Dec
16
Yanks upgrade car sponsorships
ByThe beleaguered General Motors decided today that they will not be remaining as in-stadium sponsors of the Yanks next year. They’ve decided to maintain their New York baseball presence by sticker with the cheaper option in Queens. In response, the Yanks announced deals with Audi and Toyota as the car sponsors of the new Yankee Stadium. On the road or in the ballpark, that’s an upgrade.
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Unfortunately, lack of patriotism and caring about American jobs and industry is part of the problem.
I don’t see the problem the post raised?
Toyota has 5 factories in the US
Toyota plants are Non Union. That’s why they produce better cars.
For all the criticism (some deserved) about how the CEO’s have run the Big 3 into the ground, the union work rules make it impossible for them to respond quickly to market conditions. It takes them years to get the Union OK, retool a plant and turn out a “new” product, by which time the market has come and gone.
Unions; great for workers, not for owners.
Who cares about the owners, they’re lousy for the general public. Who winds up with lousy, outdated products unless they have foreign alternatives.
Nobody’s forcing anyone to buy Toyotas, they do so because they’re more attractive cars and usually less expensive.
And that’s bad because…?
No owner, no job.
No worker, no product.
No US worker, overseas worker.
It’s sad that companies would rather outsource than allow workers to protect themselves.
Its called survival. Compete or die.
People always used to scoff at that, thinking the Big 3 were bullet proof. Now we see the truth, that nobody is too big to fail.
Flip side is workers would rather demand benefits than protect their jobs
companies need to make profits
So do workers. If the owners can exploit their labor for profit, why can’t the workers band together to further their own right to make a “profit?”
Fine. You buy the crappy, outdated car that costs double. But judging by whats going on in Congress, nobody else is.
they can… however with laws & modern society in the US workers generally are not “exploited”, at least those that are US citizens working in US factories.
In this case specifically we see that Toyota & other manufacturers have no problem getting people to work as non-union labor, and there aren’t reports of workers being exploited by these companies.
Because it’s the UAW’s fault that American motor companies keep deciding to push forth trucks and SUVs? The workers can only produce what the company tells them to produce.
That doesn’t mean they’re getting compensated fairly.
Alright I’m out. Goodnight everyone.
fairly compensated is a relative term… what is fairly?
Unions cut into productivity. The worker gets paid the same but the owner makes less.
So the people who make the product should get compensated less than the people who just tell them to? And, trust me, I think the owners are making out just fine in the end, cut productivity or not.
Workers protecting their rights is something for which I’d be willing to sacrifice productivity.
AD basically beat me to it. This isn’t the industrial revolution we’re talking about where kids are walking around in sandals and stuff. I’m just speaking from the perspective of a person whose family business is adversely affected when forced to use union laborers over non-union guys.
The American workers in Toyota’s US-based plants all seem to have jobs. Produce a better quality product and the market share and jobs won’t disappear.
ZOMG CAPITALISM !!!1!
but, but ,but … aren’t the Democrats the socialist?!?!?!?!
umm, sure.
that and maybe not having to pay absurd wages to union workers along with gold-plated benefits for the retired union dudes.
$32/hr is not an absurd wage. It’s a lot, but not absurd.
Unless you’re in the business of selling flags, your business deserves to fail if patriotism is its main selling point.
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel-Samuel Johnson
IT’LL GET YOU DRUNK!!.
Oh you said Sam Johnson,my bad
I’M TIRED OF THESE MF-ING SNAKES ON THIS MF-ING PLANE!!!
I wanted to put the rest of what he says but its not very blog friendly
Welcome to America. Or, should I say, Howdy to America! How y’all doin’? *on way out* Y’all come come back now!
Well we know where Toyota is spending that money that they don’t have to pay as benefits to their workers
Yes, on giving the general public more car for their money.
And not going broke.
benefits to workers –> workers have to miss days b/c they are sicker b/c they have less access to quality medical care –> less productive workers –> less wealth –> LESS PROFIT
Workers are essential to the business model. No workers, no wealth. That simple.
your saying that Toyota doesn’t give it’s worker health care? that would be illegeal I’m fairly sure. unless this was Indonisia or something.
you know what would solve this problem? GLOBAL HEALTHCARE.
Hahahahaha.
When that plan fails, I suppose we’ll go for interplanetary health care.
I’m saying they give fewer benefits and, yes, less health care coverage. Underinsured folks here are a big problem. No, it’s not illegal by any stretch of the imagination–that’s a danger of capitalistic societies. I agree with you that universal health (French style) care is the way to go.
If you think workers are the reason why businesses exist, then you have a fundamental misunderstanding of free markets and capitalism. Businesses exist to serve a need in the marketplace ie the customer. Everything else comes second in any well run business. Anything that gets in the way of serving customers is damaging to the business. Union work rules that make it take years to respond to changing conditions in the marketplace and build different cars are a major reason why the car companies are in DC begging for money.
The Auto companies are failing (in part) because other car companies are serving the customer better than they do. Its not any more complicated than that.
I understand capitalism/free marketeering. Competition is its chief principle:
1) Two business make rival products
2) Customers have a choice of the one they like best
3) The losing business must make changes if they seek to survive
4) If changes are made, the competition continues; if not, one company goes bankrupt, leaving a vacuum filled by either monopoly or an upstart business
I never said that businesses exist b/c of workers; I said wealth exists b/c of workers. Reasons why the auto industry is failing include: 1) a lack of incentive, from the CEOs’ perspective, to adapt (apparently sales were solid?), 2) failure of government regulation of the industry, 3) failure of government intervention in fuel efficiency standards (related to 2).
Unions keep the worker happy. A disgruntled worker produces little b/c he is disgruntled. A happy worker produces more b/c, you guessed it, he’s happy. Unions make fair wages for their workers as well as fair working conditions for their workers. They take a lot of power away from sometimes-oppressive bosses. Why is this bad?
government regulations should have nothing to do with GM success or failure, they weren’t defrauded
they weren’t defrauded, but the government should have regulated GM such that it set higher fuel economy standards, which is better for the environment while also making it more attractive to the changing consumer. but this makes too much sense for George Bush and the right-wing.
So its the governments’s fault that GM didn’t realize customers want better fuel economy?
The government should not be responsible for somehow regulating to force GM to make attractive cars… one could argue SUVs & trucks are the only thing that has kept GM afloat recently
And frankly no one does that
HAHA. just another company that’s getting a bailout from the taxpayers that will be sponsoring the Mets.
Hah! I didn’t make that connection. How fitting.
LOL! Maybe they should call it TARP Field.
On the road or in the ballpark, that’s an upgrade.
Sounds like jeters new audi commercial.
BUT I JUST BOUGHT A FORD EDGE IN BLAZING COPPER.
haha regular copper would not suffice its needs to be BLAZINGGG
If it doesn’t have a panoramic vista sunroof, I don’t want to hear about it.
Ditto the cool sync-voice activated sound system. That’s a must.
Hey! Toss me the keys
Are you SURE you’re not a shortstop?
I can hear that little brat now … HEY LOOK IT’S DEREK JETER!!!
That kid always reminded me of the scene in airplane.
“You’re Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!”
ahhh I get that all the time.
HEY
I’m Giuseppe Franco
My dad says you only try hard in the playoffs!
I just read this one comment thread like three times and laughed every time
I don’t get why yankees fans think its their god given right to just go and sign all of these top car companies, they are ruining the game.
hahah
wonder what the Sox counter move will be
I heard they signed Kia to a minor league deal
Rumor has it they’re looking for a bounceback season from Daewoo.
In other news, the Pirates are hoping for the same out of the Yugo.
The mets just bought the rights to the chevy nova
OMFG I DRIVE A HIGHLANDER!!!!!!!
I am totally opposed to Toyota, and their non-union plants. I really hope the new administration makes right to work laws illegal, and strengthens unions in this country (Including allowing sympathy strikes, and requiring all companies with 10 or more people to be unionized).
They Yankees should have chosen Ford, Chrysler, or no company instead of a Japanese and German company.
Ford or Chrysler are probably not in the position to be spending ad dollars
Whats more american that outsourcing?
Hitting reply to the comment above yours: FAIL
Little did I know that some four-sentence post about stadium sponsorship would turn into a debate over organized labor in the U.S.
Come on Ben, you knew it was bound to happen.
ehhh the unions have been far too much in the news, and there is far to big a divide on how people think of them, solid chance people would have remarks
I wasn’t going to go there, but when you posted this
“The American workers in Toyota’s US-based plants all seem to have jobs. Produce a better quality product and the market share and jobs won’t disappear.”
I figured all bets were off.
GM owns the controlling interest in toyota so wtf..
?, GM isn’t a top 10 shareholder, and has generally been shedding their investments in other automakers
Liquidating shares to cover their own arses
from my understanding they own 41% of toyota.. and they are not selling because it is so profitable.. and why would they sell the fed is going to give them welfare check for billions..
They don’t have a 41% stake in toyota, or a controlling interest, or any interest that I’ve seen/heard of
Guess what, your Yankee tickets will have a new tax on them, thanks to Gov Patterson
“State sales tax at movie theaters, sporting events, taxis, buses, limousines and cable and satellite TV and radio.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_....._york.html
Something tells me Ben will make this into a thread.
Probably in the morning. Fun times. Let’s tax everything. I’m going to sit at home and watch my, um, taxed…cable…?
I guess the state has no choice, but that sucks.
Their budget still went up 1%.
When they say “Cut” they usually a cut in their rate of increase. Its good to be King, huh?
VOTE DEMOCRAT.. i know you New Yorkers love your taxes.. its not like the other party is better..
is there anything thats not getting taxed?
It seems that the East River crossings may still wind up being free.
Which is a sore subject on my other site and also one that is not uncontroversial.
I’m guessing you live in 2nd ave?
Nah. I live in Brooklyn. That site’s named after the Second Ave. subway.
lol oh cool, where in brooklyn you in ? i’m down in Bensonhurst.
Park Slope.
There are a few Brooklyn folk around here I think.
Named that because ‘Moby Dick’ was taken? (Another great white whale)
I’ve been hearing about the 2nd Av subway since I was a kid, and I’m almost 40. The Upper east siders always kill it.
They’re actually building it now though: three stops — at 96th, 86th and 72nd — as a northern extension of the Q. It will open in a few years (2015ish). Whether they actually build the other parts of it is up in air.
you should really make a post on how dumb it is putting up tolls for bridges?
Except I completely disagree. That’s for over there though. I’ve written plenty about why the East River tolls are a fine idea and why they would actually benefit the overwhelming majority of people who live in the outer boroughs because all the money would go toward ensuring we don’t suffer massive subway service cuts.
if there are tolls for the manhattan and brooklyn bridges, then its going to be really expensive for people going in and out of manhattan.
Well, yes, but both of those areas are served extensively by public transit, and the vast majority of people going into and out of Brooklyn do so by public transit. Some will pay, and businesses can pass the costs off to their customers.
Would you rather be paying $2.50 a ride every time you ride the subway or a few bucks every time you pay to cross the Manhattan or Brooklyn Bridges? Considering how many times I’ve actually crossed the Manhattan or Brooklyn Bridge in a non-taxi car over the last three years — once — and how many times I’ve taken the subway — about 70 in the last 30 days — I know what I’d choose.
good point. i would use the subway as well. I guess that would be the only way to decrease the traffic on the FDR.
well isn’t that whack. gives me another reason of not going to games.
I hate regressive taxes, but you can’t make a progressive tax out of this one–to messy. NY’s gotta balance the budget somehow; loans from China can’t pay for everything.
good old consumption tax… which means they’ll probably still have a shortage
I am very much neutral when it comes to labor relations, but on more than one occasion we’ve heard that MLB’s Player’s Union is one of the most powerful unions in the world and MLB isn’t exactly hurting for cash.
Well people aren’t exactly beating down the doors to get tickets to watch people put cars together so it’s a little different situation.
I would counter your argument by stating that nobody needs Yankee tickets to get themselves to and from work. Baseball games are a luxury. Cars are somewhat necessary to a large group of people.
Heyman believes the Yankees will resume discussions with Lowe if they fail to sign Andy Pettitte. However, he says they expect Pettitte to accept their $10MM offer. ——MLBTR
Thats a terrible plan
anyway pettite doesnt except?
ewww..seriously, if Andy doesn’t come back then let Hughes and Kennedy battle for the final spot.
i would hope are they that rich they can afford to spend 16 million on a 5th spot
That’s wasted money. We’ve gone over this over and over again, but there’s no good reason to pay Andy Pettitte $16 million.
nor does Lowe, not for this team
if they really want a cheap#4 starter, sign Chuck James (nontendered free agent) or trade for Chad Gaudin.
Chuck James sucks. And he’d be making the dreaded NL to AL switch, which we all know devours the hearts of noble young men across this fair land.
Just give Hughes and/or Kennedy a chance if that’s what it comes too.
What’s James’s repetoire?
they have cheap starters, IPK, Aceves, Hughes, Chase Wright… let them duke it out to make 400K
Do we honestly need lowe? hes going to want a several year deal, and if things work the way were planning hes just taking up hughes,kennedy etc. spot. am i mistaken?
guys: Heyman = Boras mouthpiece.
relax.
the Yankees are not going to sign Lowe.
Uhm, excuse me VO but I came to this thread to discuss the modern business model as it pertains to strained labor relations in a bear market. Take your “hot stove” “baseball talk” elsewhere
so sorry for the irevelant topic ill go to lohud they knowno baseball!
haha the ultimate RAB insult “TAKE IT TO LOHUD PUNK”
Our rotation is TEH ROXORZZZ. PEAVY AND LOWE ARE SO ROXORZZ.