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To: russwinter who wrote (9687)	3/8/2004 9:56:41 AM
From: rubed	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

No, what they are trying to do is redirect migrants to smaller provincial cities. So rather than moving to the major coastal cities or inland provincial capitals, they want them to move to the smaller provincial cities (under a million). They are supporting this by directing investment to these areas as well as government transfer to these municipalities. The number I have always heard is that China needs 7% growth in order to absorb all the migrants pushed off farm. Wen Jiabao also just said at the opening of congress that they would aim for 7% growth this year but with a focus on reducing rural/urban inequalities through targeted investment in rural areas. China is trying to modernize its agriculture just like everything else in their country. Their 'farm to forest' policy is really unbelievable in its scope as it is the type of thing you just couldn't do anywhere else in the world. They are returning a huge amount of semi-arable land (which never should have been farmed and is causing huge environmental damage) back to its original use as rangeland, forest and hillside... and removing those farmers from the land as a result. The Chinese saw the light on some environmental issues with the Yangtze floods in 1998 and are moving in some areas - though it is still an incredibly polluted mess here. rube

To: russwinter who wrote (9687)	3/8/2004 11:16:01 AM
From: ild	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

Two tier employee structure - seems to be a common trend now. Same as with So California grocery workers. DETROIT (AP)--Members of the United Auto Workers approved a four-year contract with American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings (AXL), union officials said Monday. Workers had gone on strike for one day during the negotiations, which ended Feb. 27 with a tentative agreement. The walkout at plants in Michigan and New York disrupted production at some General Motors Corp. (GM) facilities. Wendy Thompson, president of UAW Local 235, said 68% of members who voted Thursday and Sunday at five locals involved chose to approve the contract. The agreement covers about 6,500 hourly workers. It includes a $5,000 signing bonus, with a $1,000 Christmas bonus in years two through four and performance bonuses. It also establishes a two-tier wage and benefit structure, which would keep higher compensation for current employees in exchange for lower compensation for new hires. Shares of American Axle were recently trading down 65 cents at $37.54.