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To: elmatador who wrote (62448)	4/22/2005 8:06:24 AM
From: Moominoid	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74559

"The $1.50-to-$1.95-per-hour labor cost in the Chinese auto industry is not arrived at by any 'natural' operations of a free market," Ron Gettelfinger, the union president, said in a statement, "but through artificial repression of wages by a brutal regime which outlaws independent trade unions and jails more labor activists than any country in the world." That's a very good wage in China I would think.... Especially if prices are really 1/4 of those in the US and China even at adjusted prices is only at 1/6 or less of US income per capita. Maybe Jay can fill in on this.

To: elmatador who wrote (62448)	4/22/2005 9:43:00 AM
From: RealMuLan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

>>"The $1.50-to-$1.95-per-hour labor cost in the Chinese auto industry is not arrived at by any 'natural' operations of a free market,"<< I don't know where that guy got his info. I had an online friend working in Shanghai VW factory with about 10 years of experience, and scanned his monthly pay check just to show me. It was >10,000 Yuan after all the tax and housing fund (about 20%). He is not a manager, just a senior worker. Although not all the auto factories in China paid as high as VW plant in Shanghai, still there are many workers paid pretty high, much highter than $2/hour.

To: elmatador who wrote (62448)	4/22/2005 9:46:55 PM
From: BubbaFred	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74559

About the under $2 labor cost for car manufacturing in China, and the weak labor unions - That's a decent salary in China. If wages go up and there is no commensurate wage rise in other industries, then many students want to forgo their high school and university studies and go get high paying jobs in the manufacturing industries. It used to be that way in US, when someone wears that shirt with "General Motors" logo, he became a big shot of steady job and good pay. In today's US, some labor unions are getting desperately weaker due to alternative bankruptcy, such as in the airline industry, United Airline. Teachers' unions in US are still doing pretty decent although they have to settle for less pay raises in a "low inflation" environment but rising food and energy prices.