW officials are in talks to get rid of the Job Bank in order to stimulate failing budgets of America’s car industry. The Job Bank in responsible for paying workers when they can’t work for a period of time. Affording health benefits and retirement pensions have been part of the money issues in recent car company news, well that and the over-spending on luxury items by some of the Big Three Chairmen…speaking of which…
General Motors was a little embarrassed when they got caught flying one of their executives in a million dollar private jet to Congress when begging for money. No one bothered to tell them how to play it up apparently. So, you’d think GM would put the plane in a garage and drive one of their comfortable new Malibu’s (or, to a lesser extent, a Hyundai Genesis) to Congressional meetings. Nope – GM has asked the FAA to block anyone in public from tracking any leased jet by the company. That will surely gain the trust and respect of the United States Government AND working class assembly line employees! Maybe all these car companies should have just taken the week off and gone home for Thanksgiving.
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