GOODBYE CENTRAL NY! THIS AREA IS ALL DONE!! EVERYONE WONDERS WHY PEOPLE DONT STICK AROUND THIS AREA?? SOON THERE WONT BE ANYTHING LEFT HERE BUT A STINKY LAKE AND HUD HOMES!!

Funny Bill but sadly probably true. How sad for all those workers that had worked there for years. My father worked at Fisher Body plant for GM for many long years and the same happened to him and fortunately he was able to retire early but many were not. Best Wishes to the union I hope they can negotiate to keep the business up and running.

this company promised to invest 75 million dollars in the plant at contract time in 2003,they have invested nothing.they bought this company for the patent and intellectual rights.they will close this plant no matter what the workers give up.magna has only leased the building for ten years 4 of which are gone already.the uaw ok"d the sale on the premise of investment,new products andwages and benefits thru 2011.frank stronach took 12 million dollars off the top last year alone,but thats no big deal.as  of right now they continue to sell equipment and outsource machining work.once they pare this down to an assembly operation they will move it to their muncie plant or austria.

  Have  two  sons that work for chrysler. One in syracuse and one in belvedere.  Thanks to  nafta and our government and the greed of uppers, including magna and chrysler there is no care of what happens to the youth of America or Canada. As long as their children are all set. Thanks Aot.

To all workers Please strike....and default on all your loans if its too hell with us then to hell with it all.

As a former carrier employee & member of now defunct SMWIA local527 for over 35 years this comes as no surprise. We were ridiculed in1985 for accepting a concessionary bargaining agreement. Strike & be replaced were the headlines of Sunday newspaper delivered to our homes. Remnants of the former union remain in a warehouse capacity or sitewide maintenance. By the way Hillary Clinton came to town along with other polliticians which resolved nothing in keeping those jobs. Decisions are rendered years in advance by corporate America. Plans in secret discussed long ago. Nafta absolutely harmed American union workers. This plant is last in a very long line in Syracuse to face closure or relocation out of country. Will the salaried work force & mangement team be asked to sacrifice or participate in any proposed concessions. Commentor above is correct that this is another dagger to young folk of area in ever getting a decent paying job with benefits. The dream of the picket fence with a home to raise & cae for a family furthur evaporates in this area.

The problem here is not the labor cost.  It is the failure of Magna to sell the products that have made New Process Gear the benchmark in the four wheel drive marketplace.  NPG did this profitably over the last 100+ years without Magna.  Over the past three years, upper management has swelled making the company grossly top heavy.  Plant managers have come and gone.  Investments were promissed but never materialized.  Business was promissed but wasn't attained.  Magna claims to be a "socially responsible" company with a desire to serve the communities in wich they do business.  They have shown that they do not live up to their word.  It is a sad time for the hard working employees at NPG but don't forget the impact that this will have on the local economy.  The whole community will suffer along with the UAW employees.  

has been a great place to work at for over 100years. npg always made money no matter what the situation. during bad times and good times the place always survived.magna comes along and in 3 or 4 years has ruined the place. its just to bad. if the workers vote yes to a wage decrease i think down the road they will close it anyway. if that should happen then syracuse might as well file chapter 7. nobody spends money in the local community like npg workers.wish all you people at npg good luck and god bless the uaw.

The unemployment line does not discriminate between Union and Non Union.  The current situation at NPG (Magna) will ultimately play a huge impact to both parties. The same Management folks at Magna will be in the same unemployment line with the rest of the plant workers.  Hats off to all the folks involved trying to keep the plant going.  Your decisions will effect the lives 3,000 + - people and their families and the CNY economy.  I wonder what will happen to the Mall when Congel potentially can loose 3000 paying customers????

All of those workers are over paied & that is why everything cost all of us so much to buy those over priced cars & trucks!! Take a good look at Carier, they were over paied & the place moved to Mexico...not NY.

My comment is for Mark: Firstly, you do not spell paied that way.  The correct spelling is PAYED.
Secondly, the correct way to spell Carier is CARRIER.
Thirdly, NPG (Magna) manufactures Transfer Cases which go into 4WD vehicles (Trucks and SUV's).  They do not make anything for cars.
My observation from your grammer is that you are a laborer who is obviously jeolous that you are not making the kind of money the NPG workforce is making.  But then again for around $26/hr you probably couldn't stand on your feet on a concrete floor for 8 -12 hrs a day, 7 days a week, in a 90 degree factory bending over into a tote box lifting Mainshafts that weigh 35 lbs 650 times.  Or How about lifting those Mainshafts to put them in a furnace in Heat Treat when its 90 degrees in the summer and approximately 120 degrees in front of the furnaces.  I can tell you this - the proud men and women at NPG that do this kind of grunt manual labor deserve every Damn penny!

The workers need to buy the company?  For financing they can go make a interest free loan request at the Federal Reserve...It seems to be working for the big international corporations.  This would be great PR for the FED.  They could appear on FOX news and say...See we really care about people that actually make something for a living.

I would just like to point out one problem with the report.  The statement: "The majority of the hourly workers are covered by a national agreement with Chrysler, the plant's former owner.  But that won't matter much if Magna can't strike a local deal with the union to cut costs and keep the factory open." is not technically correct.  The majority of the "over paied" workers, as Mark so intelligently pointed out, have the right under the Chrysler Agreement, to transfer to another facility and continue to be "over paied".  Today that is not a probability, but opens will occur and the workers will be placed in time.  I do not believe that the majority of the workers would prefer to leave their hometown, but if an agreement can not be reached with Magna it may become the reality for many of these workers.

I lost my real good paying job, with pretty good benefits. Way back in 1996 after working there 19 yrs. Guess who signed the expanded NAFTA act that killed my job? No other than slick willy Clinton. I can't belive the people pandering for a Clinton redux. Nobody in goverment gives a damn about the average person anymore. So, plug your ears and hum when senator Clinton promises  100,000 jobs for upstate NY. Or when Spitzer claims he wants to bring jobs into upstate NY. Its the taxes that are killing the state, the free ride has to end. My Mom retired at 66 from New Venture Gear. I know how hard the work is. NAFTA is dragiing down our wages along the illegals sneaking over the border. Close them up and dump NAFTA

First, for TEACHER, payed, sadly, is not a word. The correct spelling is PAID. If you're a teacher I feel sorry for the kids you teach. They do/did make stuff for cars, think transaxles (PT Cruiser). Do your research. Grammer, is spelled grammar. Pick up a dictionary pal, and don't correct people if you're wrong. And, as proud as you may be about how much money you or someone you know makes, that is a HUGE contribution to the downfall of NPG. Not necessarily that they're losing money paying you, but that they have much more viable options (Saltillo, Mexico, for example). Also, you can't blame Magna entirely. While what's happening does seem fishy, you also have to remember gas prices are on the rise, and the economy is crippling. People don't want to buy a gas guzzling truck/suv with gas prices what they are and what they could be.


- While this is outdated, take a look at the NVG product descriptions: http://www.newventuregear.com/products.html

As a former Employee I know what goes on out there so lets not say its all Magna"s doings. First of all some of the unionized employees that i worked with tried there best to scum bag the company in the years i was out there. As a UAW member i was disappointed at my co-workers so after many years at the plant making my 60 plus a year i left with no regrets. In closing i will say start planning what am i going to do down the road when it closes. Both Company and Union got greedy. P.S  I am making 15k less and HAPPY..

I have been a proud UAW member for over 40 years and have seen these threats made when it gets down to the wire of reaching a contract agreement.  But knowing Magna's financial problems maybe this time there's some truth to it. If the plant is loosing as much money as they say they are, then that doesn't say much for the management team that is running the plant.  Why does it always come down to the workers to take cuts in pay and give up benefits that they're previous UAW brothers & sisters worked hard to gain? After all they have no say in HOW the plant is run they just follow orders from management.

I have worked at high tech R&D for 44 years, 34 at a world class Co. down state from Syr. I have seen the license to the best engineered products (some put us on the moon) sold to out of state companies because it was impossible to make a fair profit manufacturing in NEW YORK STATE. ---TAXES, UTILITY, and WELFARE COSTS,--- were the reason then and still are. Yes I know accurate costing! As a cost engineer my figures were subject to corp. and fed. audits.  Now, let's consider what happens to your product cost when union membership protects the weak performer, obstructs the advancement of the newly hired and allows preference to friends.  My first thoughts are Honda and Toyota. The answer is education, education, education, and DO NOT vote for hillary!

Don is the first one to hit the nail on the head better than anyone here.   You can all blame each other but have you all looked around at this community and the job growth? ALMOST NON EXISTENT...because companies do not invest here due to the high cost of doing business in NY State.

Think I'm nuts?  Ask yourself how much the value of your house has increased in the last 15 years.  NOTHING !!!!!!!!!! Maybe inflation 1-2% but that's it.  Houses around here would be worth 3 times as much anywhere else in this country.  

And what reason could possibly cause that? ZERO DEMAND!!!! No new jobs, no demand, no investment due to the high cost of business, taxes, utilities, gas taxes, workers comp....on and on...This is economics 101...so I cannot see why you are all shocked.  

Well all you NPGers It's been going on all around you......and this time it's not happening to the other person, it is finally catching up to you.  Did you think you where a super hero that was invincible?  This isn't your daddy's economy anymore.

And what did Hillary do to help you?  

this is a big blow for our community our sister-inlaw works at the plant eddie was employed at carrier corp. for 26 years what is going to happen to our community
for our children.

NAFTA is not to blame -- we all need to Think Globally....and central NY is not.  
We are still trying to build and sell a Sony Betamax -- and guess what -- no one is buying!  A 5 year old could figure this out without having to hold yet another Economic Summit or creating another useless commision to research an economic forecast.  Plenty of money dumped into central NY for economic development yet oddly nothing develops. As a transplanted resident, I have been in this area for many years and I only hear chatter but see no action.  The world is the consumer now and no one is buying a Betamax.  Unfortunately, although trite, the "if you build it they will come" model does work.  

The state and the county will be going in to NPG to kiss their butts.  They will offer big tax concessions and other deals in an attempt to keep them here.  If it works, we will all pay higher taxes to make up the difference.  (Did you ever notice that they don’t do anything to help business until they are pushed into it by a threat to leave the state?)
The union will refuse to understand that there are people out there that would be happy to do their work for a lot less money.  They will not be willing to give back anything in order to save their jobs.  The union membership better tell their leaders to get their heads out of their a** and work with management to save this business in Syracuse.  A smaller paycheck or fewer benefits is a lot better than a few months of unemployment insurance.
Don’t expect any help from Hilary.  She really cares but is just too busy right now to do anything to improve your life in New York.  She might shed a tear for you if there are enough cameras around.

closing of this plant will have a ripple effect in our community and many jobs will be lost not just the ones at npg

I hate to see people loose their jobs, but when a kid out of high school can walk into a non-skilled job and make $15 - $25 an hour twisting screws - that's ridiculous!
Blame the unions...what good are they? Just a bunch of fat cats sitting around making money from the workers....are they going to put food on the table and pay mortgages if the plant closes..I don't think so!

You Venture Gear people are a bunch of greedy brats . If it wasn't for your union you may still ba around. And yes i am part of a union but we can negotiate and know if we are greedy that we could lose it all . Boo hoo you'll only make $ 18.00 / hour instead of $30 for standing around sucking up O/T. I've heard of the stories for years what goes on there.You've milked yourself out of a good job.  Most of the work that is done there you could train a monkey to do. Most are non- educated dropouts . Well now the company will go and it is very sad to see about 3000 jobs gone .Well at least I'll be able to buy up all the things that you won't be able to pay for . I truly hope you can cut a deal even if you take a small loss in bennies .You can always get it back in the years to come !See you at the 4 sale boards !!

Looks to me like alot of individuals need to go back to the Elementary School. Your spelling is terrible!! First of all, I am 100% behind the workers at NPG ( MAGNA ), because this garbage is going on all of the time in this wonderful place that our government leaders call New York State. I have yet to find anything wonderful about it other than, I still have a job, and a decent paying one at that. With all of this going on though, I will probably be in the same boat, along with my other co-workers because NPG ( MAGNA ) is one of the main customers in which our Corporation supplies too. Let's have the "Fearless Leaders" of New York State knock out two Major Central New York Corporations all with 1 stone, and then come running, wondering what they can do to try and keep the Jobs Here in New York. It's easy, Lower the taxes, and work for the People, not just youself. Every year a Factory, or other work, is leaving this state because of CORPORATE GREED, as well as STATE GREED!!

Kudos to the UAW for helping to shut down America.

The union is at your feet and that company stinks, get off your can and start to demand.  If you want a job get rid of the cons.  Don't be to late or you might have to hibernate.  NPG might be here to save but don't be their slave.

You people can thank your state and federal representatives WHO THE UAW BACKED AND YOU HELPED GET ELECTED.  Hear anything from them now?

They are now busy helping you like they helped Oneida Silver, Syroco, Nestle, Miller Brewery, Fisher Guide, Marsellus Casket, Camillus Cutlery, Carrier..........

When was the last time you saw a manufacturing facility being built in CNY?

New York State is rapidly becoming the armpit of the nation.  It stinks here!

being an npg worker, i think i have some knowledge of what it is like out there. yes the wages are high for some of the work that you do. yes it is corporate and union greed. the union keeping alot of deadwood and not helping the good workers. over management. yes a monkey could do some of the work. the high cost of doing business in ny. the state and local  government not trying to bring more high tech businesses in to the area, but large tax incentives to a stupid mall and a private business owner. corporate inability to expand research into new technology that will replace outdated technology to drive vehicles that are more fuel effecient. oil and gas companies that don't want more fuel effecient vehicles for their corporate greed.
there are some very professional people that do work and want to produce the best quality product that they can. there are alot of people that don't give a damn about quality nor about doing a full days work for the wages that they earn, just give me what i think i should be entitled to.

To Andrew:

You are a total idiot and you have no right to talk about people that have worked their butts off for that so called $30.00/hr jobs.  And by the way they are not monkeys or non-educated dropouts.  Maybe you are that is why you are so negative or maybe jealous because you did not get hired there at some very time in your obviously sad little and I repeat little life.  Oh by the way did I tell you are an idiot, not sure if you have the mentality to remember the first part of the paragraph.
My husband is a member of Local 624 and proud of it.  It has been a wonderful source of living but not an easy one.  He has worked so many overtime hours in years past when we were a total american work force.  He did not get handed his so called $30.00/hr.  He worked for it.  And by the way,  where the hell do you get that so called amount.  If they do and did make that kind of money included overtime and bonus check not that is any of you god damn business.  It seems to me that you are very bitter toward NPG.  Maybe you tried to get a job there and was turned down.  Not smart enough for them are you...........Get a freaking life  you jackass.

Jackass ,I'm mean Barbara . I had a chance to get into NPG . I turned it down in spite of the money I could 've made; don't regret it one bit. See I have a degree but wanted to  use it instead being a trained monkey to put bolts together. My life is far from being little . I'm glad your husband is one of the hard workers of the plant . I repeat one . Bitter ... no more like sad .You are the many who abused the company to its demised congrats . I do feel for the ones who actually worked for it. Maybe instead of sucking off your husbands check get a job .Again I'll see you at the 4- sale board buying the things that you greedy people can't afford now .If you leave your address I'll be over to pick up some googies . hope this pisse you off !! Got to love these blogs .

I worked at NPG several years ago as the Manager of the non-unionized contracted security force. In the 2yrs that I worked there I could see the writing on the wall for the future of NPG. Employees young and old reporting to work, going to their work stations, push the on button and sit around the rest of the day complaining how much work they have to do. To keep a company viable you need to be competitive and continue to bring in new employees w/ new ideas and a willingness to work. The only way you could get a job there is by having a family union member put the word in for you. The average willing person who wanted to work and get paid ( not over paid) would never be considered. This is as close to inbreeding as you can get and we all know what the result of that is. YOU are getting what you truly deserve.  

Chill out folks.  There's plenty of blame to go around, from state labor policies, regulations and taxes to bad management practices and decisions to union actions and worker influence.

NPG is in a market that is now far more competitive than in past decades - there are auto producers and suppliers throughout the world (Europe, China, Korea, Japan), and while NAFTA may have had an impact, it is by no means the cause of this.  The world ecomony is expanding to match that of the U.S., and many workers in the Pacific Rim and other areas are willing to work just as hard and for considerably less money - at least until their standard of living rises.  

New York ceased long ago to be a suitable climate for businesses to really thrive, and for many reasons.  The ecomonic climate favored workers for a long time, and seems to be swinging toward the corporate structure now, or trying to.  The tax structures can be horrendous.  The central NY climate is not the best in the world, and there are warmer places people want to be.  Utilities are priced to make the utility companies rich, not to enable business to succeed.

I don't know anything about the NPG management, but I can guess that they have not been the most proactive in insuring that diverse and innovative products are developed to insure a constant flow of business in the future, especially in the face of increased competition.  I'm also guessing that the labor-management relationship has not fostered the needed friendship and cooperation across the workforce - without it, there will be a wasting disease taht will kill the host.  Standing on past laurels does nothing to insure a future place to sit.

If you are in the labor force, ask yourself whether you have been actively involved in how well the company is doing - are you as productive as you could have been?  Do you consider your position as the union vs. the company?  If so, remember that no house divided against itself can stand for long.

It's sad that so many businesses here in CNY have closed up and moved. Some of the causes might be beyond our control, but many are not.  Throwing stones at each other here on the blogs only illustrates that we're far too ready to blame everyone else for our troubles instead of looking the mirror and asking, "What can I do?" instead of "What could I have done?"

Facefurny, for every company that leaves NY there is one to match it that stays because they are competative and don't have employees that feel that they have an entitlement to be overly compensated for doing nothing because their dad,mother,aunt,uncle,brother,sister, uncle dad did the same thing. Like I said earlier inbreeding!! Garbage in garbage out.

Wally,

You're probably right, at lesat partially, but keeping one business while another leaves is still a negative flow.  We need to bring in replacements.

You correctly note that the survivors are ones where both the managers and workers are equally dedicated to success, teach each other with respect, not suspicion, and where all are compensated propery for their contributions.  Perhaps, since I don't have direct knowledge, this is where NPG is failing.

to wally and facefurny

good comments! and as i said there are people at npg that hold the attitude that they are owed something just because they are there. then don't want to work for the kind of money that they "earn."
in the company's defense , they have tried to instill in the workers that they need to be dedicated to joint sucess and to work together with respect for one and other and listen to workers ideas. but the culture is still of old days of chyrsler due to the "family" influence.
seems that there is alot of no respect of each other or others ideas, not only at npg, but also in the general world today

As long as this country allows foreign goods into this country with no tarriffs or taxes , this is going to continue. Eventually there will be nothing but service jobs. This country needs leaders with the guts to stop the unfair importation of foreign products.

Truck and SUV sales are down, gas prices are going up, failure to invest in new equipment, poor sales tactics, workers expecting OT to live on and upper management waste have all lead to the 120 or so million dollars that this plant alone losses each year have lead to the state of affairs NPG is currently in. Everyone, needs to take the hit and fix it or all will be lost.

This is a perfect example of unions not having a place in this day and age. For as long as I can remember NPG union members had to have it all their way (increased wages, better benefits) all at the exspense of the company without the union giving consessions or they threatened to strike. Who has the power now NPG employees now that the power has shifted? If you would have worked along side with the company to reach a common goal there wouldn't be the soon to be long line at the unemployment office.

This is sad for the economy for central NY but those people have been mis managing that operation for years. Everyone is way over paid for the skill they have and they should blame it on the union. When you have a janitor making 60K a year something is wrong. Lets not forget the big drug bust there a couple years back when the forklift operator was arrested for being on heroin at work. That place was a train wreck and workers have no one to blame but them selves.

Well put Bob!! My brother (now retired) from the State Police drug task force was involved in that investigation. Drugs were being abused by alot more people than the public knows. Just like over paid movie stars, with money comes drugs. Maybe thats why people there fought so hard for their over paid jobs. To support their habits!!

Do you think the price of the componets if made in Mexico or where ever would have a direct effect to us the consumers ? no, the end cost of the vehicles that use npg made goods would not become any cheaper to purchase. The facts are just the bottom line of Magna would go up. Corparate greed at its best in this country! so much for a living wage in the USA. We all should have two jobs that pay minimum wage and then who raises our children? Social welfare!

KF, it isn't about the price of the components or where they are made. They were temporarily laying off employees before this latest announcement because no one is buying these trucks and SUV's that have the transfer cases. Peoples attitudes have changed, prices are going up with gas etc. including increase health care costs, company waste etc, it isn't blame Magna or the Union, it is a problem created by both parties.

Hold on to your hats ladies and gentelmen its going to get very ugly in cenral New York. Think about it when the workers at NPG transfer with Chrysler instead of staying with Magna they will relocate. Who will buy their homes. Cicero could turn into the new city of Syracuse. Take a ride down Shonard street late at nite with your familes, feel safe? Dont make a wrong turn. Why does cutting cost automaticaly mean cutting wages. There are many other alternative ways to save money. Magna is forcing the UAW members to stay with Chrysler. So you know what shut the doors to NPG and when reasturants, gas stations, the mall, the targets and walmarts poping up all over, start to suffer and everyone is looking for more work We the people of the UAW will be strong in other states still making 30+ an hour.  Take our weekly payroll out of this area and see how fast it turns to the slums. Oh and by the way UAW members receive $30,000 just to relocate to a town that appreciates what they do for their community, oh yea and we still mae 30+ an hour plus overtime and benifits. ADIOS SYRACUSE  you are the bunch of ungreatful cry babies.

CYA257
And take your drugs with you. I'll sleep better at night!!

CYA257:  as im sure you know chrysler has idled 13,000+ empolyees and is in the process of closing 11 plants. so just where are you going to transfer too?????
it all looks good on paper but if they are not hiring than you are not transfering.

jcuse,  Do you think that there will be no more truck sales ever? Contractors,repair shops,towing companys ect.. still will need to buy trucks. lets do the math say the factory moves to China and now the transfer case costs GM only 100.00 at cost per unit. Do you or I see a 500.00 reduction in the price of the new truck we will be buying? Do not kid yourself for one minute that the reduced costs will be passed along to us. No C.E.O or C.F.O ever seems to go hungry or without. The middle class can no longer feed the poor and fatten the rich anymore!

I’ll bet most of the people making negative comments on NPG and its workers are part of the problem. How many of you patriots are driving foreign cars and SUV’s?
Most people don’t realize how much of this country’s economy is directly tied to the auto industry. For every one auto worker there are ten related jobs.
Keep buying those Hyundais,Toyotas and Hondas, sooner or later it’s  going to bite you in the ass.

 wallyc0918 you are an IDIOT

ever think that it may have been the quality of people that worked for npg the place has been rampid with drug addicts and adulterers for years not all of you but alot. i know alot of people who work and have work there i've never met so many people that are so proud of how little they do for what they get paid ...laugh at the fact that the place produces scrap for the most part has one of the highest rates of drug use disibility and comp in the whole freaking country  .. most of you take no pride in your work and your union sold you out. ever think thats why the may be leaving.

Det Dan:  That was the best comment i have read on here so far!

Yes I am and I'll keep driving my affordable imported car!

Hey joenobody you must know nothing about a contract. We UAW employees under the nation contract can transfer, if there are no openings then they continue to pay us 95% of our pay and they put us through schooling. So staying with Chrysler is a win win for us and a big LOSE for the cuse. Oh yea when I go to the football games and basketball games at the dome you wouldnt believe the amount of people from work I see. You can have my seats if you can afford them.

This is to Andrew, you are nothing more than a worthless, ***

Thanks Brian for your comment, looks like you and I are the only ones with our heads out of our a****s

good luck finding other good jobs around here u guys did it to yourselves. and because of your crap work foce and lack of pride and work ethic you have succeded in screwing alot of other hard working good people that depend on that place to be in business. can you walk away proud of the work you did at npg?

brian: the drug rate WAS a problem at the plant and that was due to a lot of "kids" being hired with more money than brains. that is not how the plant is today. sure there is still drug use but try try to find a place that there isnt.
as to the disability and comp issues lets see you handle a 45lb shaft 850 times a day and see what your body does. times that by almost 3,000 people and sure you are gonna see a high comp rate.   so dont spout off when you dont have a clue!!!!

I got news for you, try Magna is selling the cases at cost or sometimes below costs now just to get some work. I never said all truck and SUV sales will end, they are down from previous years and are going lower. Get the car companies to produce a truck that gets 20-40 MPG and the transfer cases will again fly out the factory.

 wallyc0918 at least you agree with me, you admit you're an IDIOT and part of the problem.

i will spout i've been a ups driver for 25 yrs never been on comp once! dont talk to me about lifting or working hard.

cya257: That is true to a point. you will get your 95% and the schooling but after 12mos they will drop you from the rolls if they cant place you. then you will have to pay for school on your own.  im not here to argue with you but just remeber   the grass isnt always greener on the other side.

they will fly out the door again but out borge warners doors who recently got the ford contract and became proud hard working teamsters!

I have to ask, why is everyone whining that the NPG workers are overpaid???????  Overpaid compared to what?  The ignorant people who keep saying that probably wouldn't last one day working in that plant....trust me, there have been many people who were hired and lasted not even a week.  Also, why do some of you have the attitude that the NPG workers deserve to lose their jobs?  All of you who are expressing yourselves that way ought to be down right ashamed of yourselves.  A loss of jobs at NPG would cripple our economy and yes, it would affect you indirectly.

WALLYC AND BRIAN ARE RIGHT. THEY HAVE NEVER PRODUCED A QUALITY PRODUCT THERE. MOST LIKELY THEY ARE ALL HIGH AS HELL...GOOD BYE..GOOD LUCK..LESS CRIME FROM DRUGIES AND DRUNKS WHEN YOU ARE GONE...
DONT FORGET LOCKHEED JUST LANDED ANOTHER HUGE CONTRACT AND WELCH ALLEN IS GROWING TO..NO DRUG ADICTS THERE... AND BESIDES WHO CARES IF CICERO TURNS INTO CRAP LAND......

This is why the union and the company do not leak any info to the news.  rumors run like wild fire. Lets go back to the initial letter that started all this. Read it carefully then realize most of the layoffs have changed. Only around 400 people are laid off next week. Surprisingly some areas are working sat. and sun., because schedules demand more. So all of you sit in front of your computers and keep bashing NPG and I have to go and get reay to make time in a half and double time, and not put a dime into the CNY economy.

Brian: as i said to cya257 im not here to argue. i just want to let people here know that all of us at NPG are not a bunch of lazy drug using bunch of slugs. i have slung around almost 40,000lbs of steel everyday for 28 years my bones ache and creak everymorning. most of us at NPG dont even really think about the money while we work. we make suggestions about how to do thing smarter and more efficent but most of the time that falls on def ears. yes there are pople that take advantage of the system but thats a small percentage. im just really sad to see how many people in cny are enjoying the fact that the last big factory around here may go under. as a union brother we are tought to stick together but as a comminity i guess thats not true. so have fun a UPS your job will be alot easier when all of us overpaid druggies stop ordering things to be delivered.

CYA257, ARE YOU GOOD AND HIGH FOR YOUR SHIFT???

that a boy dont forget your newspaper.blame it on cny

Giving away or selling your product at a loss? hum... you must be able to review the profit and loss statement of Magna Powertrain. Where do you get your facts? how does the the third largest parts supplier in the would,get them self into such a bad deal? not much logic in that now is there. yes..yes..yes we know about the price of fuel but people still will need to buy trucks and there are truck which do get 20 mpg right now.

joenobody in my original statment i did not include all of you i know there is good hard working people over there, some of my friends. i feel bad for the good people i know what its like to hurt also.but ask yourself why is there no sadness about rumors of the plant closing. unlike there is say at penny curtis or was say when gm left town?

The B and B show. Drugs are everywhere. Crime is everywhere. Its funny A Ups driver was selling Wii at an incredible price before christmas because he had a truck full of them. He knew what stores they were going to and how to get around it. Just to show you every company has bad seeds. You might be a great driver but to keep calling me  a drug addict is rediculous. If you want to discuss what would happen when the doors close then thats fine. Oh and by the way when UPs was on strike a few years ago we had a commitee go over and picket with you. UNIONS are suppose to stick together no matter what union you belong to. The concept of A union is we are all 1. Thanks for the support

brian: first of all thank you for your support.   second if i remember right the "sadness" to those two companies came AFTER they were closed when the community realized how much they actually depended on them be it directly or indirectly.

cya257. i'll say it again i did not say all of you! but please you sound like one of the good ones. does it make you sick to see some of these younger workers take advantage of themoney the make and the system. as a teamster we would and have been there for you i wish there was more we could do for you but your own local 624 sold you out starting back when they to you health care away and did NOTHING!

joe. sadness came as soon as the closing was announced

cya257: that was a great comment. why cant you have that kind of attitude in all your posts instead of trying to bash all your union brothers and sisters. if we had all stuck together and worked as one we may not have ended up in this situation.

Has anybody called Hillary.  Look at all she has done for the state since she moved here to become our senator.  I'm sure she can turn this around.

brian: that was true. atleast for penny curtis. but as for GM the employees still had places to go. for example NPG as we have alot of ex GM employees there. but as for our situation most people resent us for our wages. when GM and left there were still a few places in cny that had the same kind of pay scale as us. and we were one of the loudest voices against the plant closing. and when they did close we took them in. who will take us in or just say we deserved it?

Crack head Bob from the Howard Stern show?  Wow you are a real man!

Ya I beed da one an onnly  dats it

Show Bill another bimbo and you may get his attention. We need your help Hillary....LMFAO

well i can see that this conversation has gone to hell due to some ignorant person.

Can someone get me a job at the union? I barely graduated from High School, but I know I can make lots of money by getting a job at the NVG. lol

its not just a local thing its our govt not giving a damn have they been giving a damn the last few months while the negotiations have been going maybe things wouldn't be coming the such drastic times! but through somone  trying to get elected in the mix "HILLARY"and wow they want to get on the news look at me Im doing something!! New Yorkers need these jobs with the RECORD NY property and school taxes.

Come on people, no need to bash the workers. I would never wish or hope for anyone to lose their job, any job lost has an impact on other jobs. But do realize, there are people out there that are willing to work for alot less than $30.00/hr. In this s**thole called Syracuse, the job market along with the wage stinks, so for someone to make $15/$18 per hour is rare unless you have a college degree. Most are in the $10 to $12 range. My opinion is I would rather work for less than not work at all. And to Joenobody, I haul 175 lb. kegs and 150 lbs. worh of cases in to restaurants, stores, and down stairs to bar basements all day and everyday so 45 lbs. all day would be a walk in the park. And we did away with our Union, I do not need someone to speak for me. Good luck NPG employees, hope things do work out for you.

ok im sorry i diddnt mean to have this turn into a weightlifting compition. all im saying is that everybody works hard for there money. we all want to provide for our families. so no matter if your earn 5 cents an hour for digging ditches with your hands or sitting down counting the cracks in the floor for 500 dollars an hour. the fack is that 3000 people may lose there jobs. and furthermore think about the maybe 10,000 people who rely on that plant albeit vendors,resturants,gas stations,laundry services,etc. the list goes on and on. i just have to stop and wonder why so many people in the community WANT to see this company fail. we all complain about our taxes and supporting all the people on welfare. so remember when you are cheering that all of us drunken overpaied drug addicts are out of a job you will be paying our welfare.   P.S. i can also guerntee that your taxes will go up now that a billion dollar corporation has left again!

 Maybe we are overpaid, but why should only a few upper people in any business enjoy the profits.  We fight wars overseas to protect peoples rights,  when our own people will take advantage of the "un-educated" workers.  Don't look at the pay as a dollar amount,  think of anyone of you from docters to factory workers having your pay cut in half!!  There are workers in every company who take advantage of the system.  Overall NPG has a pretty hard working workforce.  We only take  two 12 minute breaks and 18 minutes for lunch.  As for all the "un-educated drug addicts" look around your workplace or neighborhood, you would be surprised what is out there.  I was raised in a white collar mgmt. home and have a B.S. Degree in Business Economics.  I may not always agree with the Union views on protecting people who don't deserve the great jobs NPG has or had to offer, but someone needs to protect the middle class before it disappears!  For all the people who think we are overpaid,  put your applications in.  There will be a lot of openings soon at $13/hr.  Enjoy the easy work!!!  Hopefully you can afford benefits for all the surgerys that come with the work!!

Its better to kid around, there has been enough bashing NPG workers. The truth is, Albany is screwing all of us. People pick on NVG workers instead of focusing on the REAL problems. High taxes, utilities the Thruway raised tolls and will again next year. Its driving businesses out of state, unless you own a big mall. Then expect the taxpayers to "pay for most of your ride". For a few hundred low paying part time jobs. With no benefits, then Spitzer proposes free health care for all? In 15 years my property taxes have tripled and my pay check hasn't. OPPS, some years the tax rate stayed the same. The ole assesment went up to make up the lost revenue.

Until you walked in the shoes in a plant closing after working there for years. You don't know what its like. I work for a small company, have been since 1996. When my employer of 19 yrs. Moved south to Mexico, NAFTA. The company I work for now has about 100 employees. We have some that probley use drugs, drinks too much and cheat on their spouses, lastly takes way too may breaks. That dosen't paint the whole place with the same brush

working there in the summer making parts when you can barely breath and getting sick!! its soo hot breathing in the misted flume water coughing up nasty crud, machining parts! I don't care what anyone has to say about these workers they work hard! there are very few that scam the system. they put a new fan up then a week later you cant see the fan because cases in grease you wonder what your lungs look like at the end of the week!

YES,I GET PAID GOOD MONEY. I AM GRATEFUL FOR WHAT I HAVE. IT HAS BEEN THE MOST PHYSICALLY DEMANDING JOB THAT I EVER HAVE HAD. NOT COMPLAINING THOUGH. NOBODY PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD TO WORK THERE. BY THE WAY,NOBODY GOT ME THE JOB EITHER.  I FEEL AND STILL FEEL THAT I AM NOT ENTITLED TO ANYTHING THAT THIS JOB HAS OFFERED ME. I HAVE HAD TO MAKE THE SACRIFICES THAT ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO WORK THERE. I WILL ADMIT THAT IT IS FRUSTRATING WHEN I SEE COWORKERS WHO DONT SHARE THE SAME ATTITUTE.

AMEN BROTHER!!!!!

So true about the hard work.  That is what we are paid for not our "education".  We don't want your sympathy.  We also don't want to see any business close or cut workers pay.  The UAW stands for all workers against "Big Business"!!  PROTECT THE MIDDLE CLASS!!!!!  Whatever we have left.

Educated is right,  it would suck having your pay reduced to half of what it is now, knowing what I have to do all day, I know I would not like it at all.  

  Thanks to the UAW for helping me see how important a new career path was..  I work for 3 months there and you can have your $30/hr!  Let me say most workers earn their money as I am sure workers in different careers do also.  You couldnt pay me enough to work there.  Maybe they should take a cut but half of anybodys pay is a little to much.  

Can somebody answer why the union fought for the so called worker that took advantage system.  The people that showed up drunk or drank at work, or the one's that basically didn't do anything for 8hrs.  

jobless: the union has to represent everybody equally no matter how much of a shitbird they are.we all pay the same dues and so deserve the same representation no matter how unethical it is.      and trust me when i say this. the union reps HATE representing these people but they have no choice.

I watched people quit because it was too much. Too many hours or got stuck on a job that was "too" hard. Mandatory 12's!! yeah getting pushed between 2nd and 3rd shift!. i talked to workers from austria that couldn't believe the hours we worked! they couldn't even believe the # of parts we were producing with the OLD piece of junk machines were using let alone keeping parts on size its an acomplishement of the employees there that keep the machines running and that parts are even coming out of that place. ANYWAY no one here wants sympathy just tired of people say over payed lazy union workers. people on some lines have taken pay cuts and loss of incentives and there willing to do even more if they new that would keep there job! no one wants to be jobless.

Not everyone at NPG is making $30 + an hour.  The Magna people are only making $13.00 an hour, and Magna wants to lower their wages to $8.00 an hour.  Might as well work at MC Donalds!!!

quick question.        why is everyone so happy to see us close?????    dont you realize that these are real people's lives?  we all dont eat steak and caviar everyday we are just normal people you see on the street everyday. our kids go to school with your kids. we are your neighbors and your friends. and to see alot of you happy that we may lose our jobs (the wage cut is not an issue) really breaks my heart. when we as employees of NPG have givin so much back to the community over the last 120 years the you would all be cheering our demise.

  I can tell people now,  don't make the mistake of quiting a job to come to Magna for what they are hiring at.  You will regret it like all the other so called UAW Magna workers!! Everyone wants to get their foot in the door only to find out it's not all they expected!!  They GREAT pay is the only reason we stay.  All this has showed us that maybe there is a better job out there we can actually enjoy.  WE HOPE!

magna entertainment lost 85 million dollars last year alone , but i don t see frank stronach[magna s founder] closing down any of his horse racing tracks.as i said before he takes 1.5% of our total sales before anything is figured.i have worked here 6 years and still live in a1300 sq ft ranch,but i own it not the bank.my largest indulgence is sending my daughter to a $3000/yr parochial school.NO MATTER WHAT WE GIVE UP TO MAGNA THEY WILL STILL CLOSE THIS FACILITY ,they will just take a little longer to do so.the union is one of the only reasons why this bussiness has been here this long.

A lot of good it's doing you now.  The only thing a union does is keep bad employees working.  Reward the good employees and get rid of the bad ones is how it should be.  How many alcoholics and drug addicts are working there that should have been fired years ago?  They blow off work to go get drunk during their lunch hour at the store across the street and then build our cars.  No wonder people are buying foreign cars

    15 years I spent at NPG and now I know how people feel about my career choice..  I never knew how much we were hated for doing are job and paying are union dues and taxes...  I guess you are all happy about the doctors and lawyers that raise your health insurance rates and costs for everyday activities.....  Only the head of ENRON and OIL COMPANIES deserve to live in a 25,000 square foot house!!!!

To Teacher:

Regarding your comments to Mark (above), allow me to make some corrections to your half-baked essay.

First, it is not PAYED but rather, overpaid.
Second, grammar is spelled with an "a", whereas you spelled it, "grammer".
Third, jealous is spelled as you just read it, not "jeolous", as you wrote it.

My final comment is that if you weren't such a rude know-it-all, then perhaps you wouldn't attract comments like mine. Your manner of addressing Mark reveals the true extent of what a jerk you are capable of being. What did Mark say to you, or anyone, that caused you to respond with such vehement disdain?

My advice is to educate yourself; not only in spelling and grammar, but in the fundamentals of the type of human behavior that may just lead to a positive attitude  while fostering a spirit of camaraderie between you and those around you.

do you really think the work at npg is that easy or that the conditions at npg are great?  they dont pay us almost 30 an hour for no reason! the air is horrendous,oil everywhere and these machines dont just run themselves.  college degree or not the work is very technical and involves tremendous capability to run these very high tech machines you all seem to think all it is is a bunch of monkeys on an assembly line well wake up it isn't and we make about 90% of all the components in them transfercases from a piece of forged steel! just wait to see how long this plant stays open with wages @ 15 an hr, id bet you anyone would quit the first august day it is 95 degrees out and about 120 in the plant on 2nd shift with oil all over you and mist in the air so bad you cant breath! to that i say take my 15 an hr job and ill take my chances elsewhere! magna never had any intention of stayin in syracuse from the get go and we should never have voted for chrysler to sell the plant! dont be so quick to judge if you have no idea what kinda of work it is in there!

To Don, Thank you for your last comment.  My husband works at the plant and is not one of those making the money so to speak.  He is under Magna, and for what he does at work and the working conditions it's just not enough.  It's so sad that others who have no clue what goes on in that plant are so quick to judge and make such nasty, rude comments.

My Toyota Sequoia and Honda are the best 4WD SUV's I've ever owned.    Who makes the components for those?

Sonota

Now there is something to be proud of, buying a foriegn car. It's people like you that are the "Walmart" shoppers of this country that will look around one day to find you can't even afford that crap !! NPG was and still is a "World Class" producer of automotive components. We have supplied Nissan, BMW and Landrover to name a few SUV's that are not American.

How many Japanese buy the crap you make ?

"Educated UAW Worker"..."we were hated for doing are job " The correct word is OUR, not are.  That's why you run a machine.

educated??? do you know what the letters f.o. stand for?  why do you degrade the working class you wannabe snob!

I'm tired of hearing all the complaining about the working conditions at NPG. With this so called great union of yours you should have been negotiating for better working conditions instead of lining your pockets with more money.

For everybody thats putting forth their comments about the situation at hand out at Magna( new venture gear) whether negative or positive should step back and look at the big picture. Stop pointing fingers and realize our own govt. put us in this predicament due to the fact that the Bush's have a major hand in oil prices skyrocketing. also the fact that N.A.F.T.A is and the world trade agreement is killing the good ole U S A not over paid U A W workers!!!

thats right how can you compete with mexicans that will do that job for a $1.85 - $2.15 an hour could you live on that and be happy?????? thats what our govt is pushing us to!!!!!!!!  yeah in mexico thats probably good you can go to hoyts and see a movie that came out the same day as syracuse for $2.20 and buy a popcorn and soda for a $1.50. here that cost around $25 you tell me whats worng with our economy!! plus the taxes and energy cost!!! were or a crash and burn pace!!!!

A companies #1 operating exspense is payroll and the cost of benefits. Do the math!! Average weekly pay per employee $1200 multiplied by 3000 people equals $3.6 million a week!! I'd shut the doors too!!

wallyc   how much did you make last year? how about you take a 20% cut in your pay and lets listen to you squeal like a pig. Thats not fair  WHAAAAAA  I hope you loose your job and have to work the night shift at wal-mart. whaaaa you factory workers are paid too much whaaa... bottom line the pay they get may very well support your family and friends jobs.  think about that!

We don't line our pockets with money.  I live in a very conservative home, have one child and was very proud that my husband could provide the funds to put him through college so he would not have to work in such horrible conditions as ALL the workers at NPG.  Sure there are drugs and wrong doings there, but it is everywhere.  Look around, people.  Check out your childrens schools,  friends that they hang with.  At the malls, school grounds.  It is everywhere.  Even where you may be working.  

Take a look around in our community.  We are all suffering here now.  It is only going to get worse.  Not just NPG but you and this whole community.  

There is so much negativity and we should all be supporting each other.

HEY Mr. Wally  if you know any thing about business you would know that payroll is only about 10% of their operating cost you moron, so quit being jealous, beleive it or not alot of men and women that work on the shop floor have bachealors and masters degrees, so if you think that we are uneducated try again you IDIOT!!!!

I IS AN IDIOT SO THERE FOR I IS?   i BE A DOCKTOR! i STEAL FROM HEALTH CARE AND MAKE THE MIDDLE CLASS PAY FOR MY LAVISH LIFE STYLE AND OH YEA THE POOR ALSO LIVE OFF MY TAXES.  no thats the smartest thing i written yet

DOM if that is true that alot of people there have bachealors and master degrees you don't think there is a problem when factory workers make more than people with these degrees working in their fields. When you price yourself out of the market this is what happens. I make a reasonable salary (not over inflated) for what I do and I'll sleep well tonight knowing I'll have a job in the morning. How about you?

wallyc  seems you like the idea of lost jobs? what is you motive or do you have stock in borg-warner?

You just prove to all of CNY that you are an IDIOT!!! You obviuosly don"t have a job if you keep writing on this blog. If you do have a job you are overpaid also because you are not doing your job. Now  go get a life and hope Magna doesn't go under because its very possible you job might be affected too.

DOM my job is slightly more complicated than pushing an on and off button. Google NY jobs salary. Average production worker in NY makes less than $28k not $60 plus but at least those people are still working.

I,m sorry Wally you must have one of those computer jobs where you sit on your ass all day and end up with hemmoroids. I also will mention all the people here that have carpal tunnel and all the shoulder and elbow surgerys. Oh and by the way Eddie Haskell also says you are a ***!!!

i just bought a new ram hemi and now chrysler or magna or whoever is trying to take are money away.  they can try and we will go on strike and we will see who is laughing then. this is what they fear. and to all you haters here we will still be getting PAIED NO MATTER WHAT while you will be working and i will be driving around in my hemi.

wally,i am a journeymen electrician at the plant.when i lose my job i will gladly come do electrical work on your house from the hall @$70/hr .the best part is a buffoon like yourself will gladly pay this price.i cannot wait to get into your pockets asswipe!!!!!

Getting "PAIED and driving in my hemi not working"  ........statement has 100%  just reinforced why I  buy foreign best in class Japanese vehicles ranked the highest in JD Power, Consumer Reports........
 
The customers who buy the junk that is made from the $$ left after people get "PAIED" for not working are the ones who suffer.  That money comes from somewhere....just glad it is not me!

Sorry Vince I don't let druggies in my house. Exspecially those that are  still learning their trade. Maybe the state will hire you to rewire the unemployment office while you are standing in line. LMAO

Most of you people are so vicous i'ts unreal . There are dead beats in every company around . Don't even mention Socail Security & Welfare . Most of you , the high & mighty ones are so tied up in a miss speliing . Who made you perfect . I'ts bad enough the company is sinking , just keep sticking the knife in deeper.There is enough hate in the world to go around ,do we really need to keep throwing it about. This is the first time I have commented on a blog and the last .Most of you should be ashamed .I'm not going to check my spelling or punctuations so go ahead and pounce on me to . I won't be checking all the nice comments you'll write , so go ahead and feel good about yourself for lashing out at another innocent victim. While your at it go and mug some elderly person .Not much different ?

sorry wally had my card 10 years before i came to work here ,just another swing and a miss for you .try again,your anger and stupidity are quite entertaining.by the way ,never done drugs(strike two).i also have an aas in electro-mechanical technology from alfred state,the unemployment line is where i will go if i want a vacation.also as an added bonus i have a state license,oh whoa is me wally the sky is falling!!!!!AMF..

If you r so talented then why are you crying about losing your job? Is it because of the fear of losing the gravy train you and your fellow members have been milking for so many years. And stike two? I never done drugs!! Thats what 100 of your fellow members were saying on their way to jail when that place got raided!!

sorry wally never cryed about losing my job.people like yourself are the reason abortion should be retroactive.as for LMAO we should save that for your boyfriend and/or gerbil.TTFN

  I'd like to address the shallow minded parties that are happy to see NPG in this situation. I'm a highly skilled worker that received my States certification in Patternmaking in the early 80's. That's a 10,000 hour, 5 year apprenticeship, plus numerous night school courses, and I don't have a degree !! Do I deserve $30 per hour? 20 years ago, before I was at NPG, I was making $18 in a job shop. I thought I had a job for life. There were 30 shops is the Syracuse area. Today I can count 3 !! I'm hoping I can work at the new Lowes store that opens on Rt31 this year.
 As for the pay at NPG, some are over paid. One of the big problems there, that has been constantly brought up to management, and that management fails to address, is accountability. That is, the responsibility of the worker and his/her manager to produce good parts. All to often the "junk" is hidden in empty trailers or listed as vender scrap. Procedures that have worked for years to safeguard production have been scraped by Management for "Better Systems" that don't work.
People are making good money to build trash and they don't care. Management will not discipline or terminate the junk running employees. More than half of the parts we made in house are now made in Mexico and China. This is one of Magnas ways to cut cost. Want to see some more junk? NPG now has two or three outside sorting companies working in the plant to filter the crap coming in. How much is Magna saving? And you thought it was just a problem with toys!
  Now, as for my pay, that you're glad to see me not get.  My best year was $99,600. That's acquired by working 7 days a week, 3rd shift, for a year. My good friends Uncle Sam and I Love NY suck off $36,000, Figure that out times 3000 people ! I put at least 10% into my 401K so that, I hope, I can survive when I retire. Charitable and Political contributions are deducted weekly. After household expenses, National Greed, property tax, etc..., the expendable cash is dispersed in the community. May it be Lowes, Home Depot, a new car, a restaurant, new clothes, what ever.., it's where your Mother, Father, Son, Brother..... work. NPG puts $3,000,000.00 to $4,000,000.00 of new money into the Central NY economy every week !!  That's NEW MONEY not Recycled cash !!!!!!! When it's gone, Burger King may be handing you a Pink Slip !!    

How come I know 20 people that work there and only 1 isn’t an A-hole? Here you go union workers in CNY, its called living within your means. Not on your credit score (which will be sh*tting the bed soon w/ your defaults).  The 19 A-holes think they are entitled and better than me. Sorry to say but it is nice to see them knocked down a wrung. I will be with Andrew and wait for them to dump off their “toys” they can’t afford anymore. See you at 3mile bay this summer with a slightly used boat :)

VINCE,
Don't bother arguing with "I never DONE drugs". "DONE" SAYED it all! : )

To wallyc & R Hayes, I've read all comments and you are "both" TWO FOOLS WHO KNOW NOTHING  about real work and need to stop steeling from our government, because loosers like you two is the reason why we are loosing jobs. So get a f******* clue on what is going on in the real world you loosers!!!!!!!!!!

im sorry but i dont know any a-holes who work there. but i do know many who are the envious and who wished they worked there. i see them all around me. i will compare pay checks with you anytime. oh and i wont be dumping my hemi or my toys anytime soon.  we get "PAIED" by someone no matter what or did you miss that.

by union     My point exactly! You all (NPG employees) are nuts! This is what got u guys in the situation u are in. Wanting something for doing nothing! I'll compare my check to your unemployment or welfare check anyday!!  

HEY Lynn   what are you doing tonight? wanna make 14 bucks an hour the hard way?

TO: BY UNION, my paycheck is half of yours, I am sure. I know I will by able to pay mortgage this year and years to come. O` yea and all my toys I paid cash for. O` yea I have a zero balance on both of my credit cards. O` yea and my `03 car will be paid off this June. How bout your “hemi and toys”? Not even close to being paid off huh? When u row up to your old (my new) boat @ 3mile, ill let you use the bathroom.  As far as the A-holes go…you cant see the forest from the trees.

its soo funny to hear you wierdos argue. The employeese were paid because the company could afford it!!! period the times were good gas was cheaper people wanted SUVS!!!! why should the money go to some big CEO to buy a yaht????? The US economy is crapping out to foriegn competitors that WILL DO ALL YOUR JOBS!! for $3 an hour!!!! LOOK TO YOUR GOVT that is outsourcing there own people!!!!

http://www.thegearplanet.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=15


for all NPG employees

How long will the UAW "Pay" you for when they shut the doors?  You all sound like it will be forever. I don't think the UAW has an extra $150 Million a year to keep you all afloat.

I make well beyond what you are arguing about, and I don't care if they pay you or not.  I pay $24,000 a year in property taxes alone on my house.

But I see how there is a disconnect between the people who appreciate what they earn there and the people who take it for granted and act like it is an entitlement.

Sounds like you have quite the diverse workforce in that facility.  

Looks like one less tanning session and nail appointment for these money grubbing women that where only with these men for their money.

Unbelievable the amount of enjoyment some people are finding at other people losing their jobs.  I am now permanently disabled after working for NVG, never seen the 30 dollars an hr., but busted my hump just the same.  In its hayday it employed well over 3,000 people on the shop floor.  Of course you have your goof offs or druggies, but for the most part everyone worked.  During those times we all made about what the rest of the Big 3 manufacturers made.  Injury rates are high given the circumstances we worked in.  Your standing in oil from a machine that leaks that no one can fix because its 100 years old.  Made better sense for the company to keep filling it and wasting oil than fixing it.  Your maneuvering parts that can weigh anywhere from 5-50 lbs a piece.  Handling them several times.  By the end of your shift you have physically by hand moved thousands of pounds of steel.  You work through your lunch and breaks to make your quota.  Your breathing in this awful smog.  It coats on your skin.  Your hands are often in flume water which Lord only knows what is in that.  You often had to work 7 days a week, not by choice.  I would be mentioning none of this, but some peoples views and comments on the amount of money that was made, is insulting.  38% of my pay went to taxes.  You basically work for free 1 day a week if you have to work 7 days because of the taxes taken out.  Our health benefits, basically we have none.  We pay full shot for all doctors visits.  We do have a decent prescription plan but thats about it.  No coverage for emergency visits.  When your working 7 days a week, their happy.  When your hurt the company finds ways to not pay you in any way shape or form.  You trying going 6-12 months with no income.  That is the average amount of time it takes to start recieving benefits after an injury.  I'm not complaining.  No body forced me to work there.  I just cant believe the thrill some people are getting at the loss of jobs.  It wasnt a free ride for everyone there.  Also live with the stress of going to work everyday and the rumors of lay offs ect..Your life essentially stands still.  I'm sure there will be some nasty comments back about this post.  Have at it, and then get a life.

First of all ,With you being in the union,you have got some nerve saying that we don't deserve our pay,when it is you that is over-payed for sitting on your a-- all day !  Another thing,when we were at the fairgrounds last year,retirees had made comments about how the union had been operating and they didn't approve at all, They had never heard of alternate stewards having alternates! New Process Gear is the only plant where the stewards don't work! Prove me wrong!!! But that is enough of pointing fingers,because that is magna's intention,to put the workers and the union at each others necks!Magna has got nothing that can justify their leaving and the closing of New Process Gear ! Where is the 75 million that they promissed to invest into New Process Gear? A LIE and a BREACH of CONTRACT !! Here is something that comes right from Magna ! In 2004,Magna Drivetrain had acquired a majority share in one of its largest rivals in the all-wheel drive sector,New Process Gear. In less than two years,a local company employing 1,500 people had thus become an 11,000-employee-strong Magna Group with eight times the annual sales. This has helped to make Magna Powertrain even more competitive in a field that ranks among the fastest growing in  the automotive industry! With all that being true,why hasn't Magna invested the 75 Million into our plant ? They are like every one else that wanted to buy New Process Gear !1They wanted it so that they could squeeze out a;ll the profits so they could part out and sell everything to the highest bidder,and then flush the rest down the toilet ! Laws should be in place that prohibits corporations from squirming their way out of keeping up their ends of a contract ! They should be held accountable for their actions ! All Magna wants to do is to close our plant so that they can go and open up the plant that they are building in Russia !! Why hasn't anything been done about that ? But then again, what transpired when the union went to Austria? Did the union help negotiate the mess that we are in ?  It gives you something to think about ,doesn't it ?

 Mark,you must be a Magna employee that is envious of all the legacy employees and their pay ! You have got a lot to learn and just from the way you talk, I don't think that you will ever be bright enough to figure it out! As far as Carrier goes ,if you don't have any of the facts,just don't write what-ever sounds good to you! Carrier had gone oveseas,not to Mexico ! If the Union gave into Magna and lowered our wages to $14 an hour, that pay would be the pay that we had made in  1989 ! In 1979 I  was getting paid 6.99 an hour.And that was hot , oily,heavy hard work! There were no such things as a easy job back then ! The new workers today don't know what it was like years ago when you had to literally bust your ass for 7.00 an hour ! The workers deseve the money that they made.And  to make a comment about the scrap in the place,how many times have you heard complaints to stewards about the bosses wanting you to run junk? If you didn't want to get fired for insubordination for not wanting to run junk,you needed an AVO. If they didn't want to give you the AVO,the uniopn would get involved . They would either give you the AVO ,or fix the problem,9 times out of 10 ,you would get the AVO.The company is putting lower quality parts inside these units.If something is said about this to management,their response is that it is what the customer wanted ! The customer wants quality parts to go in the first time something is built,they don't want to rely on warranty issues that could have been prevented !! The workers in assembly areas are more quality conscious than management. I found a quality problem that needed to be resolved. I said something to the boss about it and I was told that they would hope that it gets picked up under warranty !  So ,don't paint a bad picture of all the workers there as being junk runners and over paid. A lot of the new Magna workers don't and will never know what it is like to work with axles or cast Iron ! I would like to see these workers on the 435 ,440,540 the 203 or the 205 lines !! On these lines ,you lifted tons daily!The legacy employees never approved of the wages that the new Magna employees were to recieve

If I were a possible new employer, and I were to read this blog, I would run, not walk, away from Cetnral New York.  The abominable level of incivility here would convince me that anyone I hired would put me in an adverse position from day one,and I would have no desire to run a company where my workers consider me their adversary.

People, whatever wages the unions have negotiated are their business.  If the company agrees to pay them, then none is overpaid.  They might be paid more (or less) than you, but that's all relative.  Whether that level of pay can be sustained is another story.  Like it or not, other countries are becoming sufficiently industrialized that they can begin to compete with us, and in many of them, people will happily work for far less than we do here in the U.S.  That reality is not going away, and it's effect will become more significant as more countries build their economies.

We have, over the years, raised our standard of living will above other countries, and good for us!  However, no one should be surprised when we are shoved aside by lower cost manufacturing elsewhere.  Companies and corporations are in business to make a profit, not conduct social programs.  If they can reduce costs by moving elsewhere, another state, another country, so be it.  If they can win back concessions and they are granted, so be it.  The larger problem is that our national economy is built on those higher levels of pay, and when that compensation is reduced or eliminated, then entire economy is impacted.  We are starting to see the effects in the housing market, in the auto market, and in the oil market.  

The plant with magna is designed to fail, we do a lot of prototype, when we get the jobs we send the work to another magna plant, the word from upper management that is not our core business.  Bottom line is they don’t want us to have a future in Syracuse. (Corporate Greed)

For all you bragging nvg employees about how big your pay check is, I will be there to buy your toys. No sleeping for overtime{know people that work there}, so no new toys and the wall at work gets more covered with for sale items. And do you really think the union will cover the pay loss from the small unemployment checks? When in about 7 or 8 months. The banks won't wait that long. What you got for sale? I will struggle with my 26hr job, non-union job.

No one has mentioned the salary employees that were forced to take a voluntary layoff without pay.  Union workers get 95% of their pay when ever they are on layoff.  Salary employees get to sign up for unemployment.  They were all encouraged by the HR manager to be sure to sign up for the one week waiting period for unemployment insurance.  Sounds like Magna is plaining more than just a temporary layoff.

Hey, Worker. I think you have that wrong. I know a salaried employee at the plant and she was forced to take the week off. Yes she was told to sign up for unemployment and get the 1 week waiting period out of the way. I know her "situation" and trust me she did not volunteer for any layoff. And yes she too thinks that the layoff will be longer 1 week.The feeling is all around the salaried employees that they will be on unemployment again in the very very near future.