# A different approach to the big three's troubles

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-different-approach-to-the-big-threes-troubles/479530>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [January 2, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-different-approach-to-the-big-threes-troubles/479530 "2009-01-02T00:24:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-different-approach-to-the-big-threes-troubles/479530/21 "2009-01-05T21:40:23Z")

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In the news today we find out that Chrysler’s sales have dropped by 50% in December. News story [here](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090105/ap_on_bi_ge/auto_sales). They only sold 89,000 vehicles compared to the previous December’s sales of 191,000. There is no way that gutting the union is going to sell hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Nobody’s buying. Period. You can mess with labor contracts all you want but that doesn’t sell cars. If these guys want to survive they’ve got to start selling cars again.

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**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-different-approach-to-the-big-threes-troubles/479530/22 "2009-01-06T02:42:06Z")

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Ouch, that’s pretty bad. Yeah, union (and executive) pay, benefits, etc., don’t seem to mean much when your sales drop that badly.

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-different-approach-to-the-big-threes-troubles/479530/23 "2009-01-06T02:50:44Z")

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[Toyota’s sales drop 37%, Honda 35%, Nissan 31%, Hyundai 48%.](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aV3r__l7LlsM&refer=japan) So it ain’t just the Big Three ([Ford and GM both down over 30%](http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/automakers-end-year-big-sales/story.aspx?guid=671DCD3F-60EA-4E82-A7C2-3C63C5BC8666&dist=SecMostRead)), and [Toyota’s shutting down **all** its Japanese plants for 11 days due to a lack of sales.](http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-autos/idUSTRE5045JN20090105)

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**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-different-approach-to-the-big-threes-troubles/479530/24 "2009-01-06T03:16:34Z")

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Damn big 3 unions are killing Toyota and the other Japanese companies too. They have to be stopped. Look what the UAW did to Hyundai.

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