Transcripts

Commentary: The Auto Assembly Line Takes A Dangerous Financial Turn

SUSIE GHARIB: Tonight`s commentator says working on an auto assembly line was once considered a good job, but times have changed. Here`s Robert Morison, director of research at the Concours Group and co-author of "The Workforce Crisis."

ROBERT MORISON, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, THE CONCOURS GROUP: One of the reasons General Motors has been in the news lately is its buyout offer for 113,000 hourly workers; 35,000 accepted, a new record for major corporate buyouts. Now Ford is following suit.

From a workforce standpoint, what`s happening here? These buyouts are a financial strategy, not a workforce strategy. The employer can`t control who takes the offers and stands to lose many of its more capable and experienced people. GM is reportedly already hustling to plan transfers, employee recalls and even hiring to keep the plants staffed.

We cannot really conclude that the industry is in trouble. Americans still buy cars. Foreign auto makers with manufacturing operations in the U.S. are adding capacity and jobs. Total auto industry employment was in decline well before these buyouts, but the rate of decline is actually slower than for American manufacturing overall. We can conclude that the definition of a good American job has changed irreversibly. Blue collar jobs with generous, union-protected security and benefits are now scarce. Today`s good job is defined more by opportunity than by security, more by interesting work than by extensive benefits. And the color of the collar is shading from blue toward white as jobs require more education and training.

Ford`s buyout offer to many employees includes tuition reimbursement for themselves and family members. That`s absolutely the right thing to do to help people transition from yesterday`s good job to tomorrow`s. I`m Robert Morison.